10 90s Metal Albums That Successfully Transformed Their Band's Sound

4. Korn - Follow The Leader

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRGrNDV2mKc Unlike their fellow genre compatriots, Korn have the authenticity that comes with the birthing of a music genre. Their 90's records were on the cutting edge at the time, inevitability culminating in the creation of the nu-metal sub-genre. With Follow The Leader, the band broke the musical style into the mainstream and pioneered a very distinct sound that they are certainly the masters of. In closer inspection, that distinct sound was always lurking on their first two LP's, particularly on Life Is Peachy. The difference now was that they openly acknowledged other influences on the landmark '98 record instead of masking them with thick slabs of bass and downtuned guitar chords. They even poke fun at their embracement of hip-hop on the intentionally juvenile rap-off 'All In The Family' or the scat spasaming, vocal breakdowns throughout much of the record. This self-awareness also informs much of the musical arrangements because it sees the group, for the first time, not over bombard the listener with dark lyrical themes and sonically raw production (at least for the most part). It's the most "fun" the band has sounded while still retaining their core identity. The quirky and bouncy, yet sinister and heavy 'Freak On A Leash' is a prime example. This experimental genre-clashing comes to fruition on songs like the smoked out reminiscer 'Cameltosis' or the bass clobbering banger 'B.B.K', two songwriting peaks among a slew of them. Metal purists might like to discredit Follow The Leader for its hip-hop elements, but in reality, it's a brilliant genre-fusion record with highlights littering it at every turn. Key Tracks: Freak On A Leash, B.B.K, All In The Family, My Gift To You