Rachel Kurzfield reviews Twisted Transistor - 3/5

IF I am being honest, when contemplating US nu-metallers Korn, I normally think of adolescent boys in sweatshirts and that irritating backwards R.

Perhaps this is because I held a grudge against them 10 years ago and have sneered at them ever since.

So, putting pride and prejudice aside, I decided to listen afresh.

At first I felt an eerie sense of deja vu I'm pretty sure we've all heard this somewhere before Still, though I am loath to admit it, Twisted Transistor, the first single from the album See You On The Other Side, is actually not too bad.

The pounding drums power the song nicely to induce some serious head nodding and the rocking guitars sound sexier than I remember.

Maybe the Korn boys are finally maturing into the group their underground beginnings always promised? Then again ...

Lyrically, Twisted Transistor is the usual fare: "A lonely life where no-one understands you" oh dear. Though I'm sure this will appeal to the band's clearly angst-ridden fans.

On the plus side, I was surprised to quite enjoy Jonathan Davis' throaty rantings he's no Marilyn Manson in my view but his growling scream seems more melodic than usual.

Overall, this is a decent-enough single.

It's perhaps a little weak for the die-hard metallers in Korn's fan base, but who knows maybe they'll attract some new ones?

Twisted Transistor is out now. See You On The Other Side is released on December 5.