Artist: Korn
Album: Follow the Leader
Release Date: August 18, 1998
Label: Immortal / Epic Records
Genre: Nu Metal / Alternative Metal
Description
Follow the Leader is Korn’s definitive breakthrough album, the one that launched them from cult status into global stardom and cemented their place as pioneers of the late-’90s nu-metal movement. Blending heavy riffs, hip-hop rhythms, and emotional intensity, the record captures a band at their creative and cultural peak.
Produced by Steve Thompson and Toby Wright, the album pushes Korn’s signature sound into darker, more experimental territory — with pounding bass lines, down-tuned guitars, and Jonathan Davis’s raw, confessional vocals. It’s chaotic, cathartic, and undeniably infectious.
The record spawned several of Korn’s most iconic songs, including “Freak on a Leash,” “Got the Life,” and “Children of the Korn” (featuring Ice Cube). Each track showcases the band’s ability to fuse aggression with melody and groove, redefining what heavy music could sound like for a new generation.
Critically and commercially, Follow the Leader was a watershed moment — debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, earning multi-platinum certification, and becoming one of the most influential metal albums of the 1990s.