Korn - Follow The Leader (2LP)
Korn – Follow the Leader is the third studio album from Korn and the record that propelled the band into the mainstream, becoming one of the defining releases of the late-1990s alternative metal scene. Released in 1998, the album combines crushing guitar riffs, unconventional rhythms and Jonathan Davis's intensely personal vocals with elements of hip-hop and electronic music.
Featuring landmark tracks including "Freak on a Leash", "Got the Life", "Dead Bodies Everywhere" and "It's On!", the album captures Korn developing the distinctive sound established on their earlier records into something bigger and more adventurous. Guest appearances from Ice Cube and other artists further emphasise the band's willingness to cross musical boundaries.
Follow the Leader balances enormous, down-tuned guitar riffs with unsettling atmospheres, moments of vulnerability and a powerful rhythmic foundation provided by bassist Fieldy and drummer David Silveria. Its combination of aggression, experimentation and memorable hooks helped bring a previously underground sound to a huge new audience.
A major commercial success and one of the most influential heavy albums of its era, Follow the Leader played a crucial role in the explosion of nu metal at the end of the 1990s. More than 25 years later, its combination of raw emotion, distinctive production and sheer heaviness continues to make it an essential Korn album.