Take a Look in the Mirror

The album continued Korn's lowering in sales, debuting at number 19 and peaked at number 9 with first-week record sales of about 179,000, due to the release date of the album being pushed up to a Friday, with fewer sales than if it was released on the standard Tuesday. The track "Did My Time" was previously released as a CD single for the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and the track "Right Now" was accompanied by a provocative cartoon video animated by Spike and Mike. The ending track "When Will This End" is followed by a long silence before a live cover of Metallica's "One" starts playing. The album was also released in a "clean" version which utilized backmasking as well as growling in place of profanity. Take a Look in the Mirror has sold over 1.2 million copies in the US and over 2 million copies outside of the US according to Nielsen SoundScan as of January 4, 2013{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} and was certified platinum on December 16, 2003.{{cite web |url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|title=RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – October 17, 2012 |work=riaa.com |access-date=October 17, 2012}} It has been claimed that the album was rushed, due to the lower than expected sales of Untouchables which had left the band in debt.{{cite web|url=http://www.soundscapemagazine.com/az-korn/|title=Soundscape's A-Z Of Bands: Korn |website=Soundscapemagazine.com|date=May 19, 2014}} Jonathan Davis has subsequently admitted in interviews that the album was written at somewhat of a rushed pace, due to the lower than expected sales of Untouchables, and having to write with the time restraint of being on that summer's Ozzfest tour.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rank-your-records-korn/|title=Rank Your Records: Korn's Jonathan Davis Rates the Band's 11 Albums|website=Noisey.vice.com|date=March 26, 2015}}

File:Nas-04.jpg

Take a Look in the Mirror marks Korn's attempt to return to a more aggressive sound as featured on their earlier albums, with guitarists Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer mostly utilizing thick, heavy distortion and the occasional clean tones for contrast.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/korn/takealookinthemirror |title=Take A Look In The Mirror |website=Metacritic |access-date=August 5, 2010 }} The album features strong elements of nu metal and has the aggressive sounds featured on their early work,{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/korn/7246|title=Korn : Take A Look In The Mirror - NME|website=NME|date=September 12, 2005 }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20150710123724/http://www.melodic.net/?page=review&id=1728] {{cite web|url=http://www.review-o-matic.com/?p=350|title=Korn – Take A Look in the Mirror|website=Review-o-matic.com|date=May 13, 2009}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/korn.htm |title=Korn - Take a Look in the Mirror | album reviews | musicOMH |access-date=January 13, 2009 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604150633/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/korn.htm |url-status=dead }}{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/12/12/take-look-mirror/|title=Take a Look in the Mirror|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} as well as a reworked and re-recorded version of the track "Alive", which had previously only been released on the band's first demo, Neidermayer's Mind. Also of note is the song "Play Me" which features rapper Nas.{{cite web |url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/korn.htm |title=Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror |website=Musicomh.com |access-date=August 5, 2010 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604150633/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/korn.htm |url-status=dead }}

Around this period, guitarist Head was heavily addicted to drugs such as meth. He said "2003 is when I started using speed every day. I [also] got hooked on meth and in order to get up and function, even play a show, I had to snort lines, you know. And I told myself, 'I'll do this tour, I'll do this Ozzfest, and I'll do meth the whole time and I'll go home and check into a rehab.' And it scared me, you know, 'cause I was like coming every month I would tell myself, 'I'm gonna stop this tour,' and I wouldn't be able to do it. Like a fear would come over me. I was just trapped."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/former_korn_guitarist_i_got_hooked_on_meth.html|title=Former Korn Guitarist: 'I Got Hooked On Meth'|website=Ultimate-guitar.com}} Regarding the issues facing the band during the recording, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer recalled "We weren't in the best space. The songs weren't flowing and the creativity was a bit muted from these personal dramas each of us had."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/korns_james_munky_shaffer_talks_to_ug_readers.html|title=Korn's James 'Munky' Shaffer Talks to UG Readers|website=Ultimate-guitar.com}} He also claimed the album was a forced effort.

Jonathan Davis said "[This album] is about us as a band, taking a look in the mirror and remembering where we came from, remembering our roots, going back to basics," Davis said. "We reflect and look back why we really got into this band to begin with and why we started it. It's to make aggressive, heavy music. Over the years … we were just experimenting. It always was Korn, but it was different spins on what we were doing. So this time we wanted to make an aggressive, heavy album and just kill it. And that's why we've produced it ourselves. Nobody knows Korn better than ourselves."{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1480173/korn-land-nas-for-mirror-ask-fans-to-direct-new-video/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929180229/http://www.mtv.com/news/1480173/korn-land-nas-for-mirror-ask-fans-to-direct-new-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 29, 2015 |title=Korn Land Nas For Mirror, Ask Fans To Direct New Video |publisher=MTV |last=Moss |first=Corey}} (November 4, 2003). Retrieved on September 27, 2015 Davis also stated that he felt a return to basics nu metal album was needed in the music industry of 2003. He said "Nothing coming out is really striking me at all. The whole rock and pop punk scene is just stagnant and boring. Music is not imaginative at the moment. The only record I consider remotely interesting is probably the Outkast album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. That's really cool and original."{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/05/1075853991503.html|title=Hell on wheels - Music|website=smh.com.au|date=February 6, 2004 }}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 49/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/take-a-look-in-the-mirror/korn|title=Review: Take a Look in the Mirror|work=Metacritic|access-date=February 28, 2013}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=take-a-look-in-the-mirror-mw0000693718}}

| rev2 = Billboard

| rev2Score = (positive)[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=korn|chart=all}} Billboard Review], Billboard.com

| rev3 = Blender

| rev3Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://blender.com/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050927012305/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1798|url-status=dead|title=Blender - All Things Blender, All In One Place|archivedate=September 27, 2005|website=Blender}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4Score = (D)

| rev5 = IGN

| rev5Score = 5.5/10{{cite web|url=http://music.ign.com/articles/449/449400p1.html|title=IGN Review|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012002334/http://music.ign.com/articles/449/449400p1.html|archive-date=October 12, 2008}}

| rev6 = Metal Storm

| rev6Score = 8.5/10{{cite web|url=http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/album.php?album_id=5525&band_id=885&bandname=Korn|title=Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror - Metal Storm|website=Metalstorm.ee}}

| rev7 = The New York Times

| rev7Score = (mixed){{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/24/arts/critic-s-choice-new-cd-s-a-string-quartet-philosophy-whoa.html|title=CRITIC'S CHOICE/New CD's; A String Quartet? Philosophy? Whoa!|first=Jon|last=Pareles|newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 24, 2003}}

| rev8 = NME

| rev8Score = 3/10

| rev9 = Q

| rev9Score = {{Rating|2|5}}(Feb. 2004, p.102)

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/take-a-look-in-the-mirror-20031202|title=Take A Look In The Mirror|magazine=Rolling Stone}}

| noprose = yes

}}

Since its release, Take a Look in the Mirror has received mixed reviews from professional critics but acclaim from fans. The album holds a weighted average score of 49/100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on nine reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews", while the user's average score is 8.2/10. AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier states the album is "a little paradoxical, but that's precisely what makes Take a Look in the Mirror so interesting, especially for longtime fans" and goes on to say that "because of the emphasis on brevity and variety (and especially quality), the album's over before you know it and you're left feeling hungry for more Korn."{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/take-a-look-in-the-mirror-mw0000693718|title=Take a Look in the Mirror - Korn |website=AllMusic |access-date=February 28, 2013}} On the contrary, Entertainment Weekly scored the album a D, saying "Korn remain[s] technically proficient, but Take a Look in the Mirror serves only to make the case that the genre has officially screamed itself into caricature." NME gave the album a negative review, criticizing it for being a "self-parody", they wrote "this is an exercise in sterile studio-rock. Meticulously Pro-Tooled, and built almost entirely around bassist Fieldy's relentless, sludgy mid-range, it's an approach that demonstrates little craft and even less actual feeling." In 2005, the album was ranked number 384 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=Rock Hard|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=55}}

In a 2013 interview, guitarist Head cited Take a Look in the Mirror as "the worst record we did".{{cite web|access-date=December 29, 2013|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/korn-interviewed-by-u-k-s-scuzz-video/|title=Korn Interviewe by U.K.'s Scuzz|date=December 29, 2013 |publisher=Blabbermouth.net}} In 2015, Jonathan Davis also ranked it as his least favourite album in Korn's discography.

All songs written by Korn, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| title1 = Right Now

| length1 = 3:10

| title2 = Break Some Off

| length2 = 2:35

| title3 = Counting on Me

| length3 = 4:49

| title4 = Here It Comes Again

| length4 = 3:33

| title5 = Deep Inside

| length5 = 2:46

| title6 = Did My Time

| length6 = 4:04

| title7 = Everything I've Known

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = Play Me

| note8 = featuring Nas

| writer8 = Korn, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones

| length8 = 3:21

| title9 = Alive

| length9 = 4:29

| title10 = Let's Do This Now

| length10 = 3:18

| title11 = I'm Done

| length11 = 3:23

| title12 = Y'All Want a Single

| length12 = 3:17

| title13 = When Will This End

| note13 = "When Will This End" ends at 3:39; the hidden track is a live cover of Metallica's "One" (performed on MTV Icon: Metallica) starts at 9:52.

| length13 = 14:24

| total_length = 56:43

}}

Notes

• On some digital versions, the 6 minute silence and the hidden track of a live cover of Metallica's "One" are omitted from "When Will This End".
• An unofficial Russian edition includes six bonus tracks from Untouchables.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Korn-Take-A-Look-In-The-Mirror-6-Bonus/release/3224924|title=Korn – Take A Look In The Mirror +6 Bonus|website=Discogs|year=2003 }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Deluxe edition DVD

| title1 = KoRn Kut Up

| note1 = mashup of most of their music videos from 1994 to 2003

| length1 = 11:02

| title2 = Right Now (Mirror Mix Music Video)

| length2 = 3:21

| title3 = The Untouchables 2002 Tour

| note3 = features a live recording of "Here to Stay" and backstage footage

| length3 = 15:22

| total_length = 29:45

}}

;Korn

• Jonathan Davis – vocals, bagpipes, production
• Head (credited as "Sir Headly") – guitars
• Munky (credited as "James the Gorilla") – guitars
• Fieldy (credited as "Dog") – bass
• David Silveria (credited as "Wally Balljacker") – drums

;Production and other credits

{{div-col}}

• Frank Filipetti – production, engineering, mixing
• Nas – vocals on "Play Me"
• Jim "Bud" Monti – production, engineering
• Tim Harkins – engineering
• Cailan McCarthy – artist coordination
• Doug Erb – art direction
• Brandy Flower – art direction
• Gayle Boulware – art consultant
• Darren Frank – assistant
• Jesse Gorman – assistant
• Peter Katsis – A&R
• Kaz Utsunomiya – A&R
• Rob Hill – editing
• Fred Maher – editing
• Louie Teran – digital editing
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Polarbear – programming on "I'm Done"
• Mitch Ikeda – photography
• Marina Chavez – photography

{{div-col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Australia |artist=Korn |title=Take a Look in the Mirror |type=album |award=Gold |certyear=2003}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Germany |artist=Korn |title=Take a Look in the Mirror |type=album |award=Gold |relyear=2003}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom |artist=Korn |title=Take a Look in the Mirror |type=album |award=Silver|certyear=2013|certmonth=7|id=10838-241-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=United States |artist=Korn |title=Take a Look in the Mirror |type=album |award=Platinum}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

{{unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}

The album contains a scrapbook of photos from the band's personal collection, titled "SkЯapbook", instead of a front cover booklet, however, some copies do not feature a booklet, instead, it was released with a normal front and inside cover. The limited edition version contains a bonus DVD. The booklet contains various photos of the band in the early days of Korn previous to this release. Photos in the booklet include them in their first recording studio (the indigo ranch), as well as early tours and shows.

{{Reflist}}

{{Korn}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Take a Look in the Mirror}}

Category:2003 albums

Category:Korn albums

Category:Epic Records albums

Category:Immortal Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Frank Filipetti