User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 115 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 115
  2. Negative: 24 out of 115
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  1. Dec 19, 2011
    8
    I am a longtime fan of Korn. I am not a fan of dubstep. Still, I believe it was an interesting idea to fuse Korn's brand of alternative metal with dubstep. The latter genre actually fits perfectly with lead singer Jonathan Davis' vocal style. Munky's guitars and Fieldy's bass may seem overwhelmed by the electronics at times, but they still stand out in their own ways. I do not considerI am a longtime fan of Korn. I am not a fan of dubstep. Still, I believe it was an interesting idea to fuse Korn's brand of alternative metal with dubstep. The latter genre actually fits perfectly with lead singer Jonathan Davis' vocal style. Munky's guitars and Fieldy's bass may seem overwhelmed by the electronics at times, but they still stand out in their own ways. I do not consider "The Path of Totality" to be as groundbreaking as Davis made it out to be, but it's certainly a good idea and a welcome change. Not everything is perfect - a few songs are rather bland - but overall it stands as a classic Korn album. Expand
  2. Dec 15, 2011
    8
    I begin by saying that i have been a KoRn fan since 1995 and proudly tell who ever asks that Korn are my Favourite Band and haven been since 1995. So when i heard they were releasing a Dubstep album i went into it with an open mind! in my opinion they have been struggling for direction since "take a look in the mirror" which i classify their finest effort. The 2 albums that followed thatI begin by saying that i have been a KoRn fan since 1995 and proudly tell who ever asks that Korn are my Favourite Band and haven been since 1995. So when i heard they were releasing a Dubstep album i went into it with an open mind! in my opinion they have been struggling for direction since "take a look in the mirror" which i classify their finest effort. The 2 albums that followed that to me seemed like Korn were struggling for direction and in oart those albums were pretty hard to sit through so when Korn III: arrived back to their old sound i was as excited as every KoRn fan. the sound was there but it sounded like they had flogged a dead horse and the album was very forced!

    I have purposely waited a few weeks to post my review after my first few listens through i was disgusted, but then slowly slowly i began to realize that my brain wasnt ready for this sound!!! i see alot of negative reviews for this album exactly the same way i saw negative reviews when KoRn 1st came out due to mixing HIP HOP/METAL now some 15 years later they have mixed DUB STEP/METAL only problem is now we have 9 albums to compare sounds to!

    Path of Totality is a GOOD/GREAT album, some songs are amazing others arent, the sound is KoRn in the future. if you open your mind you will enjoy this and i beg anyone else who has only listened to this album a few times to give it a few weeks b4 reviewing it! ITS FRESH AND ITS ROCKING!!!!!!
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  3. Dec 21, 2011
    10
    When doing technical or artistic music is a rule, an avant-garde band would be a band that's not afraid of using pop culture. Korn, taking the risk of unhappy fans, as well as "always making joke of nu metal" reviewers, made another experience that potentially could put the band's name for pioneering another genre 10 years after they started nu metal. The album has it's ups and downsWhen doing technical or artistic music is a rule, an avant-garde band would be a band that's not afraid of using pop culture. Korn, taking the risk of unhappy fans, as well as "always making joke of nu metal" reviewers, made another experience that potentially could put the band's name for pioneering another genre 10 years after they started nu metal. The album has it's ups and downs though. Some moments don't sound that new and at some points the usage of dubstep effects may not be as good as it could be. Still, the album has so much new stuff to show, blending nu metal and dubstep. Plus the melodies Davis sings, are so memorable in some points that makes the songs something to remember. Negative responses are mostly understandable as most of them belong to the people that have been hating nu metal since 90s and I don't think it's surprising to see them continuing to hate this scene. And there are some negative responses from unsatisfied fans who were waiting for another classic nu metal album, and that's understandable as well. But for the most part, I think the album is another step forward for Korn, with all the controversy they've had with "strict metal listeners" all the way from their beginning to this point, just for taking a step between metal and pop/hip hop music. Expand
  4. Jul 25, 2018
    7
    This album gets a lot of s*** for having a dubstep sound mixed with nu-metal, but I'm not here to hate on that. If you've heard this one, you'll know it's miles ahead of the atrocity that was "See You" and there's no debating that. What I want to talk about is how "The Path" while being mostly a dubstep album still has that Korn atmosphere going on and it's actually amazing that they canThis album gets a lot of s*** for having a dubstep sound mixed with nu-metal, but I'm not here to hate on that. If you've heard this one, you'll know it's miles ahead of the atrocity that was "See You" and there's no debating that. What I want to talk about is how "The Path" while being mostly a dubstep album still has that Korn atmosphere going on and it's actually amazing that they can maintain it while the drops just keep on coming! This record is the second (after Untitled) that's a succesful attempt on experimenting with music. Most of the tracks here are great.. to name a few: "Chaos Lives In Everything". "Narcissistic Cannibal", "Get Up", "Way Too Far". There are some tracks that are weak, but that's to be expected, it's not a 10/10 album. What I can't understand about this album is why "Fuels The Comedy" and "Tension" are just bonus tracks... these two songs are better than the entire standard version of the album. I'll just finish this review here. Check this album with an open-minded head and you'll be happy... if you won't then listen to "See You" and then come back to "The Path", you'll be thanking them for leaving the "See You" sound behind. Pickens approves! Expand
  5. Jan 8, 2012
    8
    This is not they`re best(FTL or SYOTOS) but it`s not their worst either. I `m a huge fan of Dubstep,Drum and Bass and Rapmetal so this a total package. There are time when certain songs are not balanced i.e. Tension, but overall the harmony is a success. There`s a feel of See You On The Other Side album mixed with the dark menacing feel of dubstep and drum and bass that you are aquaintedThis is not they`re best(FTL or SYOTOS) but it`s not their worst either. I `m a huge fan of Dubstep,Drum and Bass and Rapmetal so this a total package. There are time when certain songs are not balanced i.e. Tension, but overall the harmony is a success. There`s a feel of See You On The Other Side album mixed with the dark menacing feel of dubstep and drum and bass that you are aquainted with from the latter.But it`s a good mix I enjoy this CD almost everyday. Out all the songs on the CD I would have to say that only three tracks may have not caught my ear. Other than that, I applaud Davis and the group for being ballsy enough to take their style to another level without selling out and discarding their true fans. :) Expand
  6. Oct 15, 2013
    7
    Combining elements of the aggressive sound that has been missing from Korn's last few albums with a heavy electronic-dubstep influence that sounds like nothing they've ever done before, Korn continue to innovate new sounds and sound damn good doing it.
    From the energetic and quick tempo of the opening track Chaos Lives in Everything to the emotive piano on Bleeding Out (Or the downbeat
    Combining elements of the aggressive sound that has been missing from Korn's last few albums with a heavy electronic-dubstep influence that sounds like nothing they've ever done before, Korn continue to innovate new sounds and sound damn good doing it.
    From the energetic and quick tempo of the opening track Chaos Lives in Everything to the emotive piano on Bleeding Out (Or the downbeat and somewhat spooky tone of Tension with the Deluxe edition) the album has a variety of tunes that combine the dubstep/metal in new and effective ways with notable tracks Narcissistic Cannibal and Get Up! being easily as aggressive and catchy as older Korn classics such as Here to Stay and Freak on a Leash. It's easy to see that both the band and the artists they collaborated with, to name a couple Skrillex and 12th Planet, had a lot of fun working with this.
    Though there are a few tracks that drag it down, such as the aforementioned Tension which is is too downbeat and inconsistent to be memorable, the good outweighs the bad and tracks like Get Up! and Fules the Comedy are hard to forget.
    You should definetly buy this album
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  7. Feb 20, 2019
    7
    This album gets a lot of s*** for having a dubstep sound mixed with nu-metal, but I'm not here to hate on that. If you've heard this one, you'll know it's miles ahead of the atrocity that was "See You" and there's no debating that. What I want to talk about is how "The Path" while being mostly a dubstep album still has that Korn atmosphere going on and it's actually amazing that they canThis album gets a lot of s*** for having a dubstep sound mixed with nu-metal, but I'm not here to hate on that. If you've heard this one, you'll know it's miles ahead of the atrocity that was "See You" and there's no debating that. What I want to talk about is how "The Path" while being mostly a dubstep album still has that Korn atmosphere going on and it's actually amazing that they can maintain it while the drops just keep on coming! This record is the second (after Untitled) that's a succesful attempt on experimenting with music. Most of the tracks here are great.. to name a few: "Chaos Lives In Everything". "Narcissistic Cannibal", "Get Up", "Way Too Far". There are some tracks that are weak, but that's to be expected, it's not a 10/10 album. What I can't understand about this album is why "Fuels The Comedy" and "Tension" are just bonus tracks... these two songs are better than the entire standard version of the album. I'll just finish this review here. Check this album with an open-minded head and you'll be happy... if you won't then listen to "See You" and then come back to "The Path", you'll be thanking them for leaving the "See You" sound behind. Pickens approves! Expand
  8. Dec 7, 2011
    7
    It is not bad at all. I expected it to be dull, especially after the release of "Narcissistic Cannibal" single, but even my first listen of the whole album made me rather benevolent. There is a couple of songs worth listening, even if one's not a fan of either dubstep or Korn ("Bleeding Out", or "Fuels the Comedy" from extended album edition). Mixing those genres seems a good move, onceIt is not bad at all. I expected it to be dull, especially after the release of "Narcissistic Cannibal" single, but even my first listen of the whole album made me rather benevolent. There is a couple of songs worth listening, even if one's not a fan of either dubstep or Korn ("Bleeding Out", or "Fuels the Comedy" from extended album edition). Mixing those genres seems a good move, once again towards mainstream, as it comes to dubstep, though creating something new, when blending it with metal. Potential was huge, but on the other hand, dubstep and metal parts aren't well-proportioned as Jonathan Davis had promised them to be. Repetitive measures and rhytm can push away those Korn hard-fans who awaited their band to create something more olschool. The album also can't be called "innovative", just because at moments (for example "My Wall") it sounds underproduced and incomplete. Expand
  9. Dec 19, 2011
    10
    This album is a return to the energy and raw emotion showcased in what was one known as the limelight of their career. The loss of guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was quite a setback as far as the overall backbone of the music they showcased. Upon his departure, the band was left with the question of what to try next. After three efforts to capture the beauty their music once consisted of,This album is a return to the energy and raw emotion showcased in what was one known as the limelight of their career. The loss of guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was quite a setback as far as the overall backbone of the music they showcased. Upon his departure, the band was left with the question of what to try next. After three efforts to capture the beauty their music once consisted of, the prediction of Korn ever really making it back to the top was nothing more than a pipe dream. Then comes The Path of Totality. This album is a masterpiece of fusion between genres. The dubstep aspect of the new music adds a more extreme version of what Korn once capitalized on earlier in their career, and it really adds life to the sound of this band. This album appears almost as a first album, marking a return to the top, and I can't wait to see what the next album has in store. The band hasn't recieved the critical and mass acclaim this album has recieved in over a decade, which marks a strong rebirth to a band who is ready to blow you away, version 2.0. Expand
  10. Dec 6, 2011
    10
    A successful experiment that results in one of Korn's finest albums. While some of Korn's latest outings have been less then stellar, the choice to try something new proved right for the group from Bakersfield.
  11. Dec 19, 2011
    9
    I'm not really a Korn fan but I like this cd. I love the electronic infuence. I think fans of Manson and NIN will enjoy. It has that industrial edge.
  12. Jan 3, 2012
    8
    It's not a bad album, if you love Korn, dubstep and some experimental music. Korn is a experimental band in my opinion. And it's a good album for experimental band.
  13. Dec 7, 2011
    9
    The Path of totality is the best thing Korn have put out since Untouchables, it sound's the most Inspired and could possibly be lead vocalists Jonathan Davis's best work on vocals since Follow the Leader. The 'dubstep' doesn't overshadow any of the members from Korn. Past albums, Take a look in the morror, see you on the other side, untitled, and KIII were 'good' albums but still missedThe Path of totality is the best thing Korn have put out since Untouchables, it sound's the most Inspired and could possibly be lead vocalists Jonathan Davis's best work on vocals since Follow the Leader. The 'dubstep' doesn't overshadow any of the members from Korn. Past albums, Take a look in the morror, see you on the other side, untitled, and KIII were 'good' albums but still missed something and didn't quit 'hit the nail on the head' but Path of totality finaly brings solidity and 'hit's the nail all the way'. I highly recomend getting this album; as the only flaws I can think of is some tracks are a little short and a couple of songs may get a little repetitive. All in all I give the album a 9 because it's so fresh and different and finaly brings back that 'satisfaction' old korn albums gave you. Expand
  14. Dec 11, 2011
    8
    Who says this is not KoRn? This album is excellent and without doubt, much better than the last three this ambiguous band has done. Even though some parts of the songs would sound better with several changes and refinements, such as replacing the forgivable digital percussion for a more acoustic drumming sound, it is a remarkable piece of work. At times there were some effects that reallyWho says this is not KoRn? This album is excellent and without doubt, much better than the last three this ambiguous band has done. Even though some parts of the songs would sound better with several changes and refinements, such as replacing the forgivable digital percussion for a more acoustic drumming sound, it is a remarkable piece of work. At times there were some effects that really shouldn't have been there, and some beats that don't fit well, but overall, this is an outstanding album. Some people say this doesn't sound like the band that wrote master. Well, **** my good sirs. This sounds like KoRn 100 times more than Remember Who You Are. The tunes remind me a lot of the "See You On the Other Side" album, and Skrillex really does a great job when it comes to accompanying Jonathan's crooked choruses and voice. Some classify this as unoriginal, commercial, bland; I say it's modern, it's new, it's confident, it's daring, it's DIFFERENT. Never could I have imagined that a dub-stepped KoRn could sound so good. Despite it's lack of distorted guitars, constant bass-slaps, and inconsistent beats and scat parts, KoRn delivers a ground-breaking sound that will keep, at least me, listening to it for a long time. Expand
  15. Dec 12, 2011
    9
    The path of totality is full of good songs and very inspired lyrics! Many of its songs are radio friendly(such as "fuels the comedy" and "way too far"). I think that this album can stand among Korn's bests!
  16. Jan 29, 2012
    9
    Really really impressed. I love dubstep, and I love nu-metal so it all clicks. I don't think I have listened to it enough to do a song by song review, but the best songs that stand out on the album are "Narcissistic Cannibal" which sounds like a really rad action movie song, "Get Up" which is really a true blend of Dubstep of and the amazing vocals of Johnathan Davis ( I hope I spelledReally really impressed. I love dubstep, and I love nu-metal so it all clicks. I don't think I have listened to it enough to do a song by song review, but the best songs that stand out on the album are "Narcissistic Cannibal" which sounds like a really rad action movie song, "Get Up" which is really a true blend of Dubstep of and the amazing vocals of Johnathan Davis ( I hope I spelled that right, you can all be mad if I didn't sorry) , "Illuminati" which reminds me of previous Korn songs quite a bit, the song "Burn the Obedient" is very very catchy, and the song "Chaos lives in Everything" is typical skrillrex, loud and with impressive drops. There is more and they are good, but those I have been listening to non stop, so I can't give a worthy review of the others. Expand
  17. Feb 14, 2012
    8
    Ok, let's start with the fact that I bought this album because I'm a huge Korn fan...But still I really like this album, better than Untitled or See you on the Other Side ! It sounds good but the only problem to me is that it is too far from "real' korn. If it was not for Jonathan Davis' voice on the album, I would have never guessed it was Korn. Very weird/new/different tracks after anOk, let's start with the fact that I bought this album because I'm a huge Korn fan...But still I really like this album, better than Untitled or See you on the Other Side ! It sounds good but the only problem to me is that it is too far from "real' korn. If it was not for Jonathan Davis' voice on the album, I would have never guessed it was Korn. Very weird/new/different tracks after an album entitled "Remember who you are"' intended to "get back to the roots of Korn" .... In the end, it's not bad at all, but the electronics cover too much the "hard loud" sound of Korn to my ears... Expand
  18. Feb 12, 2014
    9
    Every time I've heard about this album online (before I listened to it) I've always heard it was horrible... Started listening not expecting much, but songs like "Fuels the Comedy", "Narcissistic cannibal", "Get Up" and "Let's go", as well as, a couple others really made this album great in my opinion. "Fuels the Comedy" is now up there with some of my favorite KoRn songs. They took a bigEvery time I've heard about this album online (before I listened to it) I've always heard it was horrible... Started listening not expecting much, but songs like "Fuels the Comedy", "Narcissistic cannibal", "Get Up" and "Let's go", as well as, a couple others really made this album great in my opinion. "Fuels the Comedy" is now up there with some of my favorite KoRn songs. They took a big risk, and I think it paid off. However, hearing such a negative response online makes me believe maybe it wasn't the best step to take for them. Expand
  19. Oct 20, 2015
    8
    Korn's "The Path of Totality" is their biggest risk album. While I've never been a fan of Korn because I dislike Davis' lyrics, this album is a jewel in their discography. Sure, the lyrics are mostly crap, but the fusion of chaotic electronics with Korn's signature sound just worked so well somehow. Instead of invading the sound of Korn, the synths enhance it. All the signature leads andKorn's "The Path of Totality" is their biggest risk album. While I've never been a fan of Korn because I dislike Davis' lyrics, this album is a jewel in their discography. Sure, the lyrics are mostly crap, but the fusion of chaotic electronics with Korn's signature sound just worked so well somehow. Instead of invading the sound of Korn, the synths enhance it. All the signature leads and chugging riffs in low tunings are still here (people mistake a lot of Munky's guitar work for synths for some reason), bolstered by the featured artists' electronic contributions. It makes for a uniquely new sound that's still distinctly Korn. It's not a perfect album, with quite a few "meh" songs, but it's pretty solid. Expand
  20. Nov 24, 2016
    10
    It's probably Korn's best (and the only great) album in post-SYOTOS era and definitely the last album where these guys didn't limit their creativeness. The Path of Totality is a refreshing mix of nu-metal and dub. And it also has that signature Fieldy's bass tone! I think this album was mostly criticized by close-minded nu-metal purists (lol) who appreciated the lack of spectacularity fromIt's probably Korn's best (and the only great) album in post-SYOTOS era and definitely the last album where these guys didn't limit their creativeness. The Path of Totality is a refreshing mix of nu-metal and dub. And it also has that signature Fieldy's bass tone! I think this album was mostly criticized by close-minded nu-metal purists (lol) who appreciated the lack of spectacularity from The Paradigm Shift or even rehashing the hooks and melodies from Korn's late 90's-early 00's hits, which The Serenity of Suffering is all about. Collapse
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Negative: 4 out of 15
  1. Jan 10, 2012
    70
    Surprisingly good genre-crossover experiment.
  2. Kerrang!
    Jan 4, 2012
    80
    They're still aggressive, heavy and furious, but this new approach also makes them relevant, incisive and swaggering again. [10 Dec 2011, p.50]
  3. Jan 3, 2012
    30
    How does this sucker sound? Not very good.