Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader is Korn's third studio album and their commercial breakthrough, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200. Departing from the raw, 'Ross Robinson' production of their first two efforts, the band enlisted Steve Thompson and Toby Wright to create a more polished, layered sound. This shift allowed for greater experimentation, incorporating hip-hop influences through collaborations with Ice Cube and Tre Hardson. The album is famous for its unconventional structure, beginning with 12 tracks of silence to honor a deceased fan and placing the music on tracks 13 through 25. It solidified the 'nu metal' template: downtuned 7-string guitars, slap-bass technique, and lyrics focused on childhood trauma and social alienation. Critics at AllMusic and elsewhere noted its effectiveness as a mainstream pivot that maintained the band's signature intensity while expanding their sonic palette.