Requiem Mass
Korn
By Abby Vela
Consisting of live recordings from Korn's 2022 album release, the EP "Requiem Mass" serves as an elegy to those who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, a call to action, and renewed hope for the future.
The recordings included on "Requiem Mass" are highlights from live streamed album release last February, played in a church to a crowd of 300. Complete with a live choir, the music on this EP fills the space with a wall of near-divine sound—a nod to the religious undertones of both "Requiem" and the metal genre as a whole. While "Requiem Mass" is simply an audio recording, you can almost feel the faint glow of the candlelight, stained glass, and gothic-style dampness.
The five songs together form something of a story: one of tragedy, healing, and redemption. "Start The Healing" speaks directly to the listener, urging them to grow from anger and engage in emotional healing. In contrast, "Lost In The Grandeur" and "Hopeless and Beaten" are calls for help, speaking to the band members' experience to alleviate the pressure of performance that comes with being musicians in the public eye. The EP ends with an open ending: "Worst Is On Its Way" is about panic over an uncertain future, and "Let The Dark Do The Rest" is about moving on from a traumatic past.
The live recordings of these songs give the project a palpable urgency—humans need to heal and change to ensure a future for everyone. With these live versions being released a year after their recording, I think it's safe to say that there's a sense of triumph that runs through "Requiem Mass," that maybe things are looking up.