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Take a Look in the Mirror

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Take a Look in the Mirror
Studio album by
Korn
ReleasedNovember 21, 2003 (2003-11-21)
Recorded
  • April–June
  • August 2003
StudioJonathan Davis's home studio, Los Angeles
GenreNu metal
Length56:43
Label
ProducerJonathan Davis, Frank Filipetti
Korn chronology
Untouchables
(2002) 		Take a Look in the Mirror
(2003) 		See You on the Other Side
(2005)
Singles from Take a Look in the Mirror
  1. "Did My Time"
    Released: July 22, 2003
  2. "Right Now"
    Released: October 7, 2003
  3. "Y'All Want a Single"
    Released: March 9, 2004
  4. "Everything I've Known"
    Released: April 13, 2004

Take a Look in the Mirror is the sixth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Released on November 21, 2003, through Epic Records and Immortal Records, it is the last Korn studio album to feature their full original lineup, as their original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch left the band in February 2005 until his return in 2013 (with the release of their 2013 album The Paradigm Shift). Original drummer David Silveria also left Korn before the end of 2006 after the release of their next album See You on the Other Side. It was also the last studio album by Korn under the Epic and Immortal labels.

Background

[edit]

The album continued Korn's lowering in sales, debuting at number 19 and peaked at number 9 with first-week record sales of about 179,000, due to the release date of the album being pushed up to a Friday, with fewer sales than if it was released on the standard Tuesday. The track "Did My Time" was previously released as a CD single for the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and the track "Right Now" was accompanied by a provocative cartoon video animated by Spike and Mike. The ending track "When Will This End" is followed by a long silence before a live cover of Metallica's "One" starts playing. The album was also released in a "clean" version which utilized backmasking as well as growling in place of profanity. Take a Look in the Mirror has sold over 1.2 million copies in the US and over 2 million copies outside of the US according to Nielsen SoundScan as of January 4, 2013[citation needed] and was certified platinum on December 16, 2003.[1] It has been claimed that the album was rushed,[2] due to the lower than expected sales of Untouchables which had left the band in debt.[2] Jonathan Davis has subsequently admitted in interviews that the album was written at somewhat of a rushed pace, due to the lower than expected sales of Untouchables, and having to write with the time restraint of being on that summer's Ozzfest tour.[3]

Composition and music

[edit]
Nas is featured on the track "Play Me".

Take a Look in the Mirror marks Korn's attempt to return to a more aggressive sound as featured on their earlier albums, with guitarists Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer mostly utilizing thick, heavy distortion and the occasional clean tones for contrast.[4] The album features strong elements of nu metal and has the aggressive sounds featured on their early work,[5][6][7][8][9] as well as a reworked and re-recorded version of the track "Alive", which had previously only been released on the band's first demo, Neidermayer's Mind. Also of note is the song "Play Me" which features rapper Nas.[10]

Around this period, guitarist Head was heavily addicted to drugs such as meth. He said "2003 is when I started using speed every day. I [also] got hooked on meth and in order to get up and function, even play a show, I had to snort lines, you know. And I told myself, 'I'll do this tour, I'll do this Ozzfest, and I'll do meth the whole time and I'll go home and check into a rehab.' And it scared me, you know, 'cause I was like coming every month I would tell myself, 'I'm gonna stop this tour,' and I wouldn't be able to do it. Like a fear would come over me. I was just trapped."[11] Regarding the issues facing the band during the recording, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer recalled "We weren't in the best space. The songs weren't flowing and the creativity was a bit muted from these personal dramas each of us had."[12] He also claimed the album was a forced effort.[12]

Jonathan Davis said "[This album] is about us as a band, taking a look in the mirror and remembering where we came from, remembering our roots, going back to basics," Davis said. "We reflect and look back why we really got into this band to begin with and why we started it. It's to make aggressive, heavy music. Over the years … we were just experimenting. It always was Korn, but it was different spins on what we were doing. So this time we wanted to make an aggressive, heavy album and just kill it. And that's why we've produced it ourselves. Nobody knows Korn better than ourselves."[13] Davis also stated that he felt a return to basics nu metal album was needed in the music industry of 2003. He said "Nothing coming out is really striking me at all. The whole rock and pop punk scene is just stagnant and boring. Music is not imaginative at the moment. The only record I consider remotely interesting is probably the Outkast album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. That's really cool and original."[14]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic49/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Billboard(positive)[17]
Blender[18]
Entertainment Weekly(D)[9]
IGN5.5/10[19]
Metal Storm8.5/10[20]
The New York Times(mixed)[21]
NME3/10[5]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[23]

Take a Look in the Mirror has received mixed reviews from professional critics but acclaim from fans. Metacritic scores the album 49 based on nine reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews", while the user's average score is 8.2/10.[15] AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier states the album is "a little paradoxical, but that's precisely what makes Take a Look in the Mirror so interesting, especially for longtime fans" and goes on to say that "because of the emphasis on brevity and variety (and especially quality), the album's over before you know it and you're left feeling hungry for more Korn."[24] On the contrary, Entertainment Weekly scored the album a D, saying "Korn remain[s] technically proficient, but Take a Look in the Mirror serves only to make the case that the genre has officially screamed itself into caricature."[9] NME gave the album a negative review, criticizing it for being a "self-parody", they wrote "this is an exercise in sterile studio-rock. Meticulously Pro-Tooled, and built almost entirely around bassist Fieldy's relentless, sludgy mid-range, it's an approach that demonstrates little craft and even less actual feeling."[5] In 2005, the album was ranked number 384 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[25]

In a 2013 interview, guitarist Head cited Take a Look in the Mirror as "the worst record we did".[26] In 2015, Jonathan Davis also ranked it as his least favourite album in Korn's discography.[3]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Korn, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Right Now" 3:10
2."Break Some Off" 2:35
3."Counting on Me" 4:49
4."Here It Comes Again" 3:33
5."Deep Inside" 2:46
6."Did My Time" 4:04
7."Everything I've Known" 3:34
8."Play Me" (featuring Nas)Korn, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones3:21
9."Alive" 4:29
10."Let's Do This Now" 3:18
11."I'm Done" 3:23
12."Y'All Want a Single" 3:17
13."When Will This End" ("When Will This End" ends at 3:39; the hidden track is a live cover of Metallica's "One" (performed on MTV Icon: Metallica) starts at 9:52.) 14:24
Total length:56:43

Notes

  • On some digital versions, the 6 minute silence and the hidden track of a live cover of Metallica's "One" are omitted from "When Will This End".
  • An unofficial Russian edition includes six bonus tracks from Untouchables.[27]
Deluxe edition DVD
No.TitleLength
1."KoRn Kut Up" (mashup of most of their music videos from 1994 to 2003)11:02
2."Right Now (Mirror Mix Music Video)"3:21
3."The Untouchables 2002 Tour" (features a live recording of "Here to Stay" and backstage footage)15:22

Personnel

[edit]
Korn
Production and other credits
  • Frank Filipetti – production, engineering, mixing
  • Nas – vocals on "Play Me"
  • Jim "Bud" Monti – production, engineering
  • Tim Harkins – engineering
  • Cailan McCarthy – artist coordination
  • Doug Erb – art direction
  • Brandy Flower – art direction
  • Gayle Boulware – art consultant
  • Darren Frank – assistant
  • Jesse Gorman – assistant
  • Peter Katsis – A&R
  • Kaz Utsunomiya – A&R
  • Rob Hill – editing
  • Fred Maher – editing
  • Louie Teran – digital editing
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Polarbear – programming on "I'm Done"
  • Mitch Ikeda – photography
  • Marina Chavez – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Gold 35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[51] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[53] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Extras

[edit]

Scrapbook

[edit]

The album contains a scrapbook of photos from the band's personal collection, titled "SkЯapbook", instead of a front cover booklet, however, some copies do not feature a booklet, instead, it was released with a normal front and inside cover. The limited edition version contains a bonus DVD. The booklet contains various photos of the band in the early days of Korn previous to this release. Photos in the booklet include them in their first recording studio (the indigo ranch), as well as early tours and shows.

References

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  1. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – October 17, 2012". riaa.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Soundscape's A-Z Of Bands: Korn". Soundscapemagazine.com. May 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Rank Your Records: Korn's Jonathan Davis Rates the Band's 11 Albums". Noisey.vice.com. March 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Take A Look In The Mirror". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Korn : Take A Look In The Mirror - NME". NME. September 12, 2005.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ "Korn – Take A Look in the Mirror". Review-o-matic.com. May 13, 2009.
  8. ^ "Korn - Take a Look in the Mirror | album reviews | musicOMH". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "Take a Look in the Mirror". Entertainment Weekly.
  10. ^ "Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror". Musicomh.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  11. ^ "Former Korn Guitarist: 'I Got Hooked On Meth'". Ultimate-guitar.com.
  12. ^ a b "Korn's James 'Munky' Shaffer Talks to UG Readers". Ultimate-guitar.com.
  13. ^ Moss, Corey. "Korn Land Nas For Mirror, Ask Fans To Direct New Video". MTV. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. (November 4, 2003). Retrieved on September 27, 2015
  14. ^ "Hell on wheels - Music". smh.com.au. February 6, 2004.
  15. ^ a b "Review: Take a Look in the Mirror". Metacritic. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  16. ^ Take a Look in the Mirror at AllMusic
  17. ^ Billboard Review, Billboard.com
  18. ^ "Blender - All Things Blender, All In One Place". Blender. Archived from the original on September 27, 2005.
  19. ^ "IGN Review". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.
  20. ^ "Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror - Metal Storm". Metalstorm.ee.
  21. ^ Pareles, Jon (November 24, 2003). "CRITIC'S CHOICE/New CD's; A String Quartet? Philosophy? Whoa!". The New York Times.
  22. ^ (Feb. 2004, p.102)
  23. ^ "Take A Look In The Mirror". Rolling Stone.
  24. ^ "Take a Look in the Mirror - Korn". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  25. ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 55. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  26. ^ "Korn Interviewe by U.K.'s Scuzz". Blabbermouth.net. December 29, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  27. ^ "Korn – Take A Look In The Mirror +6 Bonus". Discogs. 2003.
  28. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror" (in German). Hung Medien.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror" (in French). Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Korn: Take a Look in the Mirror" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  35. ^ "Lescharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  36. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  37. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 48, 2003". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  38. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  40. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  41. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  42. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  43. ^ 6, 2003/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  44. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (June 2015). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 978-84-8048-866-2.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Hung Medien.
  46. ^ "Korn | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  47. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  48. ^ "Korn Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  49. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  50. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  51. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Korn; 'Take a Look in the Mirror')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  52. ^ "British album certifications – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". British Phonographic Industry.
  53. ^ "American album certifications – Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror". Recording Industry Association of America.
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