"Rotting in Vain" is a song by American
nu metal band
Korn. Written by the band and produced by
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz () (born February 4, 1970) is an American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Production career
Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville ...
, it was featured on the band's 2016 twelfth studio album ''
The Serenity of Suffering''. The song was also released as the lead
single from the album on July 22, 2016, reaching number 4 on the ''
Billboard''
Mainstream Rock Songs
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart and number 26 on the
UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart. It was nominated for
Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...
at the
59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Release
"Rotting in Vain" was first revealed on July 16, 2016 when it received its debut live performance at the
Chicago Open Air
Chicago Open Air was an annual concert held in Bridgeview, Illinois, United States that features several rock and metal acts. Beginning in 2016, the festival got a lot of recognition as it was Rammstein's only US performance that year. It is held ...
concert. According to
Loudwire's Graham Hartmann, "Rotting in Vain" is "Led by a heavy groove and chaotic atmosphere", which later "spirals into darker realms with Jonathan Davis' tortured vocals".
Jon Wiederhorn for Radio.com added that the song features "otherworldly guitar effects, a deep, dark groove ... downtuned, distorted guitars and circular bass lines".
Speaking about the inspiration for the track upon its release, Korn frontman
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the nu ...
offered the following insight:
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Rotting in Vain" was released on July 22, 2016, following a
trailer four days before.
Directed by
Dean Karr
Dean Karr (born February 22, 1965) is an American photographer and director. A prolific creative, Karr has photographed dozens of album covers and directed a substantial amount of music videos, commercials, and films.
Early life and education ...
and filmed in "a rundown two-story building" in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
it features actor
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...
, best known for portraying
Filip "Chibs" Telford on the
FX TV series ''
Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Tullk'' from
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
, who is shown "huff
nggas, drink
ngfrom a goblet and play
ngwith curios" as the band performs elsewhere in the building and "all but destroys his
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...
–styled abode".
During the opening section of the song, vocalist Jonathan Davis emerges from underneath layers of leaves and dust in a bathtub, which the singer claimed entered his lungs and led to him "coughing up dirt loogies" afterwards.
Other members of the band make "similarly dramatic entrances", including guitarists
James "Munky" Shaffer "burst
ngfrom the floorboards" and
Brian "Head" Welch
Brian Philip Welch (born June 19, 1970), also known by his stage name Head, is an American musician. He is one of the guitarists and founding member of the nu metal band Korn and his solo project Love and Death, where he also provides vocals. ...
"crash
ngthrough cement".
Jonathan Davis getting out of a pile of leaves in a bathtub.
Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
Luzier "Ray" getting through wooden crates and rubbish. "Fieldy"
Reginald Arvizu
Reginald Quincy Arvizu (born November 2, 1969), also known as "Fieldy", is an American musician, best known as the bassist for nu metal band Korn. He is also the guitarist/bassist for rock band StillWell.
Musical career
Prior to Arvizu's t ...
waking up in paper and wood.
Critical reception
''
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
''
's Dom Lawson praised the song, including its "big" chorus and "wickedly self-referential burst of Davies'
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_The_track_has_been_dubbed_by_many_commentators_as_a_conscious_return_to_the_style_of_the_band's_earlier_releases_–_Lawson_compared_it_stylistically_to_1999's_'' 'sic''.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''trademark_gorilla_gibberish",_claiming_that_"Korn_sound_newly_excited_and_ferociously_focused"._The_track_has_been_dubbed_by_many_commentators_as_a_conscious_return_to_the_style_of_the_band's_earlier_releases_–_Lawson_compared_it_stylistically_to_1999's_''Issues_(Korn_album)">Issues''_and_2002's_''Untouchables_(album).html" ;"title="Issues_(Korn_album).html" ;"title="sic">'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''trademark gorilla gibberish", claiming that "Korn sound newly excited and ferociously focused".
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
"Rotting in Vain"
music video on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
{{Authority control
2016 songs
2016 singles
Korn songs
Songs written by Jonathan Davis
Songs written by James Shaffer
Songs written by Brian Welch
Songs written by Reginald Arvizu
Roadrunner Records singles