Ah. A slavering, gibbering, jabbering, snarling Tasmanian Devil has just ripped forth from the speakers like it's just tried to eat a wasp's nest whole. That'll be Jonathan Davis, then, venting his considerable spleen on "Twist", the ferocious 48-second track that opens "Life is Peachy", Korn's second album.
Once heard, there is no mistaking that voice. It's filled with rage and hatred and bile, yet also with so much of the frailty and doubt that lurks in us all. Davis means it in a way that makes Henry Rollins look like little more than a poor actor. In many ways, it's the bare emotion in Davis' voice that makes the band; he comes out from behind the sofa of the psyche and parades around in front of his personal demons like he's offering the fuckers outside. After all, the first single from this rather inappropriately-titled album is called "No Place To Hide".
It's kind of natural, therefore, that on first listen "Life is Peachy" doesn't have the same impact as the first time you heard their eponymous debut. That's not to say that this isn't an awesome record. Far from it. It's just that once you've been dragged through the emotional thorn bush that was "Korn", you're going to put your defences up so you don't get torn up second time round.
With "Life is Peachy", Korn have provided another ingeniously twisted, absolutely classic album. From the demented opening track right through to the bloody finale of "Kill You" - a track that sees Davis wishing someone more ill than you'd think possible - there is not a single duff second. Hell, there are even a couple of lighter moments, with a bagpipe version of War's brilliant "Low Rider" and an ode to Korn's favourite brand of clothing in the shape of "adidas" - "All Day I Dream About Sex".
The music stabs very much into the same dark vein as it did on the first album, laden with the jabbing, crunching guitars of J Munky Shaffer and Brian, Fieldy's growling bass, and the occasional swipe at that weird funky vibe they manage to pull off every so often. But at the same time, they manage to steer off in more unpredictable directions than a compass in a magnet factory. Picking up a favourite track is virtually impossible, partly because the tracks entwine like fingers around your throat, but also because the intensity is so unrelenting, you lose your way occasionally. That said, the bit that goes "Get the fuck out of my face!" must rank near the top.
"Life is Peachy" is another tough ride through hell on the Korn rollercoaster. It's also another record your collection can't live without. Sometimes life is, indeed, peachy.
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