Upon initially hearing "See You On The Other Side" this reviewer wasn't sure exactly what to make of it. It was not a bad album by any stretch, though I felt it was - to a certain extent - a bit disappointing and frustrating. Back then, it was my belief that, after the departure of lead guitarist Brian "Head" Welch the year before, Korn were a bit strapped for ideas, and had to scramble to come up with songwriting ideas. They were blatantly abandoning their roots, and not even making an attempt at the same heaviness that was heard on, say, `03's "Take A Look In The Mirror." Plus, yours truly didn't find it to be as catchy, either.

However, the key word here is "initially"...because now the above opinion could not be further from the truth. Confession time: Korn is among my all-time favorite bands, yet I didn't really give this 2005 effort the fair shake that it deserves. It would be safe to say that I had a prematurely made-up opinion about it. In my defense, this task was easy to do, when considering the new album's experimentalism was a total surprise, making it likely to leave many fans cold after the first couple listens. But sure you mark my words, when I say this: I officially retract my last review (a long, long overdue statement)! Reading between the lines, this is the kind of record that grows on you. And grows, and grows, and grows...and grows! In fact, it may never - or at least rarely - cease growing in appreciation. Yes, the new material is bound to sound different. Hence, one might think that the band are afraid of riffing, and that their rhythm section sounds a bit weakened. These things are simply not the case, though. Instead, look at it this way: Upped levels of creativity, breaking new ground, breadth, and epic-ness. Anyone can out-heavy themselves, but John Davis & the Gang opt for good songwriting (among other things).

As aforementioned, "SYOTOS" does possess more-than-a-few experimental elements. But cool your jets, because it does not have too many. Furthermore, I hope I have not mislead you into thinking that it has absolutely nothing that sounds familiar - because it does. With repeat listens it becomes increasingly clear that numerous heavy riffs still remain in tact, here (really, they do!). Thus, the songs capture an almost perfect balance between innovation and the raw, mean angst of old. As a result, the experimental aspect stops well-short of the "selling-out" point; it makes the songs boast great texture, unpredictability and soft-hard friction. Also, it is a necessity to say something about its accessibility. True, the new material is less immediately catchy than fans are used to, but fear not because the songs do bristle with memorable hooks. The only difference now is that Korn have developed a surprisingly smooth and subtle way of delivering them (a surefire sign of maturity). In other words, as was the case with the guitar riffs, the hooks are still there, and they are as prominent as ever, even if they might take a little extra time to appreciate. And once they have sunk in, it should only be a matter of time before you are headbanging just like you used to, with John's lyrics/vocals tattooed to your brain, and mimicking David Silveria's crashing (and frequently reverberating and tmospheric) percussion on air-drums. Heck, one might even him/herself humming a tune the rest of the afternoon.

"Twisted Transistor" is an insanely hooky, infectious, and addictive opener. Trippy, Eighties-era transistor-like sound effects, rhythms that are as ready for the dance-floor as you can get, nice vocal hooks, Davis' usual gross lyrics (this time they are about a girl who falls in love with her radioy...it's all here, and is enough to make it easily one of the best singles in Korn's discography. "Politix," with its climactic, angry choruses and near deathly growls, sees the group entering a bit heavier territory; as does "Hypocrites," which is complete with really memorable vocal patterns (including a bit of near-rapping, and shout-worthy refrains), and some of Munky's strongest rifffing to date. (It has chunky, memorable, and at times near-funky-sounding guitar licks from beginning to end.) "Souvenir" is another very catchy number. It finds Davis summoning higher, near-falsetto notes over Tom Morello-style keyboard-sounding guitars.

A heavy Marilyn Manson influences shines through sporadically. In fact, it would not be unfair to say that some tracks, like "10 Or A 2 Way" and its successor, "Throw Me Away," are so industrial-lite that they could have almost been lifted wholesale off of a MM outing. Two other standouts, "Love Song" and "Coming Undone," feature perhaps the most memorable choruses of the bunch. The latter is also of note for its terrifically toe-tap-able, Nine Inch Nails/Rammstein-esque stomp-and-clap rhythm. "Liar" again delves onto the more aggressive side of things, thanks to the plenty of rhythmic, industrial-strength, staccato power cords sprinkled on here-and-there throughout. Lastly of note is the set's pinnacle (and closer). "Tearjerker" is almost startling in its tunefulness; Davis digs deep and comes up with a truly breathtaking and soulful bit of accomplished clean singing. "Tearjerker"'s lyrics aren't anything to write home about, but still - it does deserve credit for being an excellent, very atmospheric, pretty, and soaring power ballad. And it proves JD has has a surprisingly good vocal range because he can actually sing!

Whether or not Korn can pull-through on their own without the assistance of Brian "Head" Welche remains to be seen. But this is a fact: "See You On The Other Side" is definitely a big step in the right direction. Overall, the affair manages to sound both new/different while simultaneously being a bit familiar. So, in short, both new and old fans of the band should find something worth their while in "See You." And upon hearing it, both parties should attest that it is pretty-darn-great!

This is not the same KoRn we remember. After their last true album, Take a Look in the Mirror, which I happened to like but also which just was a retread of things before, I was wondering if KoRn would change their sound. The resounding answer is yes. KoRn's new cd is heavy but in a different way.

It is atmospheric and ambient, while at the same time holding onto KoRn's very groovable melodies. It pulls in different genres of music, while at the same time being true to that KoRn sound. The major influence, as far as I can tell, is industrial. The 1 minute beginning to the cd and to Twisted Transistor is a perfect example of this, pulling in different sounds, experimenting, keeping you unbalanced until the opening guitars of Twisted Transistor pulls it together. This continues throughout all 14 tracks; songs sometimes bleed into one another, all contain about the same feel which can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes, groups that keep a similar sound throughout have a chance of becoming boring or repetitious. In my opinion, KoRn treads this line, but every song is more of a hit than a miss.

While the cd is heavy in tone, I think fans will be divided. Its not as raw as some of their earlier works. You won't find songs like Blind or Daddy that have such raw emotion in them. And, unfortunately, the bass guitar work, the sound oh so familiar to KoRn fans, that sounds like percussion at times is lessened. There are a few songs that have it, but overall its not as standout as it once was which I'm a little disappointed in.

I'm not one to give ratings for each individual song. I will point out a couple that are my favorites on the album. Throw Me Away, Love Song and Coming Undone are my favorites because of the tone. Part of the reason I love KoRn is their tone, the timbre of the music and these songs are the best for me. Some of the middle songs do tend to be more midtempo and kind of slow the album down. But I've had this cd for a week (shh don't tell; I'm buying the album today) and even the middle songs which I didn't like in the beginning have grown on me.

This is the limited edition version. What does that mean? Well you get more songs, for one. The two Twisted Transistor mixes (both "meh" but I don't usually like remixes) and two live videos, one of Twisted Transistor and one of Hypocrites. Finally you get 3 "B Sides." I like the B Sides a ton, particularly Its Me Again which would have been a great opening track as Jonathan sings about how he sees things differently. Its kind of tongue in cheek. I also like Le Petit Mort which is the French saying for orgasm, giving an interesting turn to the name of the song Last Legal Drug. You also get one year membership to the KoRn fanclub and a kick ass cd case. Is it worth 20 bucks? That's debatable. But, if you can find it for cheaper (as there are sales right now) I would definitely recommend it.

In the end, I think fans will be divided on this cd. Whenever a band "reinvents" themselves, the longtime fans (of which I'm one) tend to be upset. And I will bet that you will find fans giving quite opposite reviews here shortly. My recommendation is that if you enjoyed Twisted Transistor, you will probably enjoy this cd because the feel of that song continues through the rest of the cd. I wouldn't go so far as to say See You On the Other Side is a KoRn reinvented, however it is easily their most different and unique album; its trying new types of music and its probably their most original and exciting and daring album since KoRn came on the scene with a little song called Blind.

Yes, that Korn that was once popular in the 90s and so on is dead. Musically, they completely changed their sound (which could be due to their lost band member, Head) but to tell you the truth, I think this is the best thing Korn could ever have done. Old Korn may be dead, but this new Korn is alive and full of energy. If this album is discovered by more people and bands I believe that once again there will be a new uprising of bands trying to sound exactly like THIS Korn.

Okay, so if you have this cd, or are just looking at the reviews (buy it, believe me, it grows on you) don't think of this as a Korn cd, or even a Metal cd. Also, don't think about the song "Twisted Transistor" if you have heard it. It sounds nothing like the rest of the album. Just think of this as a Rock album, an experimental rock album. This is definitely the first Rock album in a very long time that doesn't look to copy another sound or easily fit into a defined genre. Korn have always been that way in a sense, except with their last few albums (yes, I said few, not one or two). But this cd will surprise a hardcore Korn fan.

First of all, this is the 'lightest' Korn album to date. 'Light' meaning not 'heavy', in the metal kind of sense. The album begins with a short interlude (yes there are a few interludes on this album, much like 'Issues')and then there is "Twisted Transistor". Catchy, simple, 'pop-py' (you can thank The Matrix for that), but still proves the progression Korn has made. The next few songs are the heavier ones of the album, but still nothing over the top. "Politics" is very catchy, interestingly set up, the industrial sound actually sounds really good. The only bad thing is that the lyrics don't sound 'smart'. I have found that Korn has never been 'smart' with their lyrics, they usually repeat themselves by saying some of the same lines in the same album. But this cd is 'smart', just not this song. The main chorus "You want to sleep with him to get to who you need to know, think thats they way to go don't you?" makes it seem like Jonathan Davis is supporting good morals, which he never had in the past (or now, 'Getting Off' for instance). But we'll excuse this, because this is a great 'sounding' song, and so are the many others. The few songs that stand out to me are "Hypocrites", "Throw Me Away", "Open Up", "Coming Undone", and "Liar". Why? Because they're different. Well, "Hypocrites isn't so different, but its heavy, its simple, the lyrics are actually well wrote and get across the point about their old band member, and it makes old-school korn fans happy. "Throw Me Away" is the 'lightest' song on the album, but its very 'smart' and sounds great. "Open Up" is another soft song, but it has a great bass beat and the lyrics are very thoughtful. It is also the most experimental song on this album, in my opinion. "Coming Undone" is definitely worthy of being the next single. It has an enormous beat (if you heard it you'd know what I'm talking about) and a great element of 'fun'. "Liar" is heavy, strong, 'smart', and even brings back the old "scat" that was available in old-school Korn. Bagpipes here too, as in at least 3 songs, which is very good instead of the one or two songs that it was available in before. "Seen It All" is probably one of the best songs Korn could have ever chosen for a closer, but they didn't. The lyrics are great, the concept is smart, but they used "Tearjerker", which is an ok but depressing closer.

My last word to convince you to buy this album is that every song is DIFFERENT. This is the first Korn album to give us this. Not one song sounds similar to another, the lyrics are different and for the FIRST TIME, Jonathan Davis does not complain all the time in his lyrics, but instead decides to sing about meaningful things in our world, like Politics, Religion, Relationships, etc. (There are also a few sex songs, also on the extra disc, but they're nothing special). So, as a final thought, this album may not sound so special when you first hear it, but listen to it, think about it, and you'll be hooked. It proves old Korn is dead and new Korn is born.

Fist off, Korn is the best band in nu-metal history. They are the ones who basicly started or brought nu-metal to the masses in the underground before metal ever went mainstream. I've gone through so many reviews of either people praising or bashing one of the most influential bands in rock music history. Korn are legends and they deserve more respect than that of "you people" that are stuck on one paticular style they brought out in one of their 7 albums. First off, Korn has never really changed. It's you the fans who make it seem like each album they have become something new, that is either praise-worthy or for lack of a better term "crap". Don't you people have lives? On the TALITM cd, Jonathan sings on the song "I'm done" and he says "I'm done being there for others, they have their pain and so do I". That right there should signaled something to you the fans that the man is tired of carrying you on his back and making music for "you" to feel better. You guys who are like so obsessed with Korn and you need to grow up, literally. Jonathan, as much crap as he's been through, he is really starting to mature into a adutlt and yet all "you", the "fans" have to say is that he isn't the same anymore. And for all fans out there that say that Korn was better when they first came out with songs like blind, ball tongue, and adidas, and all the other early 90's material, Jonathan Davis and the entire band were still practically teenagers. So, you throw slurs at them because now their mature adults and no longer write about things that affected them when they were teens, com' on? I could go all day writing about how stupid and immature you guys really are but I'm not going to. My purpose is to review "See You On The Other Side" cd which is by the way awesome work from Korn.

First off, Korn has never put out "one" bad album. Everyone of them has been good in their own right. The first album is special and is probably their best work to date. Life is Peachy only continued the trend of the first album but never really equaled the quality of the self-titled debut. Follow The Leader was the album that launced them into the mainstream and was very enjoyable especially to those that weren't familiar with them. Issues, was darker and them redifining themselves into darker and more melodic tunes. Untouchables was their come back from a 3-year break and it also had a lot of experimentation and it was their album to mix both the heavy and melodic weird stuff that they do. TALITM was them as quoting, getting back to the basics and going back to the heavy grooves that made the first album so successful. And now, See You On The Other Side. This album is amazing! There's no denying it. I'll agree that it's a different album than their previous albums but nothing really drastic in change. Head leaving the band was probably the best thing that happened to Korn. They were so stuck on pleasing you the fans that they were starting to lose the creative edge that made them into who they are today; rock legends. This is their best since the first ablum "Korn". You people who gave it bad reviews didn't like it because it didn't make you feel the "old" feelings you had when you listened to them back in day. That was basicly like 12-14 years ago, it's over, Korn is no longer living a little more than a decade ago into the past. You can't expect them to stay the same. And in my opinion, I don't think they've changed all that much anyway. Bottomline, this new record is tight and should not be missed by any Korn fan. It's easily there best work since their self-titled debut. My favorite tracks on this cd are all of them. This is Korn's second classic album. I urge all of you who are true korn fans to go out and support the band on this insanely awesome effort from a band that has been through so much and are still the kings of the genre that they pioneered forefronted.

It took me a few times to warm up to this CD, then I really loved it. It's very different than the other ones, but it continually stays in my CD player.