Untitled [Vinyl]

With its membership dwindling down to a scant three members, Korn seems to have come to something of a crossroads––move forward with its tried and true sound or evolve into something that may only vaguely resemble the hype and heft behind Follow the Leader. 2007's somewhat unexpected Unplugged disc proved an interesting but flawed step in a different direction but this self-titled/untitled offering clumsily fumbles when it should grab the ball and run for a season-defining touchdown. "Hold On" and "Do What They Say" come off as soggy sonic oatmeal; "Kiss" channels a very dark Smashing Pumpkins to mixed results; "Bitch We Got a Problem" gives away its best stuff in the title; "Innocent Bystander" and "Starting Over" have three or four great ideas that never reach fruition and the rest of the album ("Killing," "Hushabye") proves fairly forgettable, a sign that Korn may be closer to crumbling than anyone could have imagined. That's too bad 'cause time was it had the makings of a pretty good American band. ––Jedd Beaudoin