Korn Announce New Album Requiem, Release Single “Start the Healing”

I’m not a Korn fan, I’ve been writing about metal for almost fifteen years, I’ve just met my next future ex-wife, I’m hungover as fuck, and my coffee hasn’t kicked in. I may not be in the best state to judge anything right now.

Having said that, I think the band’s new song, “Start the Healing,” might be the best thing they’ve ever done.

It’s largely a mopey nu-post-metal kinda thing, kinda like a less-elegant Deftones song. The Korniest part is during the chorus, when Jonathan Davis starts barking the title of the song. And, yeah, that is easily the worst part of the song. So I don’t know what real Korn fans will think of this. But it’s the first time since “Here to Stay” that I’ve voluntarily listened to a Korn song twice in a row, and that must count for something.

Check out “Start the Healing” via the below music video, then head to the comments section to tell me if I’m nuts or old or what the what is going on here. The clip was directed by Tim Saccenti (Flying Lotus, Run The Jewels, Depeche Mode).

Whether you like the song or not, you’ll quickly notice that bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu is MIA from the video, as well as the band’s new promo photo (above). In June, Fieldy announced he was taking a hiatus from Korn to focus on “personal issues.” The press release for “Start the Healing” doesn’t say anything about the hiatus or Fieldy’s current status within the band, but it does still list him as a member.

“Start the Healing” heralds the coming of Korn’s fourteenth full-length studio album, Requiem, which will be out February 4 via Loma Vista. Pre-order it here.

Requiem Track Listing

1. “Forgotten”
2. “Let the Dark Do the Rest”
3. “Start the Healing”
4. “Lost in the Grandeur”
5. “Disconnect”
6. “Hopeless and Beaten”
7. “Penance to Sorrow”
8. “My Confession”
9. “Worst Is on Its Way”