MTV Unplugged - Korn
You’ll never be able to take Korn home to mom, but the group really did reinvent itself for “MTV Unplugged.” Much of its dark ego is shed to flesh out melodies that eluded its older material. Hearing its black id simmer would have better suited “Blind,” but the flamenco treatment Korn’s first hit receives is gutsy. Later work, like “Twisted Transistor” with its threatening cellos, adapts better to the format. “Falling Away From Me” is another shock: Chiming like a nursery rhyme, its bleak theme of suicide is reduced to a soothing whisper. Overall, Korn scores slightly higher for effort than for results. But the real test will be fan reaction, not critics’. We predict harsh division among the ranks, half accepting Korn’s desire to evolve, the other howling like 5-year-olds sucker-punched on the playground. Billboard
