Korn (album) - Reception

Reception

On January 10, 1996, Korn went Gold in the United States (US), and on February 10, 1996, the album charted at number seventy-two. The album spent 30 weeks on the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand charts, entering on June 23, 1996 and peaking at number ten. The album left the chart on May 18, 1997. It went Platinum in the US on January 8, 1997, and entered the ARIA Charts on March 28, 1999 at number forty-nine. It maintained a position on the chart for five weeks, and peaked at number forty-six. It peaked at number five on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart on April 24, 1999. On July 17, 1999, it entered the MegaCharts at its peak position of fifty-six. After three weeks, Korn left the chart. On November 10, 1999, it was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album peaked at number one-hundred-eighty-one on the UK Albums Chart on February 10, 2001. It has been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

Korn was well received by music critics. Korn's debut album is said to have established nu metal. As said by Joel McIver, Korn "was almost solely responsible for the tidal wave of change that subsequently swept the metal scene." Arnopp stated that the group "positively encouraged America's formerly introverted, apathetic misfits to thrust a livid middle finger in the face of high–school jocks who would traditionally bundle them into a locker and brand them 'faggots' for sporting hair longer than any Army buzz–cut." Bands like Coal Chamber and Limp Bizkit were inspired by the album's "churning rage, emphasising similar grooves and song structures," and "the sound's hip–hop elements." Slipknot, Machine Head, and Sepultura were also inspired by the album. The album launched the career of record producer Ross Robinson, who has since produced albums such as Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ by Limp Bizkit and Slipknot's first two albums. Music critic Piero Scaruffi includes Korn at number eighteen, just after AC/DC's Back in Black and before Burzum's Filosofem, in his classification of the best metal albums of all time.