| Artist | Jonathan Davis |
|---|---|
| Cover | JonathanDavisBlackLabyrinth.jpg |
| Released | May 25, 2018 |
| Recorded | 2007 – January 2018 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 50:20 |
| Label | Sumerian |
| Producer | Jonathan Davis, Tiago Nunez |
| Prev year | 2011 |
Black Labyrinth is the debut solo studio album by American vocalist Jonathan Davis (best known as the frontman of nu metal band Korn). The album was released on May 25, 2018, through Sumerian Records.
The first single, "What It Is", was released on January 26, 2018, as part of the soundtrack to the movie American Satan.[1]
Background
Jonathan Davis had hinted at a solo album for a number of years, first working without his bandmates in Korn when he collaborated on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. Word of a full solo album began to circulate in the mid-2000s when Davis began touring and writing with his solo band, Jonathan Davis and the SFA, with whom he released two live albums, Alone I Play (2007) and Live at the Union Chapel (2011). The SFA was disbanded after the death of guitarist Shane Gibson. Over the next decade, Davis would continue to write solo material while performing with Korn, and in January 2018 announced a North American and European tour in support of a new album that would come out later in the year.[2] That same month, he released the song What It Is.
In March 2018, Sumerian Records revealed an official teaser for the album, which revealed the title, artwork and release date, along with snippets of each track on the album.[3] While a full list of musicians has yet to be officially released, it has been confirmed that Ray Luzier, Wes Borland, Miles Mosley, Mike Dillon and Shenkar have all made appearances on the album.[4]
Critical reception
"Black Labyrinth" received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64 based on 5 reviews.[5]
Personnel
Musicians
- Jonathan Davis – vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming, violin, sitar, production
- Wes Borland – guitars (tracks 2, 5, 8, 10, 13)
- Miles Mosley – bass guitar (tracks 2–8, 10, 12)
- Zac Baird – keyboards (tracks 1–3, 7–10, 13), programming (tracks 4, 9)
- Ray Luzier – drums (tracks 1, 3–8, 10, 13)
- Mike Dillon – percussion (track 2), tablas (track 8, 12)
- Shenkar – violin, additional vocals (tracks 2, 8, 13)
- Djivan Gasparyan – duduk (track 2)
- Byron Katie – sample (track 11)
Production
- Jim Monti – recording
- Tiago Nunez – additional production
- Josh Wilbur – mixing
- Kyle McAulay – mixing assistance
- Vlado Meller – mastering
- David Stoupakis – artwork
- Daniel McBride – logo
- Carly Sarno – logo
- Jonathan Weiner – photography
Charts
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 67 |
References
- ^ "Korn's Jonathan Davis releases new solo song What It is". January 26, 2018.
- ^ "Jonathan Davis Announces Debut Solo Headlining Tour". Loudwire. January 29, 2018.
- ^ "Jonathan Davis Has Previewed Every Song on His Black Labyrinth Solo Album". March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Jonathan Davis Takes a Break from Korn". April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Black Labyrinth by Jonathan Davis Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #475". auspOp. June 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.