Korn - The Nothing

Grief rarely gets documented this openly on a heavy record, and The Nothing finds Korn channeling profound loss into some of their most crushing music, pressed on 140-gram vinyl.

Released in 2019 on Roadrunner as the band's thirteenth studio album, it was made in the aftermath of the deaths of Jonathan Davis's wife, Deven, and his mother. Davis treated the sessions as therapy, spending around four months on vocals, far longer than usual, and some of his breakdowns were left on the finished record. Nick Raskulinecz produced, with recording split between Nashville and Bakersfield, the band's hometown.

The End Begins sets the scene, closing on Davis's own raw, unguarded collapse. From there, You'll Never Find Me and Cold deliver the down-tuned groove and lurching rhythms Korn built their name on, with Munky and Head's guitars grinding against Fieldy's bass and Ray Luzier's drums. Finally Free wrestles directly with his loss, and Davis's bagpipes make a welcome return along the way.

It is a hard listen in the best sense, honest and heavy at once, and it stands among the most personal albums in their catalog. For longtime fans, this pressing is a reminder that the band still had plenty to say well into their third decade together.