Search - Korn :: Life Is Peachy

Karen B. from GULFPORT, MS
Reviewed on 10/29/2011...

This is classic Korn!

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Rebecca G. (Rebecca) from BEDFORD, TX
Reviewed on 1/15/2007...

Great cd!

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Growing pains

Rubin Carver | Gilbert, AZ USA | 12/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have mixed feelings about Life is Peachy, and I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt with a 4 star rating as opposed to the 3 star rating I was tempted to give it. This album shows the awkward developmental period between the self-titled and Follow the Leader. The result is interesting and fun if not necessarily the high point of Korn's career.



The album starts out well enough with the infamous "Twist," a 49 second scat from Jonathan. It's not a fantastic song but it sets the stage for the rest of the album, a hodgepodge blend of heavyness and creepiness with playfullness and vulgar humor. From here out, the first part of the album is basically a funkier, weirder take on the self-titled sound, with lots of abstract chords and offbeat rhythms. The songs aren't as heavy-hearted as the self-titled, but they retain the same familiar chuggy balance. In a way this is the strongest and most stable portion of the album, and the best of them would probably have to be "Chi" with its distinctive time feel changes.



The middle portion of the album has some of the best songs on this album and may alone be responsible for the 4 star rating I gave it. "Porno Creep" is a very cool Snot-like jazz/rock song that acts as a sort of intermission. "Good God" is an emotionally intense song with screeching high guitars and a distinctive melody. "Mr. Rogers" is a disturbing, creepy, drug-addled tune with lyrics depicting paranoia and betrayal.



Unfortunately, it seems that after the first half, the album doesn't know what to do with itself. "K@#-!" is a rediculous joke track that is only really entertaining the first time for its shock value. The idea is funny, but it compromises the quality of the album as a whole. Likewise, while I'm sure "Wicked" and "Lowrider" were great fun for the band to do, they chew up the flow of the album and spit it out as a messy, random pulp of varyingly mediocre songs.



Amidst the innappropriately placed cover songs etc., are the album's singles. They both more or less sound the same and are decent songs. Most importantly, though, they start to introduce the subtle hip hop influence and bizzare pedal effects that would become more prevelant on the next album. "Ass Itch" also hints at the sound the band would adopt for Follow the Leader. It has a good chorus but the verse and various other parts are a bit scattershot.



"Kill You" is the logical successor to self-titled's "Daddy", and is almost as profoundly disturbing. This is also the logical continuation of the first half of the album which is far superior to the messy second half. The potential shown in the first half seems to suggest that this album was a rush job and suffered as a direct result. It shows in the schizophrenic cobbling together of various novelty songs, but it also shows in the tin can production and in the playing of the band which is not as tight as it was on the self-titled.



Not for the last time, Korn rushed to put out an album at the expense of quality. It's not a terrible album, and when you cut out the duds you get a very nice little EP that fits perfectly as a transition between the self-titled and Follow the Leader. But it is a sophomore jynx. Still, it's pretty good as sophomore jynx's go. 3.5 stars grudgingly rounded up to 4. Give it a spin once in awhile - just don't look at it too hard under the microscope."

One of the rawest and most original albums to ever come out

eternal now | mankato | 08/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't think most of these people that listen to Korn and write reviews of their albums even know what kind of contribution Korn made to the Nu-Metal scene. First of all it was bands like Faith No More that really pioneered the Nu-Metal scene and in parts of Europe Faith No More is looked upon as THE Creator of Nu-Metal, not Korn or any other band.

With that out of the way, lets get on with the review. I was a huge fan of Korn ever since I first heard their debut release, which was about a year or so after it was released. I was blown away. The way the band mixes so many styles into an aggressive, yet melodic and beautiful concoction is amazing. Jonathan Davis used to be one of the greatest vocalists in my opinion. used to be...

Life is Peachy came out a fews years after their debut, and obviously shocked many people. First of all, their debut was a moderate speed and Life is Peachy is more intense and much faster than it. The whole album is more raw than fresh meat sliced from a cows [...] I think most people expected something more being that their debut was almost predictable.

If you ever get a chance to hear their demo, it is actually their debut album, but less refined and more metal sounding than funky metal. Ross Robinson(the legendary producer) is actually to thank for their Nu-Metal blend of styles.

Life Is Peachy is way ahead of its time, bordering on an almost post appocalyptic metal sound that our present ears are not accustomed to yet. Raw, gritty, violent and sporadic, this un-predictable album features a better instrument sound in my opinion. Everything seems like they recorded it in a basement, sans the crappy recording sound. The quality is studio worthy, but they somehow managed to create a very rough and rugged vibe on this album. I think this is one of their best albums, and certainly better than Follow the Leader, or the abominations after that.

This guitar riffs are crunchy and hard as nails, with their massive use of effects. The bass can be heard, and is actually good! The drums have a raw and high pitched sound to them, the bass is deep and low, yet bouncy. The vocals are stripped bare and raw as all he$%!

If you enjoy raw and rugged metal with jazz, hip hop and a small dose of funk in the mix, pick up Life is Peachy. There is no other disc out in the world that is like this album. Wholly original and unique, Life Is Peachy will take you into dark depths, but always with a sense of fun and musicianship."