It's too lazy to view Korn as a trendy band with a simplistic sound that relies on a limited bag of tricks. You just can't deny that that same sound proved original enough to summon a whole wave of imitators. And this isn't the most important thing, anyway – Korn have always been a song-oriented band, and as they went in pursuit of the best possible song, they evolved, leaving behind quite a few disappointed fans after each metamorphosis in their career.

Well, 'The Paradigm Shift' fits that tendency perfectly. The hopes that Brian 'Head' Welch's return to the band will make Korn turn to their earlier sound, have been let down with an album that continues from where 2011's electronic experiment 'The Path of Totality' left off. Only that the results of the experiment have been contained, rethinked and then entangled in the band's musical DNA. And oh yeah, the new songs crush!

Opener 'Prey for Me' starts with a sudden punch of bouncy, typical Korn riffs before making a few transitions from melancholy to aggression and back. Vintage Korn! And then in 'Love & Meth' the electronics sneak back in – hovering as a ghostly echo over the guitar attack. This is what the role of this element remains for most of the album – adding a new layer of melodies that help the songs sound fuller without losing the emotional dynamic that Korn so deeply rely on. The said dynamic is present at an album level as well, delivered by the deceivingly melodic 'Lullaby for a Sadist' and 'Never Never' – a track that resembles something Moby would've done, but heavier, that also turns the tables and lets the electronics take the lead. And those are just examples of 'The Paradigm Shift's main strength – there's no fillers on the album and every one of the 11 songs would work equally well as a single. And that is something truly special.

Contrary to what its title implies, 'The Paradigm Shift' is not an album where Korn break walls. They rather gather into one refined whole the evolution of their sound from 'Issues' and 'Untouchables' to 'The Path of Totality.' Having outlived the movement that they themselves started, Korn have simply gone for writing the best songs they can at this moment. And there's no way of denying the result's quality.