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Untouchables (album)

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Untouchables
Studio album by
Korn
ReleasedJune 11, 2002 (2002-06-11)
RecordedApril–November 2001
StudioConway Studios (Hollywood, California)
The Village (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length65:00
Label
Producer
Korn chronology
Issues
(1999) 		Untouchables
(2002) 		Take a Look in the Mirror
(2003)
Alternative cover
Limited edition with bonus DVD
Singles from Untouchables
  1. "Here to Stay"
    Released: June 11, 2002
  2. "Thoughtless"
    Released: July 15, 2002
  3. "Alone I Break"
    Released: November 11, 2002

Untouchables is the fifth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. The album was officially released on June 11, 2002, and featured the Grammy-winning single "Here to Stay". Untouchables debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 495,991 copies sold during its first week, second only to Eminem's The Eminem Show.[2] The album received positive reviews from music critics.[3] It was certified platinum on July 11, 2002,[4] and has sold at least 1.4 million copies in the United States.[5]

Conception

[edit]

Korn commenced writing Untouchables in early 2001.[6] Tension between band members grew and, in an effort to lessen their tensions and distractions, they continued writing in Scottsdale, Arizona, in hope that the new landscape would inspire them in writing songs. They finished writing the album then went back to Los Angeles, California to begin recording. Hostility between band members was still there.[7] During the tour, band members began to consider firing bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu due to his drug abuse problem, but decided against it.[8]

Untouchables was recorded at Conway Studios, in Hollywood, California and The Village, in Los Angeles, California. The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn and recorded by Frank Filipetti.[9] The album featured the same member line-up as their previous four studio albums. It is the first album recorded in 96 kHz digital sound. It was mixed by Andy Wallace and mastered by Howie Weinberg.[9] On the album's release date, June 11, 2002, a single, "Here to Stay" was released by Sony Music Distribution.[10] The album was re-released on November 12, 2002, as a last-ditch effort to rejuvenate album sales, which had fallen shortly after the album's first week on the Billboard 200. This limited edition features different artwork, and a bonus DVD, containing a live version of "Here to Stay", performance versions of the "Here to Stay" and "Thoughtless" music videos, and a live recording of "Got the Life".[11]

The band has revealed that the total recording costs of Untouchables were estimated at $3,000,000 due to recording/living expenses and keeping their 15-person crew on retainer for the nearly two years it took to finish the album.[12][13] As part of the total cost were included five houses rented for $10,000 apiece for four months, when they moved to Phoenix.[14] When they came to Los Angeles, they rented five houses for $10,000 apiece for four more months; and a house rented for $8,000 a week, when they went to Canada.[14] Jonathan Davis commented in an interview with Noisey:

"We were coming off of Issues, and we wanted to make an amazing record. That's when we hooked up with Michael Beinhorn, and Beinhorn's whole vision was to make an amazing sounding rock record that could never be made again. [...] I wanted to shoot a documentary about that record. We spent so much money, the drums alone we spent a whole month just getting drum sounds. There were 50 mics just on the drumset that they picked out and tested. [...] Usually I do my vocals and it takes me a month or two weeks, but just vocals it took me five, almost six months. With Beinhorn, sometimes I'd walk in and sing and he'd just say, "Go home, your voice ain't right." [...] It was the peak and pinnacle of everything in Korn. I still can't believe how much work went in on it. It was a lot."[15]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
BillboardFavorable[16]
Entertainment WeeklyC[17]
New York Daily NewsFavorable[18]
The New York TimesFavorable[19]
NME(8/10)[20]
Playlouder[21]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[23]

Untouchables sold over 495,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at number two on Billboard. Davis blamed Internet piracy for the drop in sales compared to previous albums, since the album had leaked onto file-sharing websites with a different track order and song titles[24] more than two months prior to its official release date.[25]

Untouchables received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 80/100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3] It remained their most critically acclaimed album for 17 years until the release of their 2019 album, The Nothing, which currently sits at an 83/100.[26] In a 2021 retrospective review, Metal Hammer deemed Untouchables to be Korn's greatest album.[27]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Korn.

No.TitleLength
1."Here to Stay"4:31
2."Make Believe"4:37
3."Blame"3:51
4."Hollow Life"4:09
5."Bottled Up Inside"4:00
6."Thoughtless"4:32
7."Hating"5:10
8."One More Time"4:39
9."Alone I Break"4:16
10."Embrace"4:27
11."Beat It Upright"4:15
12."Wake Up Hate"3:12
13."I'm Hiding"3:57
14."No One's There"
  • "Here to Stay (T-Ray's Mix)" (hidden track on limited edition)
9:24
Total length:65:00

Notes

  • "Here to Stay (T-Ray's Mix)" is a hidden track on the limited edition, beginning at 5:06 after "No One's There". On some standard edition pressings, it is its own separate hidden track, without the silence.
  • "Beat It Upright" was not included on the edited version of the album.
Bonus DVD
  1. "Here to Stay (Live at Hammerstein)"
  2. "Here to Stay (Performance Version)"
  3. "Thoughtless (Performance Version)"
  4. "Got the Life (Live at Hammerstein)"
2002 leaked version track listing
No.TitleLength
1."From Your Heart" (original title for "Blame")3:54
2."Chasing Me" (original title for "Make Believe")4:42
3."Full of Sorrow" (original title for "Bottled Up Inside")4:03
4."Tear Me Down" (original title for "Thoughtless")4:35
5."In Place" (original version of "Embrace", contains an extra outro that was removed in worldwide release)4:49
6."I Want to Be Gone" (original version of "I'm Hiding", contains an extended final chorus that was shortened in worldwide release)4:33
7."Here to Stay"4:32
8."Falling Through Time" (original title for "Hollow Life")4:10
9."All My Hate" (original version of "Wake Up Hate", contains an extended final chorus that was shortened in worldwide release)3:28
10."Leave This Place" (original title for "No One's There")5:02
11."Corners of My Mind" (original title for "One More Time")4:42
12."Help Me Stay Alive" (original version of "Beat It Upright", contains an extra intro that was removed in worldwide release)4:25
13."Make It Go Away" (original title for "Alone I Break")4:18
14."Everything That I Could Find" (original title for "Hating")5:09
Total length:62:22

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[81] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[82] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[84] Platinum 1,000,000^
Venezuela[85] Gold 10,000[85]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  • Arvizu, Reginald (2009). Got The Life. William Marrow. ISBN 978-0-06-166249-2.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  2. ^ "Radio & Records" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. June 21, 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Untouchables Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  4. ^ "RIAA Gold and Platinum Data". RIAA. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. ^ "Korn's New 'Look'". Billboard. December 24, 2003.
  6. ^ Arvizu 2009, p. 160
  7. ^ Arvizu 2009, p. 169
  8. ^ Arvizu 2009, p. 171
  9. ^ a b Untouchables credit page, June 11, 2002. Immortal/Epic, 614–88
  10. ^ ""Here to Stay" Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Untouchables [Bonus DVD] Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  12. ^ "Korn Interviewe by U.K.'s Scuzz". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  13. ^ Korn : Take A Look In The Mirror. NME (September 12, 2005). Retrieved on November 2, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Sindell, Joshua (February 23, 2002). "World Exclusive: Korn - The Jonathan Davis interview". Kerrang!. No. 892. UK. p. 14. ISSN 0262-6624. p. 14: US magazine Blender recently ran a story that claimed 'Untouchables' has cost a staggering four million dollars to make.
  15. ^ "Rank Your Records: Korn's Jonathan Davis Rates the Band's 11 Albums". March 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "Untouchables Review". Billboard. February 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  17. ^ Serpick, Evan (June 28, 2002). "Untouchables Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  18. ^ [1] [permanent dead link]
  19. ^ Pareles, Jon (June 9, 2002). "Untouchables Review". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  20. ^ Watson, Ian (June 4, 2002). "Untouchables Review". NME. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
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