Issues arrived on 16 November 1999 with the weight of enormous expectation. The follow-up to the multi-platinum Follow The Leader, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 571,000 copies in its first week in the US alone. It was proof that Korn weren't a fluke — they were a phenomenon.
Background & Recording
Recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, Issues was produced by Brendan O'Brien, who brought a slightly more polished sheen to the band's sound without blunting their edge. The album saw Jonathan Davis exploring more melodic territory alongside the band's trademark aggression, resulting in one of their most emotionally varied records.
The sessions were not without tension. The band were under intense pressure to follow up Follow The Leader, and internal dynamics were strained. That friction, however, fed directly into the music — Issues is one of Korn's most emotionally raw and honest records.
Tracklist
- Dead
- Falling Away from Me
- Trash
- 4 U
- Beg for Me
- Make Me Bad
- It's Gonna Go Away
- Wake Up
- Am I Going Crazy?
- Hey Daddy
- Somebody Someone
- No Way
- Let's Get This Party Started
- Wish You Could Be Me
- Counting
- Dirty
Key Tracks
Falling Away from Me is widely regarded as one of Korn's finest moments — a brooding, atmospheric track that showcases Davis at his most vulnerable. Make Me Bad blended industrial textures with nu metal grooves and became a staple of rock radio. Somebody Someone offered a rare moment of melodic accessibility that hinted at the band's future direction.
Legacy
Issues has endured as a fan favourite precisely because of its emotional depth. Where Follow The Leader was the crossover moment, Issues was the record that showed Korn could sustain it — and do so on their own terms. It remains a touchstone of late-90s heavy music and a key text in the ongoing nu metal revival.
Shop Korn Merch
Show your love for one of nu metal's greatest albums with officially licensed Korn merchandise, available now at Wonderhaul.