KORN / The Dirty Youth / J Devil
When it comes to KORN, opinions are divided. Some like the fact that the band is keen to experiment. Others say, that their music has nothing to do with metal and should therefore not be called so. KORN are known for giving a shit on the opinions of others, and their new album “The Path of Totality” – a Metal/Dubstep hybrid – proves this fact again. KORN are touring again, to prove the live potential of the new material, and one tour-stop over is Offenbach, Germany. STALKER was there to check this gig out for you.
The opening act was a big surprise. KORN-Fronter Jonathan Davis let his alter ego J DEVIL enter the stage. Pure Dubstep was offered instead of Metal. Although the place was crowded, most of the people were quite irritated. Some actually partied to the music, but most of the audience seemed to not know how to handle this stuff. At least J DEVIL did his best to turn up the fun, and at the end of the gig it worked, but only partly.
After this gig that left mixed feelings, THE DIRTY YOUTH entered the stage, and their music was quite a contrast to the aforementioned. No Metal, no Dubstep, but heavy Alternative Rock. Singer Danni Monroe has an impressive voice, comparable to Hayley Williams of Paramore. Also her punchy performance should be mentioned. The song-title ´Fight´ describes the rest of the show perfectly. The band had no problem to interact with the audience, promoting their new album and winning some new fans. All at once. Although their music isn´t heavy enough to make a good KORN-support, the gents and the lady did a good job here. And the music got more response from the audience than the opener.
Finally it was time for the main act. KORN kept the audience waiting, but the moment they entered the stage, the first row went completely mad. The combo showed a diversified potpourri of their hits and rarities. From ´Lies´ and ´No Place to Hide´ over ´Here to Stay´, ´Freak on a Leash´ to ´Shoots and Ladders´ and the famous Pink Floyd-Cover ´Another Brick in the Wall´, everything was included. They garnished the setlist with nothing less than six songs from their new album – which means more than the half of it – including the single ´Get Up!´ and the opening track ´Chaos Lives in Everything´. So everyone who knows KORN since their last release only, got his/her favourites. And as smalltalk during the break revealed, there seemed to be many of such people at the concert… Moreover, the gigantic laser-light-show is something not to be sneezed at. KORN transformed almost the whole stage background into a giant projector. Not so good for epileptic people. Yet: KORN doesn´t get younger and so their impressive performance looked a bit choreographed. Nevertheless the guys have an unbelievable energy and the ability to transmit it to the audience.
Technically there was nothing left to be desired, but it became clear, that the new songs have a lack of the aggression KORN is or was known for. But the old songs of the set showed that they still can do it if they want to. At the end of the day we must say, that there had been better KORN-gigs for sure. But anyway, everybody should have got their money´s worth in some way. Only J DEVIL should rather perform in electronic music clubs, where the music fits better and will probably get more response. Being the KORN-front man is not enough.