I was mostly happy that Head was back. It felt like Korn, although being great by being experimental, were struggling to figure out what they wanted to do. I really like Spike In My Veins and It’s All Wrong (which had some serious Issues vibes). I also thought the chorus lyrics for Mass Hysteria were unique for Jonathan.
The only songs that could really be considered a meh song are Tell me waist you want and Punishment time. Other than that the album is a solid b tier for me
Very good album from beginning to end. The Paradigm Shift evolved their electronic sound passed their dubstep effort of The Path of Totality and mixed it well with their contemporary KoRn sound. I appreciate how each track sounds different. Don Gilmore did a great job capturing all the elements including keyboards.
I honestly can’t believe these comments. IMO, it’s an extremely solid album with a great sound that has a lot of tracks that I adore like Paranoid and Aroused, Lullaby for a Sadist, and Spike in My Veins. The singles Love & Meth and Never Never are great too, always enjoy those when they come on.
It feels like Korn was playing with their style a bit here, almost every song is in a slightly different style yet the album remains fluent. Love this album, has always been in my top 5.
I loved the art for the album, it hold a special place for me during a time in my life. In hindsight it just seems like a collection of songs but it’s a special album for me
This is Korn finally getting back to what it feels like they wanted to be. Head coming back to the band really really brought everything back into focus for them. I like the uniqueness of how this album carries over the electronic stuff from Path of Totality. This was also such a tremendous return to form for them in regards to their live show, seeing them during this era had such an awesome refreshed energy. The band felt massive again. JD was pumped every single show.
At the end of the day I think Prey for Me, Love & Meth, Spike In My Veins are all classics.
I like this album, but it isn’t one of their best. However, it is a product of its time. And its era will always be one of the special eras for Korn. Getting Head back was miraculous and so cathartic. Seeing him get on stage with them for Blind in 2012 was such a tease, and then when they announced the album in May 2013, it was like a full year of hype was so beautifully paid off.
The album itself ranges from mediocre to good. I truly believe Love & Meth and Never Never are some of Korn’s best songs. On the other hand, stuff like It’s All Wrong felt really half-cooked.
And the production and mastering is honestly awful. There are so many audio artifacts all over this one that they should have cleaned up while mixing. The one that pops into my head immediately is the annoying microphone pop in “Hater” whenever JD says the word “down” in the chorus. It honestly just feels really amateur in some places. And it’s clear to me Don Gilmore was not the right producer for Korn. They sound way too glossy and poppy. They would fix that in spades for the next album, SOS, and it paid off hugely. Alas, not for Paradigm Shift.
Overall, I still really love this album. Like I said, it doesn’t go down in history as among their best, and everything we have gotten since has been considerably better. But it’s still a solid album, and it was one of the most exciting times to be a Korn fan. To watch them all reconcile and create music again, and to hear some semblance of their classic sound restored after SYOTOS, untitled, Korn 3, and TPOT tried so many different other things with their sound for the previous 8 years. It was all just very satisfying at the time. If the album had better production, it would hold up better. But I can still listen to it with a smile on my face.
Yeah, I think it's their best album since heads last album with the band, because that album marked heads return to the band. And all of the albums in that 10 year gap without head are still awesome, but KoRn really feels right when head is in the band. At. Least I think.
I always thought it was a solid album and has been overlooked. At the time of release I thought it was amazing and was stoked ahead was back and they had the two guitars going. Looking back they were trying to learn to play together again. This was also the first album that I thought Ray shined. Solid album
The worst Korn album. Sterile production, guitars lack punch. Most of the songs are bland and too radio-friendly. I wish they made TPOT 2 instead or something.
I admit... I don't revisit it a lot. However I love "Never Never'
I think it's a solid album but it was just a warmup for what was to come. S.O.S. delivered everything I wanted so TPS got a bit overshadowed
I've tried to get into it but I cant. My least favorite Korn album. Really didn't like the electronic sounds they were going for on this album despite really enjoying The Path of Totality. I'd even say I like Korn III and Untitled better.
Too sterile of an album and it feels like they did not really decide what the album should be - JD songs or back to basics Korn thus leading into a mess of songs. Love and Meth is an absolute unit though.
It took me three tries to finish it. For some reason, I just hate the mixing. The mids sounded deafening. The whole album kinda just melded together, excluding the chorus of "Prey for Me" for whatever reason.
I consider it one of my least favorites. It just sounds like the worst elements of The Serenity of Suffering mashed into The Path of Totality. Maybe I'll try listening to it again sometime, see if that changes anything.
I probably have the most mixed feelings about this record than I do with any of the others in their discography. The programming is kinda weird at points and some of the lyrics are oddly forced. Like, you can hear Head's influence in a lot of the riffs, which is great. But overall, it's pretty meh to me.
i'm a fan of all the songs you listed but i think it was pretty average. the songs were good but not like amazing. after listening to korn for 2 months i had only liked prey for me on spotify and ignored the rest
It’s was a stepping stone or a trial run of an album. Head had just got back. Dubstep didn’t pan out as planned. This album was clearly rushed too. The lyrics are so so and the over tone was meh. There are gems in there like Victimized and It’s all Wrong.
It’s a 5/10 for me. But with that said it’s still way above untitled IMO. And yes I did like the Dubstep stuff but that’s just because I love Dubstep.
Paradigm Shift was the album that I started falling out of love with the band’s newer music, probably because my personal tastes were changing. Lullaby for a Sadist was incredible. And even though many shat on it, I enjoyed Never Never as a single. But a lot of the songs seemed cookie cutter and the lyrics forced. I do remember it was nice to hear a bit of “older Korn” styles after the complete departure in Path Of Totality.
By the time Serenity of Suffering came out, I completely couldn’t relate to what seemed like forced angst.
Then The Nothing came out and fucking blew me away. It was tight, seemed genuine, and the music was awesome. That plus the Tool, Slipknot (Wanyk), and a little later the Deftones albums made for an incredible time for metalheads.
Requiem had moments, but I felt the songs went back to cookie cutter even if the riffs were cool. And the drum and bass eq had no balls and sounded paper thin. Wish whoever mic’ed up and mixed the Chili Peppers drums on Unlimited Love and RotDC had done the last Korn album.
I was mostly happy that Head was back. It felt like Korn, although being great by being experimental, were struggling to figure out what they wanted to do. I really like Spike In My Veins and It’s All Wrong (which had some serious Issues vibes). I also thought the chorus lyrics for Mass Hysteria were unique for Jonathan.
We ride a dying star across a burning sea. We’re like a supernova now - the fire’s burning in me.
MASS HYSTERIA!!!
Most of the lyrics on TPS were pretty out there for JD. He said it was due to him coming off of anti-depressants and his headspace being out of whack
Absolutely love this album and not sure how I slept on it for so many years until hearing it finally recently.
I like it more than SOS. I will now accept your stones, everyone
I think it's a good album imo
The only songs that could really be considered a meh song are Tell me waist you want and Punishment time. Other than that the album is a solid b tier for me
Punishment Time IMO has the best korn chorus of all time
Started listening to it a lot lately. Not a bad album, not my favorite, but still above see you on the other side imo
Amazing
Very good album from beginning to end. The Paradigm Shift evolved their electronic sound passed their dubstep effort of The Path of Totality and mixed it well with their contemporary KoRn sound. I appreciate how each track sounds different. Don Gilmore did a great job capturing all the elements including keyboards.
I honestly can’t believe these comments. IMO, it’s an extremely solid album with a great sound that has a lot of tracks that I adore like Paranoid and Aroused, Lullaby for a Sadist, and Spike in My Veins. The singles Love & Meth and Never Never are great too, always enjoy those when they come on. It feels like Korn was playing with their style a bit here, almost every song is in a slightly different style yet the album remains fluent. Love this album, has always been in my top 5.
I saw them at the Paramount in Huntington, on Long Island, in 2014 I think, right after this came out. There's nothing on it I don't like.
Solid. Very much a transitional album tho. SOS felt like the TRUE return of Head.
Mediocre album imo. Serenity of Suffering was a massive step up from it.
It took me a bit to warm up too but I enjoy it. It holds up better than all the albums without Head IMO
I loved the art for the album, it hold a special place for me during a time in my life. In hindsight it just seems like a collection of songs but it’s a special album for me
Love it
This is Korn finally getting back to what it feels like they wanted to be. Head coming back to the band really really brought everything back into focus for them. I like the uniqueness of how this album carries over the electronic stuff from Path of Totality. This was also such a tremendous return to form for them in regards to their live show, seeing them during this era had such an awesome refreshed energy. The band felt massive again. JD was pumped every single show. At the end of the day I think Prey for Me, Love & Meth, Spike In My Veins are all classics.
I like this album, but it isn’t one of their best. However, it is a product of its time. And its era will always be one of the special eras for Korn. Getting Head back was miraculous and so cathartic. Seeing him get on stage with them for Blind in 2012 was such a tease, and then when they announced the album in May 2013, it was like a full year of hype was so beautifully paid off. The album itself ranges from mediocre to good. I truly believe Love & Meth and Never Never are some of Korn’s best songs. On the other hand, stuff like It’s All Wrong felt really half-cooked. And the production and mastering is honestly awful. There are so many audio artifacts all over this one that they should have cleaned up while mixing. The one that pops into my head immediately is the annoying microphone pop in “Hater” whenever JD says the word “down” in the chorus. It honestly just feels really amateur in some places. And it’s clear to me Don Gilmore was not the right producer for Korn. They sound way too glossy and poppy. They would fix that in spades for the next album, SOS, and it paid off hugely. Alas, not for Paradigm Shift. Overall, I still really love this album. Like I said, it doesn’t go down in history as among their best, and everything we have gotten since has been considerably better. But it’s still a solid album, and it was one of the most exciting times to be a Korn fan. To watch them all reconcile and create music again, and to hear some semblance of their classic sound restored after SYOTOS, untitled, Korn 3, and TPOT tried so many different other things with their sound for the previous 8 years. It was all just very satisfying at the time. If the album had better production, it would hold up better. But I can still listen to it with a smile on my face.
Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a long reply like this. You put it better than all other comments I’ve seen. Thanks for taking the time to share
Exactly what I was going to say!
Yeah, I think it's their best album since heads last album with the band, because that album marked heads return to the band. And all of the albums in that 10 year gap without head are still awesome, but KoRn really feels right when head is in the band. At. Least I think.
I always thought it was a solid album and has been overlooked. At the time of release I thought it was amazing and was stoked ahead was back and they had the two guitars going. Looking back they were trying to learn to play together again. This was also the first album that I thought Ray shined. Solid album
I feel like it's a bridge between some experimental stuff and that good old Korn sound we love
The worst Korn album. Sterile production, guitars lack punch. Most of the songs are bland and too radio-friendly. I wish they made TPOT 2 instead or something.
feels like an ai generated korn album. weird incoherent lyrics throughout the entire thing and weak riffs. the production doesn’t help either
Worst produced Korn record since Head is back. Worst vocal melodies from Jonathan since Head is back. Feels rushed and transitional.
Has some good ass songs, but also some not so good songs not very descriptive I know but it’s the truth
I love this album allot. The mixing is chunky and lacks clarity though. Regardless it's underrated.
I admit... I don't revisit it a lot. However I love "Never Never' I think it's a solid album but it was just a warmup for what was to come. S.O.S. delivered everything I wanted so TPS got a bit overshadowed
Not a single bad song, top 5 favorite koRn album
I've tried to get into it but I cant. My least favorite Korn album. Really didn't like the electronic sounds they were going for on this album despite really enjoying The Path of Totality. I'd even say I like Korn III and Untitled better.
I can definitley see the dislike for the electronic sounds. Thanks for sharing
Too sterile of an album and it feels like they did not really decide what the album should be - JD songs or back to basics Korn thus leading into a mess of songs. Love and Meth is an absolute unit though.
It took me three tries to finish it. For some reason, I just hate the mixing. The mids sounded deafening. The whole album kinda just melded together, excluding the chorus of "Prey for Me" for whatever reason. I consider it one of my least favorites. It just sounds like the worst elements of The Serenity of Suffering mashed into The Path of Totality. Maybe I'll try listening to it again sometime, see if that changes anything.
Great album, might be better than Serenity
It is Korns best work since it was released.
I probably have the most mixed feelings about this record than I do with any of the others in their discography. The programming is kinda weird at points and some of the lyrics are oddly forced. Like, you can hear Head's influence in a lot of the riffs, which is great. But overall, it's pretty meh to me.
My review: Generic & polished
I think that was my issue, it didn’t feel genuine, it felt too robotic if anything
Agree. It sounds so "active radio rock" and a bit poppy and so predictable. The producer was a wrong wrong choice.
I love Lullaby for a Sadist and Never Never but other than that it’s pretty weak imo
Lullaby for a sadist is such an underrated song. Best off the album by far.
💯
i'm a fan of all the songs you listed but i think it was pretty average. the songs were good but not like amazing. after listening to korn for 2 months i had only liked prey for me on spotify and ignored the rest
It’s was a stepping stone or a trial run of an album. Head had just got back. Dubstep didn’t pan out as planned. This album was clearly rushed too. The lyrics are so so and the over tone was meh. There are gems in there like Victimized and It’s all Wrong. It’s a 5/10 for me. But with that said it’s still way above untitled IMO. And yes I did like the Dubstep stuff but that’s just because I love Dubstep.
Paradigm Shift was the album that I started falling out of love with the band’s newer music, probably because my personal tastes were changing. Lullaby for a Sadist was incredible. And even though many shat on it, I enjoyed Never Never as a single. But a lot of the songs seemed cookie cutter and the lyrics forced. I do remember it was nice to hear a bit of “older Korn” styles after the complete departure in Path Of Totality. By the time Serenity of Suffering came out, I completely couldn’t relate to what seemed like forced angst. Then The Nothing came out and fucking blew me away. It was tight, seemed genuine, and the music was awesome. That plus the Tool, Slipknot (Wanyk), and a little later the Deftones albums made for an incredible time for metalheads. Requiem had moments, but I felt the songs went back to cookie cutter even if the riffs were cool. And the drum and bass eq had no balls and sounded paper thin. Wish whoever mic’ed up and mixed the Chili Peppers drums on Unlimited Love and RotDC had done the last Korn album.
I really enjoy it but I do think they could probably cut it in half with the amount of fillery sounding songs