Confession time: I've never properly checked out KORN's music. It's not because I'm biased against nu metal; the band is just one of those I've been meaning to check out for years, but never got around to. Too much metal for one metalhead, I guess. And so finally, after the band has released their twelfth studio album - "The Serenity of Suffering" - I'm giving them a proper listen.

One of the strengths of this album is the way that little background details add texture to the music without the compositions sounding cluttered or unfocused. Electronic elements and turntables pop up throughout, but they sound at home among the heavy metal elements. KORN are great at blending genres, if you will.

I'm sure that many others before me have praised Johnathan Davis's vocals, and I believe that he deserves the praise he gets. His clean vocals sound free and unconstrained, and his dynamics are impressive. The man is no slouch on the gutturals though - he dishes out some heavy guttural passages on the tracks. I defy other listeners not to headbang when Davis goes guttural in the refrain of "There is nothing in my head" on "Everthing Falls Apart". Big, powerful clean choruses seem to be his specialty on "The Serenity of Suffering" - the harmonies on "Black is the Soul" sound fantastic, while the clean chorus of "A Different World" (courtesy of SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor) simply soars.

I enjoyed the dynamic drumming of Ray Luzier throughout. He had great fills on every track (for example, check out the snare rolls on "Next In Line"), and sounds like a real human playing as far as I can tell. On "Everything Falls Apart", Luzier displays finesse in the verses, and then really goes for it in the chorus. Bassist Fieldy rounds out the rhythm section well, with his parts mixed just right - I could hear him (especially on the little bass solos), but his parts didn't sound too loud. Guitarists Munky and Head provide some interesting musical contrasts in their riffs, with soft, reverb-filled passages off-setting the head-crushing heavy riffs nicely. "Next in Line" has a memorable clean riff in the chorus, while the down-tuned intro riffs on "Please Come for Me" could well rival a funeral doom riff in terms of heaviness.

I'm pleased that I finally got around to KORN. While they straddle multiple genres besides heavy metal, I feel that they're a quality outfit, whose years of musical experience shine through. Love them or hate them, I think that they can be respected for their willingness to push the boundaries of what constitutes heavy metal, and for still putting out good material after many years in the business.