The Paradigm Shift

The Paradigm Shift is the eleventh studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Produced by Don Gilmore, it was released by multiple labels in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2013[1] and in the United States the next day.[4] It is the first Korn album to feature original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's Take a Look in the Mirror.[4]

For other uses, see Paradigm Shift (disambiguation).

The Paradigm Shift
Studio album by
Korn
ReleasedOctober 7, 2013[1]
RecordedOctober 2012 – May 2013
StudioKorn's studio, Bakersfield; NRG Studios (Studio A), Los Angeles
GenreNu metal[2]
Length42:54
LabelProspect Park, Caroline, Universal
ProducerDon Gilmore
Korn chronology
The Path of Totality
(2011)		 The Paradigm Shift
(2013)		 The Serenity of Suffering
(2016)
Singles from The Paradigm Shift
  1. "Never Never"
    Released: August 12, 2013
  2. "Spike In My Veins"
    Released: February 6, 2014 [3]
  3. "Hater"
    Released: June 15, 2014 (World Tour Edition only)
Alternative covers
Cover for the World Tour Edition.

Background
This is Korn's first album since 2003's "Take a Look in the Mirror" with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch

Following the year after the release of The Path of Totality, Korn had begun proposing ideas for their next album.[5] James "Munky" Shaffer stated that the album would contain darker elements similar to Issues (1999) mixed with the heaviness of Untouchables (2002).[6] On May 2, 2013, it was revealed that original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch rejoined the band after an eight-year absence and had been recording for the new album.[7] The first single, "Never Never", was officially released on August 12, 2013.[4] The track "Love & Meth" leaked on September 6, 2013 after the band had released several previews. The track "Lullaby for a Sadist" was originally written in 2010 prior to the idea of a dubstep-infused album, but the song did not make the cut for Korn III: Remember Who You Are.[8] "Spike in My Veins" was originally written and recorded with Noisia for inclusion on J Devil's debut album, but ended up being reworked as a Korn song.

Composition

Regarding the sound, Munky says, "The new music is inspired by our Issues album, or even Untouchables, that era. It’s a little more melodic and a little more aggressive at the same time."[6] Head added in an interview with Rolling Stone that "I'm a metalhead. I love rock music, and I came here just wanting to do the old Korn vibe, but with a new twist. "Me and Munky [James Shaffer] haven't been playing guitar together for eight years, so we came in just wanting to jam out with the bass player Fieldy [Reginald Arvizu] and Ray [Luzier], our drummer. The end product is a really good mix of old Korn mixed with some new elements. It's got a fresh new Korn 2013 sound."[9]

Jonathan Davis described the writing and recording process as "weird". He explains: "They started writing, I think, in August, and I didn't get into the studio until March, because I was going through all kinds of crazy shit. My boy got diabetes and I had come off medication for my depression, and that fucked me up. I was in a straight haze."[9] Davis entered rehab, then returned to writing the album. "It was weird – I moved into the studio. I stayed there for four months, I only came home on weekends. I moved my boys in with me, so I had my kids with me the whole time. It was an interesting creative space." Davis continued, "I don't know how the hell I did it. I was so fucked up from coming off all that medicine, and I feel so good about the record. When I look back now, I'm like, 'Wow, how did I come up with this shit?'"[9]

Album title and packaging

The title was explained by Munky:

"It's a term encompassing different perspectives. You can view a piece of art from one angle and it takes on a certain image. If you look from another angle, it's a completely different image. We liken that to Korn in 2013. With Head back in the fold, all of the elements fans have loved since day one are there, but we're interpreting them from a new perspective. It's a bigger, brighter and bolder Korn.

[10]

The standard edition of the album features 11 new tracks,[11] while the deluxe edition contains an additional two tracks and a bonus DVD documenting the return of co-founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch.[12]

A special edition of the album was released on July 22, 2014 as The Paradigm Shift: World Tour Edition. It contains brand new studio and live recordings.[13] The first new track, "Hater", was released as a single on June 19.[14]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Artistdirect[17]
Blabbermouth.net7.5/10[18]
PopMatters6/10[1]
Rock Sound8/10[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Ultimate Guitar Archive8.5/10[21]

The Paradigm Shift has received generally positive reviews. Metacritic scores the album with a rating of 65, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]

Max Barrett of Rock Sound wrote "Korn’s follow up to ’11’s dubstep-infused ‘The Path Of Totality’ is a completely different monster to its predecessor, and for all the right reasons." in his favorable review of album. Kerrang! noted the album as a "more organic effort", and AllMusic stated the album "shows the kind of creativity and inventiveness that, love them or hate them, helped to make them an influential force in heavy music.".

In a more mixed review, Uncut stated "Essentially this is Korn returning to their familiar discomfort zone.". Popmatters gave the album a mixed review, however stating that the album "may not quite be Korn's best album ever, but The Paradigm Shift is Korn's best album since Untouchables and metal fans could do a lot worse than that".[23] This is while Classic Rock Magazine stated "It's Korn's most significant album in a long time" about the album.

Commercial performance

The Paradigm Shift sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, and debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, making it Korn's twelfth studio album to peak in the top ten.[24] The album has sold 174,000 copies as of September 2016 in the US.[25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by James Shaffer, Jonathan Davis, Brian Welch, Ray Luzier, Reginald Arvizu, and Don Gilmore, except where stated.

Standard edition[26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Prey for Me" 3:38
2."Love & Meth"Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Gilmore, Rauch, Suddarth4:04
3."What We Do" 4:06
4."Spike in My Veins"Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Nightwatch4:25
5."Mass Hysteria" 4:04
6."Paranoid and Aroused" 3:35
7."Never Never" 3:41
8."Punishment Time" 4:01
9."Lullaby for a Sadist" 4:19
10."Victimized" 3:36
11."It's All Wrong" 3:32
Total length:42:54
Deluxe edition[12]
No.TitleLength
12."Wish I Wasn't Born Today"3:03
13."Tell Me What You Want"3:02
Total length:48:59
Japanese deluxe edition[27]
No.TitleLength
12."Wish I Wasn't Born Today"3:03
13."Tell Me What You Want"3:02
14."Die Another Day"3:45
Total length:52:44
World Tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Hater"3:53
2."The Game Is Over"3:40
3."Die Another Day"3:43
4."Love & Meth (Live in London)"4:10
5."Here to Stay (Live in London)"4:53
6."Get Up! (Live in Moscow)"4:07
7."Never Never (Live in Moscow)"4:19
8."Got the Life (Live in Denver)"4:02
9."Another Brick in the Wall (Live in Denver)"9:25
MP3 Download
No.TitleLength
1."So Unfair"3:14
Reconciliation (DVD)[12]
No.TitleLength
1."The Separation / The Seed"13:14
2."Writing Sessions, Pt. 1"6:38
3."Writing Sessions, Pt. 2"5:47
4."Writing Sessions, Pt. 3"9:50
5."Writing Sessions, Pt. 4"1:47
6."Guitars Tracking"4:06
7."Bass Tracking"2:10
8."Drums Tracking"3:30
9."Vocals Tracking, Pt. 1"2:54
10."Vocals Tracking, Pt. 2"7:33
11."The Tree"2:57

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 25
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 9
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[33] 20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 38
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 7
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[37] 29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 22
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[39] 11
US Billboard 200[40] 8
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[41] 1
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[42] 3
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[44] 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Silver 60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Korn "The Paradigm Shift" Album Review — 6 out of 10 stars @Popmatters". popmatters.com. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  2. Brian Mansfield and Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY (October 8, 2013). "Listen Up: Cassadee Pope, Korn, Anders Osborne". Usatoday.com. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  3. "Korn". billboard.com.
  4. Florino, Rick (August 8, 2013). "Feature: First Experience With Korn's "The Paradigm Shift"". ARTISTdirect. Relativity Media. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  5. Graff, Gary (July 18, 2012). "Jonathan Davis Embraces J Devil Inside, Talks EDM & Korn's Evolution". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  6. "Munky Says Korn Has A Big Year Planned For 2013: "We Are Writing More Like A Metal Band"". KROQ. October 22, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  7. Cubarrubia, RJ (May 2, 2013). "Korn Enter the Studio for New Album – Video". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  8. Florino, Rick (November 23, 2010). "Jonathan Davis of Korn Talks Disturbed Tour, Discovering The Cure, Acid Bath and More". ARTISTdirect. Relativity Media. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  9. Baltin, Steve (July 9, 2013). "Korn's New Album 'The Paradigm Shift'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  10. "Korn to Release New Album, 'The Paradigm Shift,' October 1". Guitar World. July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  11. "Exclusive: Korn Reveal New Album Cover and Track List". Revolver. July 26, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  12. "The Paradigm Shift by Korn". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  13. "'THE PARADIGM SHIFT: WORLD TOUR EDITION' Best Buy exclusive". Korn. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  14. "Korn Announces New Tracks, Live Material on Expanded 'Paradigm Shift' Release". Billboard.
  15. "The Paradigm Shift Reviews - Korn". Metacritic. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  16. Gregory Heaney (October 4, 2013). "The Paradigm Shift - Korn | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  17. Ray Van Horn, Jr. (September 27, 2013). "Korn "The Paradigm Shift" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars". Artistdirect. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  18. Ray Van Horn, Jr. "CD Reviews - The Paradigm Shift Korn". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  19. "Korn - The Paradigm Shift". Rock Sound. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  20. "Korn 'The Paradigm Shift'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
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  22. "The Paradigm Shift Reviews - Korn". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
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  24. "KORN's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift" (Prospect Park), sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart".
  25. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016.
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  29. "Austriancharts.at – Korn – The Paradigm Shift" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  30. "Ultratop.be – Korn – The Paradigm Shift" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
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