10 Metal Bands That Changed Their Sound

As the 2010's started, Korn didn't really need to prove their chops to anyone anymore. From their nu metal debut onward, these guys had practically trademarked what nu metal was supposed to sound like, and every release since then has been them trying their hand at whatever else could fit into their sound, for better or worse. If some of the more poppy stuff got under your skin though, Path of Totality made for one of the most immediately dated records that they would ever put out.

Hooking up with some of the hottest producers at the time, this record was the first time Korn started to delve into the world of dubstep, which was met with a pretty harsh reception when it first came out. As much as the abrasive sounds of people like Skrillex may have had the chops to produce these songs, what we ended up with is a bunch of songs that just cram elements of metal and dubstep together and just hope for the best, making the entire album sound extremely messy.

Every time you hear Jonathan Davis try to tap into something a lot more gritty, it's always undercut by some wild bass drop for no reason, all while the guitars are cut up or completely buried in the mix depending on what part of the album you're in. There's the skeleton of a decent record in here somewhere, but the end result feels like you've entered a rave where no one is supposed to have any fun.