Korn has released a number of albums over the years. While I favor the first few albums, I think that their releases between 2013 and 2019 have been quality entries in their discography. What follows is my ranking of Korn’s albums from *1994 to 2019, from least favorite to favorite.

Though some of Korn’s albums have better songs than others that are ranked higher, I rank them by how enjoyable I believe the overall album to be with brief summaries explaining my reasoning. Star ratings are relative to each album as individual works, as opposed to comparative between albums.

This list is, obviously, only my opinion.

13) Korn III: Remember Who You Are (2010)

An album which I consider to be the lowest point of Korn’s musical creativity and quality. The lyrics range from middling to cringe-inducing, the instrumentals are lackluster and carry Korn’s worst guitar tone of any release, and the drumming is overdone and ceaseless to the point of being exhausting. The mix is the worst of any Korn album (the bass and drums, in particular, sound awful).

I created a personal remaster of this album which made it more listenable for me, but it is by far my least favorite record that the band has produced. It has few redeeming qualities, although I am fond of the imagery of the standard edition. I do not, however, like the special edition’s cover.

Album highlight(s):

The Past, People Pleaser, Trapped Underneath the Stairs.

Rating:

2/10 [★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

12) See You on the Other Side (2005)

One of Korn’s more controversial albums among their following. At the time of its release, it drove away some of their older fans who favored their earlier sound, while drawing in new fans. For a number of people, this album is regarded as their introduction to the band. In Korn’s discography, the lyrics stand out as being more poetic than Jonathan Davis’ typical approach (having been co-written by Davis and the Matrix). The album is fun, but not one of their best.

Album highlight(s):

Seen It All, Eaten Up Inside, It’s Me Again, Inside Out, Too Late I’m Dead.

Rating:

4/10 [★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆]

11) The Path of Totality (2011)

Another of Korn’s more controversial albums in terms of fan reception, I happened to enjoy it and still give it a listen from time to time. Throughout the years, fans have remixed the album without the electronic or “dubstep” elements, but I find that this revisionism leaves the songs sounding dull and empty. The tracks were clearly intended to include those aspects.

The lyrics are creative in most places, probably some of Korn’s better lyrics from more recent albums. While this isn’t the band’s heaviest or wildest work, it is clear that they were passionate about the project. For these reasons, it stands out in their later discography as justifying its existence.

Album highlight(s):

Burn the Obedient, Tension, Sanctuary.

Rating:

4/10 [★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆]

10) Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)

Although one of Korn’s heaviest efforts, and sporting some interesting artwork, the album’s aggressive lyrics and pleasing mix and tone are undercut by its lack of instrumental and vocal variety. It also marks a change in Davis’ vocal style that I do not favor, which persists to the present. I rank this record lower than Untitled because I believe that Untitled’s apex tracks are superior to the pinnacle tracks of this album in creativity and quality.

The omission of the chaotic laughter from the 1993 demo version of “Alive” in the 2003 variant present on Take a Look in the Mirror embodies the primary problem with this release. If one could take the more creative aspects and variety of Korn III and merge those with the stronger instrumentals and lyrics of this album, we may have had a truer back-to-the-roots entry. Alas, we received two halves of a whole, and will likely never hear what could have been.

Album highlight(s):

Let’s Do This Now, Counting on Me, Play Me, When Will This End.

Rating:

5/10 [★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆]

9) Untitled (2007)

One of Korn’s least popular efforts in the eyes of their original core fandom, I find a few of the tracks on the album to be among their strongest. The work feels fresh and daring, and it features some of the band’s best cover artwork. In addition, the record has decent lyrics and a superb tone and atmosphere.

Album highlight(s):

Starting Over, Hold On, Kiss, Do What They Say.

Rating:

6/10 [★★★★★★☆☆☆☆]

8) Untouchables (2002)

While I’m not a big fan of the vocals on much of this album, I think that the effort put into this release is evident. The lyrics and instrumentals are immense, though sometimes overproduced in the case of the latter. I consider this the last release of the second “classic” era of Korn (which I think follows what I view as the Golden Era, or Korn from 1993 to 1997!).

Album highlight(s):

Make Believe, Blame, I’m Hiding, No One’s There.

Rating:

6/10 [★★★★★★☆☆☆☆]

7) The Paradigm Shift (2013)

Marking the return of Head, this album is, for me, one of Korn’s better efforts of late, and the beginning of a series of solid releases by the band. The mix of the album is well-done, it retains some creative electronic elements, infused subtly, from the preceding release of 2011, The Path of Totality. A few of the songs on this album are among my favorite of the band’s entire body of work.

Album highlight(s):

What We Do, The Game is Over, It’s All Wrong.

Rating:

6/10 [★★★★★★☆☆☆☆]

6) The Nothing (2019)

Ranking this album relative to The Serenity of Suffering is difficult for me, as they are nearly equal. While I think that the best songs on this album are better than the top songs of SoS, I believe that SoS is a superior overall record, and more cohesive. Nonetheless, I think that this is one of Korn’s strongest albums.

The lyrics range from creative to middling, but the emotion underlying the release due to the tragic losses of Jonathan Davis’ mother and ex-wife in 2018 are apparent. The album also features what I believe to be Ray Luzier’s best drumming for any Korn album yet (he has come far since his awful work on Korn III), and some of Fieldy’s best work since Follow the Leader (though, I think he could do more; I Can Remember when he did).

Album highlight(s):

H@rd3r, Idiosyncrasy, Can You Hear Me, Gravity of Discomfort, The Darkness Is Revealing, The End Begins, Surrender to Failure.

Rating:

7/10 [★★★★★★★☆☆☆]

5) The Serenity of Suffering (2016)

One of Korn’s best albums, in my view, this work is generally solid from start to finish, though I think stronger in its first half than its second. It is bolstered by intense instrumentals, a terrific mix (crunchy and not overproduced), powerful lyrics, a thick atmosphere, and what I believe is Korn’s top collaborative song, A Different World (featuring Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour). I listen to this record on a semi-regular basis and rarely skip a track.

Album highlight(s):

Black Is the Soul, The Hating, A Different World, Out of You.

Rating:

7/10 [★★★★★★★☆☆☆]

4) Issues (1999)

Considered to be the end of Korn’s classic era by many Korn fans, Issues stands out in their discography as being a record of fantastic tracks and a lot of filler, the latter of which detract from my enjoyment of the album. Though at its best, it towers above Korn’s later releases and features a sound more in accordance with the band’s early style (especially, Jonathan Davis’ vocals), its weaker songs drag it down significantly. I often skip most of the record.

That stated, I would argue that the prime songs of Issues are better than all of SoS—if they must be directly compared due to their placement on this list—making it an overall more enjoyable listen; but, Issues still has more filler that isn’t worth repeated listening. It’s a comparison of great songs and so-so filler tracks (Issues) versus good and decent songs (SoS).

Album highlight(s):

No Way, Hey Daddy, Trash, Dirty, Counting, Am I Going Crazy.

Rating:

7/10 [★★★★★★★☆☆☆]

3) Follow the Leader (1998)

This album was my introduction to Korn, and features my favorite Korn song of all time (It’s On!). This record is beastly from start to finish, demonstrating some of the band’s most creative instrumentals and instrumental and vocal effects, an inspired mix, and unique lyrics and vocals. It likewise marks the peak of Korn’s career with regard to their popularity, visibility, and album sales.

However, it also serves as the beginning of the end of the crazy live performance style of Korn from 1993 to 1997 (particularly, Jonathan Davis’ manner of “freaking out” on stage), and a shift in the vocal style of Davis from Life is Peachy to this album is glaring. Some attribute this to vocal lessons, but there was a definite weakening of his voice, in his ability to scream and project, in live performances between 1997 to 1998. Consequently, I consider this album to be post-Golden Era Korn and the first true departure from the band’s original sound.

Album highlight(s):

It’s On!, Dead Bodies Everywhere, Pretty, Justin, Seed, My Gift to You.

Rating:

8/10 [★★★★★★★★☆☆]

2) Korn (Self-Titled) (1994)

This album holds a particular magic which is not present in any of the subsequent releases. To the exclusion of the band’s demo, it exemplifies the rawest form of what Korn ever was or was meant to be, and features many of their Korniest songs to date. Though nothing can replace this release, I rank it second only because I believe the group’s sophomore effort, Life is Peachy, represents a perfection of this original style.

Nonetheless, Korn will never again recapture what was special about this album; and, indeed, we shouldn’t expect them to. Where the band’s later releases, such as The Paradigm Shift, The Serenity of Suffering, and The Nothing each maintain similar elements and sounds, Korn’s eponymous first album is special precisely because it cannot be recreated.

Album highlight(s):

Ball Tongue, Clown, Helmet in the Bush, Daddy.

Rating:

10/10 [★★★★★★★★★★]

1) Life is Peachy (1996)

I rank this album above Korn’s self-titled effort because I believe it to be, as I noted, the perfection of their original style, and the end of their Golden Era, both in terms of live performances and adherence to their initial sound, or “vibe,” as they called it. It defines essentially everything that ever was Korn or has been, since. Though the band says that they “rushed” the release so that they could continue touring, I believe that this chaotic production only enhanced the quality of the content (chaos was instrumental to Korn’s early feel).

The release likewise bridges their primal style with the style of their peak of fame in Follow the Leader.

Album highlight(s):

Twist, Chi, Swallow, Good God, No Place to Hide, Kill You.

Rating:

9/10 [★★★★★★★★★☆]

*Honorary Mention: Neidermeyer’s Mind (1993)

Korn’s 1993 demo, named after the artist of the cover art, depicts in its infancy the strange sound that defined Korn’s eventual self-titled noise. It’s as raw as the band ever has been or ever will be. For this reason alone, it deserves a mention. Everything on the demo is a highlight.