You Can Look, But You Can't Touch (Untouchables - Korn)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Untouchables - Korn
Date:	22/04/08 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some of the tracks on this album are quite strong.

Disadvantages: Much of this 'Untouchables' release is massively disappointing.

Released in 2002, 'Untouchables' is the fifth album from the Californian metal mob that is Korn. In the early days the bands music had always very much taken a nu-metal approach, in 1999 the music took a more alternative metal direction with the 'Issues' album however and this is a sound that was continued with this 'Untouchables' release. The album comprises of fourteen tracks and clocks in at just over the hour mark. It's not a particularly exciting album of music, much of 'Untouchables' is in fact quite poor and there is very little of interest to take from this release.

The album begins with 'Here to Stay', a Grammy award winning single which in truth is really quite a droning bore. The same guitar riff is repeated throughout the track, the band does little here to gain your interest as you listen and never does the music ever seem to launch into life. It's a poor way to begin the album I feel, but as you listen on you begin to realise that this is probably actually one of the better tracks that this album has to offer. Some of the tracks contain the odd interesting element in terms of the guitar work, an occasional hard hitting power chord, and strong fretwork. For much of this album however the music of Korn is not particularly adventurous at all and the music just seems a little lifeless and half hearted.

Tracks such as 'Make Believe' and 'Hating' are particularly poor from this release. These two tracks are especially terribly put together; the vocals sound completely out of tune and musically there is very little to take from these tracks here either. The music just doesn't work at all, whilst some of the songs on this 'Untouchables' album are saved through some strong guitar work; this is just not the case with these two at all. Korn was never exactly one of my favourite bands; I do however greatly appreciate some of the bands music. From listening to these two tracks I gain no listening enjoyment whatsoever and struggle to understand just what the band must have been thinking when these tracks were recorded.

'Thoughtless' as well as 'Here to Stay' was another track to have been released from this album commercially as a single, it is I feel one that does actually work quite well here. It's one of the strongest tracks from this album and as well as 'Beat It Upright' flies the flag for the excellence of this release. There are too few moments of promise on this album for my liking; I do however find these two tracks in particular to be hugely enjoyable and extremely finely produced. The music just seems to work here and the music of Korn therefore sounds magnificent. The music is by no means perfect, it is however strong and listening to these tracks is an absolute joy. Closing track 'No One's There' is another from this album that I feel has been pulled off incredibly well by the band, it's a five minute closing track and definitely it is one to remember. Given the poor way this album begins, it was important for the band to get the closing track right and this is certainly something that has indeed been done here.

'Untouchables' although not entirely disappointing is definitely not the best album to have been released by Korn. There are some strong tracks here, much of the album is however quite poor and this is therefore not an album that I would recommend going out and buying. Since 'Untouchables' was released in 2002 the band has taken a change in direction again and Korn can now be found to be producing an industrial metal sound. The bands current sound is I feel the best it has ever been, the alternative metal music of this band was never particularly effective I feel but the band now seems to have found its strength. Korn popularised the nu-metal genre in the 1990s, jumped ship when the genre was on its last legs and became a fairly standard alternative metal outfit. 'Untouchables' is not a particularly pretty album; it has some strong moments but the music is not consistent enough for my liking and too many of the tracks here fail to ignite. Some of the music on this album is excellent, too often however the tracks just don't work and the 'Untouchables' album is therefore not particularly worth listening to at all.

Summary: Not an album I'd recommend listening to, more often than not the music fails to impress.