Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
band from
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 by three members of the band
L.A.P.D.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
, Korn's current lineup features founding members
James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar);
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (bass);
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. ...
(guitar, backing vocals); and
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 ...
(lead vocals, bagpipes), with the addition of
Ray Luzier
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
(drums) in 2007, replacing the band's first drummer
David Silveria
David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American drummer, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and d ...
.
Korn made a
demo tape
A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
, ''
Neidermayer's Mind
''Neidermayer's Mind'' is a demo tape by American nu metal band Korn. It was produced by Ross Robinson and released in 1993. The demo is a rarity, but finished versions of the songs appeared on subsequent Korn albums.
Background
Before Korn even ...
'', in 1993, which was distributed free to record companies and on request to members of the public. Their debut album ''
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
'' was released in 1994, followed by ''
Life Is Peachy
''Life Is Peachy'' is the second studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 15, 1996, through both Immortal Records and Epic Records. After the release of Korn's 1994 self-titled debut album, the band reunited with ...
'' in 1996. The band first experienced mainstream success with ''
Follow the Leader'' (1998) and ''
Issues'' (1999), both of which debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200.
The band's mainstream success continued with ''
Untouchables'' (2002); ''
Take a Look in the Mirror
''Take a Look in the Mirror'' is the sixth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Released on November 21, 2003 through Epic Records, it is the last Korn studio album to feature their full original lineup, as their original guitarist Brian ...
'' (2003); and ''
See You on the Other Side'' (2005).
A
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, ''
Greatest Hits Vol. 1'', was released in 2004, spanning a decade of singles and concluding the band's recording contract with
Immortal Records
Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...
and
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
. They signed to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
, releasing ''
See You on the Other Side'' in 2005, and an
untitled album in 2007. The band's other recent albums, ''
Korn III: Remember Who You Are'' (2010) and ''
The Path of Totality
''The Path of Totality'' is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 2, 2011 in Europe and December 6, 2011 in the US. The album was produced by various electronic music producers such as Skrillex, Noisi ...
'' (2011), were released via
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
, with ''
The Paradigm Shift
''The Paradigm Shift'' is the eleventh studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Produced by Don Gilmore, it was released by multiple labels in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2013 and in the United States the next day. It is the first Korn ...
'' (2013) being released via
Prospect Park and
Caroline Records
Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...
. ''
The Serenity of Suffering
''The Serenity of Suffering'' is the twelfth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 21, 2016. According to guitarist Brian Welch, it is "heavier than anyone's heard us in a long time" and it contains their most in ...
'' saw their return to Roadrunner Records, through which ''
The Nothing'' was released on September 13, 2019. Their latest album, ''
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'', was released via
Loma Vista Recordings
Loma Vista Recordings is a record label founded by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Executive of A&R at Interscope Records. The label was initially a joint venture with Republic Records and is based in Beverly Hill ...
on February 4, 2022.
As of 2021, Korn had sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Twelve of the band's official releases have peaked in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200, eight of which have peaked in the top five.
Seven official releases are certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA); two are certified double platinum; one is certified triple platinum; one is certified five times platinum; and two are certified Gold.
Korn has released seven
video album
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 ...
s and 50
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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s. The band has released 48 singles, the most notable of which include "
Blind"; "
Got the Life
"Got the Life" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn for their third studio album, '' Follow the Leader'' which was released as the album's second single on November 23, 1998. It was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios. ...
"; "
Freak on a Leash
"Freak on a Leash" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn, featured on the group's 1998 studio album, ''Follow the Leader (Korn album), Follow the Leader''. After ''Follow the Leader''s release, the song was released as a single on February ...
"; "
Falling Away from Me
"Falling Away from Me" is a song by American band Korn. It was released as the first single from their fourth album '' Issues'', debuting in an episode of Comedy Central's animated series '' South Park'', entitled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost My ...
"; "
Here to Stay"; "
Did My Time
"Did My Time" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for the film, '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life''. It was released as a single in July 2003 in support of the film, and was later featured on the band's sixth ...
"; "
Twisted Transistor
"Twisted Transistor" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their seventh studio album, '' See You on the Other Side''. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005.
Chart performance
The song has becom ...
"; "
Coming Undone
"Coming Undone" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn and The Matrix for Korn's seventh studio album, '' See You on the Other Side''. It was released as the album's second single in February 2006.
Chart performance
The song reach ...
"; and "
Get Up!"
[Peak chart positions for singles in Australia:
*All except "Good God", "Falling Away from Me" and "Make Me Bad":
*"Good God", "Falling Away from Me" and "Make Me Bad": ][Peak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom:
*All except "Evolution":
*"Evolution": ] Korn has earned two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s out of eight nominations
and two
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
out of 11 nominations.
History
Early years and formation (1989–1993)
Before Korn was formed, three of the original members of the band were associated with the band
L.A.P.D.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
–
James Shaffer
James Christian Shaffer (born June 6, 1970), also known by his stage name "Munky", is an American musician best known as co-founder and guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. He has cited Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, and Randy Rhoads as some of hi ...
,
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 ...
, and
David Silveria
David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American drummer, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and d ...
. Originally consisting of Richard Morrill, James Shaffer, and Reginald Arvizu, David Silveria joined when he was 16. When the band moved from
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
to Los Angeles, Silveria dropped out of high school and Shaffer stayed in Bakersfield. When Shaffer reunited with the band, they found a manager and released an
EP entitled ''Love and Peace Dude'' in 1989 through
Triple X Records
Triple X Records was a Los Angeles-based record company started by three former employees of the bankrupt Greenworld Distribution: Dean Naleway, Peter Heur and Charley Brown.
The label was known for "a fearlessly eclectic catalogue that broke away ...
. L.A.P.D. released their first full-length studio album on May 3, 1991, which consisted of 11 tracks. The album was entitled ''
Who's Laughing Now''. After releasing two albums, L.A.P.D. broke up. They were also briefly known as Creep, recording a demo with a singer named Corey until Shaffer, Arvizu, and Silveria enlisted
Brian 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. ...
and
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 ...
to form the band that went on to become Korn.
When thinking of a band name, someone suggested "corn", but the band rejected that name, so Shaffer had the idea to spell the name with a "K" instead of a "C", and a backwards "R", so the band's name would appear as "KoЯn". The idea of using a backwards "R" came from the logo of toy retailer
Toys R Us
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include Toy block, toy blocks, Board game, board games, and Doll, dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed sp ...
, for which many of the band members had previously worked. The logo was designed by vocalist
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 ...
. Silveria explained, "the music makes the name, because Korn's a dumb name. But once we get established, it makes the name cool."
Korn rented a studio from Jeff Creath called Underground Chicken Sound, in
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...
. While they were recording at Underground Chicken Sound, a crowd had been
loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a prolonged amount of time without any apparent purpose.
While the laws regarding loitering have been challenged and changed over time, loitering is still illegal in various j ...
outside the studio. The band began playing a prelude to a later song "
Clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
", resulting in a larger crowd gathering. Arvizu said the crowd gathered because it sounded so "different." Korn started performing at gigs in the summer of 1993, with members saying that touring was a "pain-in-the-ass." While in Huntington Beach, the band was spotted by
Immortal Records
Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...
A&R employee Paul Pontius. Pontius would describe Korn's sound as "the new genre of rock." In 1993, Korn released their first
demo album
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, ''
Neidermayer's Mind
''Neidermayer's Mind'' is a demo tape by American nu metal band Korn. It was produced by Ross Robinson and released in 1993. The demo is a rarity, but finished versions of the songs appeared on subsequent Korn albums.
Background
Before Korn even ...
''. The album had very limited printing and was not well received by critics or the public. It was released to
record companies
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
and to people who filled out a flyer given out at gigs they played for free with
Biohazard
A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...
and
House of Pain
House of Pain was an American hip-hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. The group's name is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'', a refer ...
. With this demo, Korn pioneered the nu metal sound, riffs, and rhythm.
''Korn'' (1994–1996)
By May 1994, Korn began recording their
debut album with
Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.
...
. It was finished recording by the end of June 1994. On October 11, 1994, Korn released a self–titled album through
Immortal Records
Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...
(an Epic imprint label) which peaked at number one on the
Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart
and would eventually reach number 72 on the
''Billboard'' 200 in February 1996.
The album received positive reviews by critics, and it is said to have established the
new wave of metal. As well as sparking the nu metal genre, the album also started record producer Ross Robinson's music career. It also influenced other bands, such as
Slipknot,
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, the two had also created the band She's in Pain, in 1992. The original lineup also consisted of bassist ...
, and
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
.
After Korn finished recording the album, they began touring with Biohazard and House of Pain. Their record company gave them enough money for their own tour bus. Korn's first gig was in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. About halfway through the tour, the tour bus that their record company gave them stopped working and Korn had to find a new one. Their first tour was not very successful in promoting the album.
The band went on tour with
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick ...
in January 1995. The band embarked on their first
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an tour, including at
LA2
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and L'Arapaho in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Later that year, Korn was chosen alongside
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
as direct support for
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
.
The self-titled album went
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
in the midst of the tour
and was eventually certified two-times platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
Aside from touring, Korn released four singles. "
Blind" was released on August 1, 1994, and "
Shoots and Ladders" was released on October 31, 1995. The latter received a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination in 1997 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 ...
. "
Need To" was also released in 1995, on April 8. The fourth and final single, "
Clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
", was released on February 2, 1996. "Blind" was the only single to chart, peaking at number 15 on the Canadian ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' Alternative 30.
''Life Is Peachy'' (1996–1997)
After the success of their debut, Korn decided to enter the studio again for a second album. By then, the band had created a large
fan base
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant p ...
and the expectations for their follow-up album were high.
They went back into the studio in early April 1996 at Indigo Ranch Studios,
Malibu, California
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
.
The album was released October 15, 1996 and despite minimal radio airplay and television attention, ''
Life Is Peachy
''Life Is Peachy'' is the second studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 15, 1996, through both Immortal Records and Epic Records. After the release of Korn's 1994 self-titled debut album, the band reunited with ...
'' debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200,
and peaked at number one in New Zealand.
The album sold 106,000 copies in its first week.
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said that the band was "mad at everybody, including themselves." The album was certified double platinum in the United States, platinum in Australia, and gold in Canada.
The first single, "
No Place to Hide", spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. "
A.D.I.D.A.S." was released as the second single on March 4, 1997. It became the band's first charting single on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', peaking at number 13 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart.
The third single, "
Good God", was released on July 14, 1997. A promotional disc was released in 1997 to promote both the band and the Life Is Peachy Tour featuring
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
and
the Urge
The Urge is an alternative rock band based in St. Louis, Missouri. Their music combines several genres, including hardcore punk, Heavy metal music, heavy metal, ska, reggae, funk, rock music, rock, and rhythm and blues. Consistent touring throu ...
and included three live tracks.
![Korn London 1997](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Korn_London_1997.jpg)
Korn gained more popularity after co-headlining the
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
summer tour festival in 1997 with
Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
. However, Korn was forced to stop touring after Shaffer was diagnosed with
viral meningitis
Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is a type of meningitis due to a viral infection. It results in inflammation of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). Symptoms commonly include headache, fever, photop ...
.
The band remained relatively quiet during the end of the year, resting and setting new goals. The band then founded their own label, Elementree Records, to sign and introduce new bands to their fans. The label was run by Davis who first signed
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party consisting of at least five members where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex.
Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swing ...
. Silveria influenced Davis to sign them.
Prior to the release of 1998's ''Follow the Leader'', Gretchen Plewes, a
Zeeland, Michigan
Zeeland ( ) is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township, Michigan, Z ...
high school assistant principal, said in an interview for a Michigan newspaper that Korn's music is "indecent, vulgar, obscene and intends to be insulting" after giving a student named Eric VanHoven a one-day suspension for wearing a shirt with the Korn logo on it.
[Ross, Mike (September 17, 1998)]
"Kids like their Korn"
. ''Canoe''. Retrieved March 20, 2010. WKLQ was filmed giving away hundreds of free Korn T-shirts, which were donated by the band outside the school.
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
County policemen also helped hand out shirts. Korn filed a
cease and desist
A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
order against Plewes and the school district for their comments. They also threatened a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, but both actions were dropped due to the band members' personal lives. The period from 1993 to 1997 was embodied by wearing apparel that contained
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
clothing brand.
''Follow the Leader'' (1998–1999)
In 1998, Korn signed a publishing contract with
Warner Chappell Music
Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries.
...
.
While Korn was waiting for a full partnership with Adidas (which had previously sponsored
Run-DMC
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
), the brand refused to sign a contract with Korn. In a contradictory argument, Adidas told them: "We do sports, not music". In 1998,
Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
seized the opportunity and offered a $500,000 deal to Korn, including their music featured in
Kevin Kerslake
Kevin Kerslake is an American filmmaker and photographer. He has directed documentaries on Joan Jett ('' Bad Reputation''), DJ AM (''As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM''), The Ramones (''We're Outta Here!''), Nirvana (''Live! Tonight! Sold Out! ...
-directed advertisements. Korn accepted the contract; Davis said, "That's more than Adidas ever did for us! It wasn't a sell-out thing. It was about respect."
Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn produced a weekly online TV show called KornTV,
which documented the making of the record and featured special guests such as
porn star
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dist ...
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt (born March 12, 1953) is an American former pornographic actor.
Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", Jeremy was ranked by AVN at No. 1 in their "50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list. Jeremy has also made a number of non-pornographic ...
,
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
, and
311 311 may refer to:
* 311 (number), a natural number
* AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD
* 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 311 (band), an American band
** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album
...
.
The project also gave fans (nicknamed "nibletz") the chance to call in and ask the band questions, an approach that represented one of the first times a band utilized the Internet in such a way.
Korn released their third album ''
Follow the Leader'' on August 18, 1998,
which featured a number of guest vocalists such as
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
;
Pharcyde
The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...
member
Tre Hardson
Trevant Hardson (born October 5, 1970), best known by his stage name Slimkid3 (Slim Kid Tre; sometimes stylized as SlimKid3), is an American rapper from Los Angeles. He is a founding member of The Pharcyde.
Career
Tre Hardson began his career ...
;
Fred Durst
William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums.
He ap ...
of Limp Bizkit; and actor
Cheech Marin
:''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í.
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...
on the hidden track "
Earache My Eye
"Earache My Eye" is a comedy routine and song by Cheech and Chong from their 1974 album '' Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album''. The skit is about a teenager (played by Tommy Chong) who wakes up and listens to a song by "Alice Bowie" (Cheech Marin), ...
" (written by Marin himself).
Korn launched a political campaign-styled tour to promote ''Follow the Leader''’s release, which took the group on a chartered jet all over North America. They talked to fans and answered questions during special "fan conferences" organized at every stop along the tour route and signed autographs. Jim Rose of the
Jim Rose Circus
The Jim Rose Circus is a modern-day version of a circus sideshow. It was founded in Seattle in 1991 by Jim Rose and his wife BeBe Aschard Rose. The sideshow came to prominence to an American audience as a second stage show at the 1992 Lollapaloo ...
hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour.
The album was considered a complete success by the band, debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with at least 268,000 copies sold in its first week of release and, among other singles, spawning two of their biggest singles: "
Got the Life
"Got the Life" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn for their third studio album, '' Follow the Leader'' which was released as the album's second single on November 23, 1998. It was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios. ...
" and "
Freak on a Leash
"Freak on a Leash" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn, featured on the group's 1998 studio album, ''Follow the Leader (Korn album), Follow the Leader''. After ''Follow the Leader''s release, the song was released as a single on February ...
". They both exposed Korn to a wider mainstream audience, with the music videos being mainstays on MTV's ''
Total Request Live
''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...
''. "Got the Life" was the show's very first "retired" video, with "Freak on a Leash" also reaching retirement several months later.
In September 1998, Korn signed with a second music publisher,
Zomba Music Group
The Zomba Group of Companies (sometimes referred to as Zomba Music Group or just Zomba Group) was a music group and division owned by and operated under Sony Music Entertainment. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was place ...
, through negotiations of the band's then-manager
Jeff Kwatinetz
Jeff Kwatinetz (born April 6, 1965) is an American entertainment industry executive. He is the former CEO of the Firm, Inc., a media production and talent management company in Santa Monica, California, and current COO of Cube Vision, the film ...
(the former
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
The Firm
The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training.
History
In 1979, Anna Bens ...
), along with co-founders
Peter Katsis
Peter Katsis is an American music manager. He co-founded the management and production company Prospect Park, and was a founding partner of The Firm.
Biography
At the age of 23, Katsis discovered and managed his first group, the Chicago indust ...
and
Michael Green.
"Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for
Best Music Video, Short Form, and received a nomination for
Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011.
The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...
. The video also earned nine
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
nominations for Video of the Year; Best Rock Video; Breakthrough Video; Best Direction; Best Special Effects; Best Art Direction; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; and Viewer's Choice.
It eventually won two awards for Best Rock Video and for Best Editing.
"Freak on a Leash" failed to enter the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, although it did manage to peak at number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
''Follow the Leader'' is considered by members of Korn to be the band's most commercially–successful album, being certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA
and having sold almost 10 million copies worldwide.
''Issues'' (1999–2001)
The band's fourth album, ''
Issues'', produced by
Brendan O'Brien Brendan O'Brien may refer to:
*Brendan O'Brien (bishop) (born 1943), Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston, Ontario, Canada
*Brendan O'Brien (cricketer) (born 1942), Irish former cricketer
*Brendan O'Brien (journalist), senior Irish journalist on R ...
, was released on November 16, 1999,
featuring cover art designed by Alfredo Carlos, who won an MTV contest held for the fans.
''Issues'' was released during a week of many highly anticipated records. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with at least 573,000 copies sold,
keeping
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
's second album ''
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
'' and ''
All the Way... A Decade of Song'' by
Céline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
from hitting number one.
To celebrate the album's release, the band performed the record in its entirety in front of a live audience at New York's historic
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
and broadcast the concert simultaneously across many radio stations.
This performance marked the first performance by a rock band since
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
in the late 1950s.
This special event featured the
New York Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
marching
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
and
bagpipe
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...
band conducted by
Richard Gibbs
Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (born December 5, 1955) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include ''Dr. Dolittle'', ''Big Momma's House'', ''Queen of the Damned'', the television series ''Battlestar Galactica'' and the first s ...
, as well as a group of backup singers to enhance the more melodic choruses Davis used on the album.
A snippet of "
Falling Away from Me
"Falling Away from Me" is a song by American band Korn. It was released as the first single from their fourth album '' Issues'', debuting in an episode of Comedy Central's animated series '' South Park'', entitled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost My ...
" was featured on
RealVideo
RealVideo, or also spelled as Real Video, is a suite of proprietary video compression formats developed by RealNetworks – the specific format changes with the version. It was first released in 1997 and was at version 10. RealVideo is supported ...
with a brief
interpretive dance
Interpretive dance is a family of modern dance styles that began around 1900 with Isadora Duncan. It used classical concert music but marked a departure from traditional concert dance. It seeks to translate human emotions, conditions, situations o ...
by bassist
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 ...
, and also featured on their official website as an
MP3 file
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origi ...
, although its release was against the advice of its attorneys and the corporate establishment.
The album was also promoted by the band's highly successful Sick and Twisted Tour.
A little before Korn's album ''Issues'' was released, the band appeared on an episode of ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'' titled "
Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery
"Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" is the 10th-aired and the 12th-produced episode of the third season of the animated television series ''South Park''. It originally aired on October 27, 1999. The episode is themed around Halloween and includes ...
", in which the first single from ''Issues'', "Falling Away from Me", was premiered.
The single became Korn's first entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number 99.
"
Make Me Bad
"Make Me Bad" is a song written and recorded by the American nu metal band Korn for their fourth studio album, '' Issues''. Many Korn fans interpret the lyrics to be about frontman Jonathan Davis' getting tired of drinking or drug abuse and his de ...
" was released as the album's second single in February 2000, peaking at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
A third single, "
Somebody Someone
"Somebody Someone" is a promotional single by American nu metal band Korn from their fourth album '' Issues''.
It was the least successful single from the album, and failed to reach the top 20 of ''Billboards Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock char ...
", followed with more moderate success.
Music videos were filmed for all three singles, with long-time friend Fred Durst directing "Falling Away from Me" and Martin Weisz directing a concept video for "Make Me Bad", as well as a performance-based video for "Somebody Someone", which featured
CGI effects. Every video was a staple on ''Total Request Live'', two of which made it to retirement.
''Issues'' was described by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
to be less hip hop-oriented than ''Follow the Leader''.
It was certified three-times Platinum,
following up the success of ''Follow the Leader''. In 2001, the brand
PONY
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
reappeared in the clothing industry and initiated a partnership with Korn.
''Untouchables'' (2002–2003)
On June 11, 2002, Korn re-emerged into the media with their fifth album ''
Untouchables''. It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 434,000 in sales.
The band has blamed
music piracy
Music piracy is the copying and distributing of recordings of a piece of music for which the rights owners (composer, recording artist, or copyright-holding record company) did not give consent. In the contemporary legal environment, it is a form ...
for the drop in sales, as an unmastered version of the album had leaked three months prior to its official release date.
On April 2, 2002, the
Opie and Anthony Show
''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...
began airing songs from ''Untouchables''.
After playing a few songs, the broadcasters received a cease-and-desist letter from
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
. Opie and Anthony said "The reason for the premature premiere was to infuriate a rival New York station, which disallows their in-studio guests to appear on 'The Opie and Anthony Show.'"
The release of this album was preceded by a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York a day prior to the album's release broadcast digitally throughout movie theatres in the United States.
The album contained experiments and styles never previously attempted by Korn.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
related: "The band is far more experimental this time out, delivering
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
-like ringing guitars that melt and morph into each other, a mix of
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
-esque blastbeats and tight funk drumming from the constantly improving David Silveria, and memorable riffs that take the shape of dark sound structures and offer more than just a collection of chords." The first two music videos from ''Untouchables'', "Here to Stay" and "
Thoughtless
"Thoughtless" is a song written by American nu metal band Korn for their fifth studio album, '' Untouchables''. "Thoughtless" was released as the album's second single in July 2002. The single charted at 11 on the US Alternative chart, and at ...
", were directed by the
Hughes Brothers
Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors and producers. The pair, who are twins, are known for co-directing visceral, and often violent, movies, inclu ...
. "Here to Stay" earned Korn a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
"Here to Stay" peaked at number 72 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
During an interview with Wall of Sound, Munky revealed the album was the band's most expensive to make, but it produced several of his favourite songs, including "Thoughtless" and "Here To Stay".
''Take a Look in the Mirror'' and Welch's departure (2003–2005)
Due to the album ''Untouchables'' leaking onto the Internet, ''
Take a Look in the Mirror
''Take a Look in the Mirror'' is the sixth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Released on November 21, 2003 through Epic Records, it is the last Korn studio album to feature their full original lineup, as their original guitarist Brian ...
'' was released on Friday November 21, 2003– four days earlier than its original release date.
The album therefore received a weekend's worth of sales, which resulted in a poor showing on the ''Billboard'' 200.
During its first full week, ''Take a Look in the Mirror'' soared ten places from number 19 to number 9, increasing the album's total sales to 179,000.
It is the first album self-produced by Korn. The band explained that they wanted fans to hear the music as it should be.
The album presented different styles and themes compared to previous albums. Lead vocalist Jonathan Davis related: "The whole album is about love, hate and my hate of people and just losing my mind. The previous albums I did, I think the last three, I was coming from a place of hurt. And I just finally got to the point where I'm done hurting and I'm just pissed off about it now. It's turned back to just sheer hate and anger. And it definitely comes across on the album."
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
said that Davis convinced his fans that they "will be shocked, particularly with the album's second track, 'Break Some Off,' which he called 'brutal'."
Korn released the single "
Did My Time
"Did My Time" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for the film, '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life''. It was released as a single in July 2003 in support of the film, and was later featured on the band's sixth ...
" on July 22, 2003,
which was used to promote the film ''
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'' but did not appear on its soundtrack due to unspecified legal issues. The single debuted and peaked at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Korn's first and only top 40 hit in the United States.
"Did My Time" gave Korn another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.
Korn released their greatest hits album, ''
Greatest Hits Vol. 1'', on October 5, 2004. The album debuted at number four on ''Billboard'', selling more than 129,000 copies.
This album assembles choice tracks from six Korn studio albums released between 1994 and 2003. The first single was a cover of the song "
Word Up!" originally composed by
Cameo. The single peaked at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
Special editions of ''Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' included a DVD titled ''Korn: Live at CBGB,'' featuring seven select songs from their show of November 24, 2003 at
CBGB
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
.
In early 2005, Brian Welch announced that he would be quitting the band. In front of a crowd of 10,000 in three services at Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California, Welch said "I was addicted to methamphetamines and tried everything ... rehab, stuff on the Internet, but nothing helped me kick it. I was trying on my own to quit and couldn't do it. I wanted to die. No one knew what I was going through. I could not quit. Church was my last shot. I would sit in church high
n drugs
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
I would wonder why people would go up to the front after the service. But one day it was for me. I said
o God
Oh God may refer to:
* An exclamation; similar to "oh no", "oh yes", "oh my", "aw goodness", "ah gosh", "ah gawd"; see interjection
''Oh, God!'' franchise
* ''Oh, God!'' (film) (1977 film) aka "Oh, God! 1"
* ''Oh, God! Book II'' (1980 film) aka ...
'Show me how to quit.'"
In a 2013 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Head described his final moments in the band as very tense: "the last year I was in the band, we were gonna kick out the bass player, Fieldy, and this guy's girlfriend couldn't be on this side of the stage because there were fights with another wife in the band. And obviously the drugs – it's no secret I was into the drugs, so crazy stuff, like having to finish our blow right before we got to the border because they were gonna come check to see if we had anything." Following his departure from Korn, Welch released two autobiographies, a solo album, and formed a band named Love and Death, which released a debut album in 2013.
''See You on the Other Side'' and Silveria's departure (2005–2007)
Upon completing their record deal with
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, Korn partnered with
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
and signed to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
. As part of this innovative arrangement, Virgin paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two studio albums, including tours and merchandising. Virgin also received a 30 percent stake in the band's licensing, ticket sales, and other revenue sources.
The band's first album for Virgin Records, ''
See You on the Other Side'', was released on December 6, 2005,
and debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200,
scanning close to 221,000 copies.
The album managed to stay in the top half of the ''Billboard'' 200 for 34 consecutive weeks.
The first single from the album, "
Twisted Transistor
"Twisted Transistor" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their seventh studio album, '' See You on the Other Side''. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005.
Chart performance
The song has becom ...
", was accompanied by a music video directed by
Dave Meyers in which hip hop artists
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
,
Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, and
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...
portray Korn.
"Twisted Transistor" peaked at number 64 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The second single, "
Coming Undone
"Coming Undone" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn and The Matrix for Korn's seventh studio album, '' See You on the Other Side''. It was released as the album's second single in February 2006.
Chart performance
The song reach ...
", was released in February 2006, peaking at number 79 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The music video was directed by
Little X
Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...
. ''See You on the Other Side'' was certified Platinum in the United States,
and by mid-2007, the album had sold over 2.2 million copies worldwide.
Korn held a press conference at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles ...
on January 13, 2006, announcing the ''See You on the Other Side'' Tour.
10 Years
10 Years or Ten Years may refer to:
*Decade, a period of ten years
Film
* ''10 Years'' (2011 film), a film starring Channing Tatum
* ''Ten Years'' (2015 film), a Hong Kong film
Music
*10 Years (band), an American alternative metal band
* ''10 Ye ...
and
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...
were selected to open all dates of the tour, which kicked off in their hometown of Bakersfield on what Mayor Harvey Hall officially declared as "Korn Day", February 24.
The resurrection of their Family Values Tour was announced on April 18, 2006, which featured co-headliners
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
,
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...
,
Flyleaf
Flyleaf may refer to:
*In book design, a blank leaf in the front or back cover
* Flyleaf (band)
Flyleaf is an American rock band formed in Belton, Texas, in 2002. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop, and Christian metal ...
, and the Japanese metal group
Dir En Grey
Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, ...
on the main stage.
Korn and
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut s ...
co-headlined the 2007 edition, with
Atreyu
Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California, formed in 1998. The band currently consists of clean vocalist Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist and unclean vocals, unclean vocalist Marc "Porter ...
, Flyleaf,
Hellyeah
Hellyeah, stylized as HELLYEAH, was an American heavy metal supergroup formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2006. The band's last lineup consisted of lead vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Christian Brady and Tom Maxwell, bassist Kyle Sanders, and drumme ...
, and
Trivium
The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the ...
rounding out the main stage.
While promoting ''See You on the Other Side'' in Europe, Jonathan Davis was diagnosed with
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), also known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or immune thrombocytopenia, is a type of thrombocytopenic purpura defined as an isolated low platelet count with a normal bone marrow in the absence of oth ...
, a blood platelet disorder that hospitalized him for the weekend and prevented him from performing at the renowned
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
.
Despite the illness, the band still performed with guest singers, including
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...
of
Slipknot and
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...
fame;
Trivium
The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the ...
's
Matt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi Heafy (born January 26, 1986) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Trivium. He was also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason ...
;
Skindred
Skindred are a Welsh reggae metal band formed in Newport in 1998. Their musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock and ragga. The band also integrate elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, reggae, dancehall, jungle, ska, hip hop, drum ...
's
Benji Webbe
Clive John "Benji" Webbe (born 11 March 1967) is a Welsh singer, best known as the lead vocalist and synthesizer player for the reggae metal band Skindred. Aside from his main project, he is also active in Diamond Spider, Dub War, Mass Mental and ...
; and
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
's
M. Shadows
Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in th ...
. This led to Korn canceling the rest of their European bill for 2006,
including the
Hellfest Summer Open Air
Hellfest (), also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one of ...
. It was originally unknown to the public what his ailment was, but the singer revealed in a letter to fans that he was "dangerously low on blood platelets and at a high risk of death from a hemorrhage if the problem was not treated".
In early December 2006 it was announced that founding drummer David Silveria would be taking an indefinite "temporary hiatus" from the band.
[Cohen, Jonathan (December 14, 2006)]
"Korn tapes 'Unplugged', drummer takes a break"
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
. Retrieved March 22, 2013. Korn then performed at the MTV studios in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
on December 9, 2006, for the ''
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
'' series, which was broadcast on February 23, 2007, through MTV.com and on March 2, 2007, across North American, South American, European, and Asian MTV stations. Korn played a 14-song
acoustic set, complete with guest appearances by
the Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
and
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler (; born December 13, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the co-founder, lead vocalist, and lead songwriter of the rock band Evanescence. Alongside her contributions with the band, Lee has also particip ...
of Evanescence.
The performance was eventually cut down to 11 songs for the album, two of which did not air on MTV. Sales of nearly 51,000 brought ''
MTV Unplugged: Korn'' to number nine in its first week out.
Untitled eighth album and Luzier's addition (2007–2008)
Korn's
untitled album was released on July 31, 2007, debuting at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA.
It concluded Korn's deal with Virgin Records
and features touring keyboardist
Zac Baird
Zachary Baird (born February 16, 1971) is an American keyboardist known for collaborating with the nu metal band Korn.http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051801/korn-goes-experimental-vents-anger-on-new-album ''Korn Goes Experimental, Vents ...
.
Drumming duties were left up to
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...
and
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
's
Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman (born February 15, 1977) is an American musician. He is the current drummer of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he joined in 2015. His first album with Avenged Sevenfold was ''The Stage'' (2016). He is most known as t ...
, as David Silveria went on a hiatus.
Joey Jordison
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, as well as the guitarist for the horror punk s ...
from
Slipknot played drums during Korn's live shows until the permanent addition of
Ray Luzier
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
(
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone was a rock supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured brothers Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo (on guitar and bass resp ...
,
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...
). This confirmed David's departure.
"
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
" and "
Hold On
Hold On may refer to:
Music Albums and EPs
* ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966
* ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978
* ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980
* ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987
* ...
" were released as singles to promote the untitled album. The former peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
A third single, "Kiss", had a limited release in April 2008.
Korn covered the song "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" in 2008, which was originally performed by
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens (; born Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children's entertainer. He is known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s, an ...
,
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on ''Second City Television'' (1976–84) and ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020) and in films such as '' After Hours'' (1985), ''Beetleju ...
, and
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...
and was released on the compilation album ''
Nightmare Revisited
''Nightmare Revisited'' is a cover album of songs and score from the 1993 Disney animated film ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''. It was released on September 30, 2008 by Walt Disney Records to commemorate the film's 15th anniversary of its th ...
''.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...
reported in October 2008 that Korn had "written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's ''
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon in which dust, smoke, and other dry particulates suspended in air obscure visibility and the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification ...
'' video game, simply entitled "
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon in which dust, smoke, and other dry particulates suspended in air obscure visibility and the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification ...
", which was released on April 22, 2008.
Korn also released a live DVD, ''
Live at Montreux 2004
''Live at Montreux 2004'' is a live video album by American nu metal band Korn, released on 13 May 2008. It was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival on 5 July 2004. The live album was the last Korn release with their original lineup before guita ...
'', one of their performances with former guitarist Brian Welch on May 12, 2008.
''Korn III: Remember Who You Are'' (2009–2011)
In a YouTube video, bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu affirmed that a
charity song
A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity.
George Harrison's "Bangla Desh (song), Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the fir ...
titled "
A Song for Chi
"A Song for Chi" is an instrumental alternative metal song recorded by several high-profile rock and metal musicians to raise money for poet and Deftones bassist Chi Cheng, who was severely injured in a car crash in Santa Clara, California ...
" would be released, featuring
Slipknot guitarist
Jim Root
James Donald Root (born October 2, 1971) is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.
Life and career
Roo ...
;
Clint Lowery
Clint Lowery (born December 15, 1971) is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Sevendust. He has also played in Dark New Day and Still Rain, and served as the tourin ...
of
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery ...
; drummer
Dave McClain of
Machine Head
A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...
; and former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, among many other musicians.
The song was intended to raise money for
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
bassist
Chi Cheng, who fell into a comatose state following a car accident in November 2008.
Along with the announcement of the Ballroom Blitz Tour in March 2010, the title for the new album was revealed as ''
Korn III: Remember Who You Are''.
Later that month, Munky announced that Korn has officially signed to
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
.
Jonathan Davis later confirmed the record deal: "We're going to go to Roadrunner.
t is
T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
real exciting for us, too, because they're one of the last record companies to let you do what you want to do." Davis continued, "All the great bands around are on that label and everything seems to just work out right and it seems like a good home for us right now."
The lead single, "
Oildale", was made available for streaming in May 2010.
"Oildale (Leave Me Alone)" was simultaneously released to radio stations and became a top-10 hit on the ''Billboard''
Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
airplay chart.
A music video directed by Phil Mucci received an exclusive premiere on
MTV2
MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global.
The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
.
''Korn III: Remember Who You Are'' was released on July 13, 2010.
It debuted and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 63,000 purchases reported.
A second single, "
Let the Guilt Go
"Let the Guilt Go" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn, and the second single for their ninth studio album, '' Korn III: Remember Who You Are''. It was released on July 26, 2010. Korn performed "Let the Guilt Go" on ' ...
", was released that same month, reaching number 23 on Mainstream Rock.
"Pop a Pill" was scheduled to be the third single from ''Korn III: Remember Who You Are'', but plans were scrapped by Roadrunner Records due to unsatisfactory results with previous singles. Korn co-headlined the
Music as a Weapon V tour with
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
in late 2010 and early 2011.
The tour also featured supporting acts
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery ...
and
In This Moment
In This Moment is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth in 2005. They found drummer Jeff Fabb and started the band as Dying Star. Unhappy with their musical direction, they ...
.
''The Path of Totality'' (2011–2012)
![Korn-Live-Metaltown 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Korn-Live-Metaltown_2011.jpg)
Korn's tenth studio album, ''
The Path of Totality
''The Path of Totality'' is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 2, 2011 in Europe and December 6, 2011 in the US. The album was produced by various electronic music producers such as Skrillex, Noisi ...
'', was released on December 6, 2011.
It was the second and final studio album for Roadrunner Records. The album features contributions from
Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...
;
12th Planet;
Excision; Downlink;
Kill the Noise;
Noisia
Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including dr ...
; and various other
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
artists.
''The Path of Totality'' debuted and peaked at number ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 55,000 copies scanned.
"
Get Up!" was premiered as the lead single via ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' in April 2011. The single managed to peak at number eight on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
It eventually became their first single to be certified gold in the United States.
The second single, "
Narcissistic Cannibal
"Narcissistic Cannibal" is a song by American nu metal band Korn, released as the second single from their tenth studio album, ''The Path of Totality''. It was co-produced by DJs Skrillex and Kill the Noise. The single was released to active ...
", was released in October 2011,
with its music video being directed and produced by Alexander Bulkley of
ShadowMachine Films
ShadowMachine is an American animation studio and production company for film, television, commercials and music videos.
Since its early days producing the stop-motion animation show '' Robot Chicken'', the company has been producing such shows ...
.
After a stint of festival appearances, Korn promoted ''The Path of Totality'' during
a headlining tour of the same name. Korn split their show into three sections. The band kicked off by playing tracks from their first two albums, including the B-side "Proud", which was originally included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer
''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
''.
They followed with a different stage set up, playing several of their new songs. The set list ended with hit singles and an encore. Other appearances came from
Datsik, Downlink, and Dope D.O.D. A special album release performance filmed and recorded at the
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...
was issued in various formats through
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
in September 2012. ''The Path of Totality'' won Album of the Year at the 2012
Revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
Golden Gods Awards. This was Korn's first victory at the Golden Gods Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the best in hard rock and heavy metal music.
Korn was also inducted into the
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
Hall of Fame during the 2011
Kerrang! Awards
The Kerrang! Awards are an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of mo ...
.
''The Paradigm Shift'' and Welch's return (2012–2015)
On May 5, 2012, guitarist Brian "Head" Welch joined Korn on stage at the
Carolina Rebellion
Carolina Rebellion was a rock festival that took place annually in North Carolina. It was produced by AEG Live and Danny Wimmer Presents. The inaugural festival took place at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina. The second year of t ...
festival to play "Blind" for the first time since his departure.
As recalled in the documentary DVD ''Reconciliation'', Welch's appearance was a spur-of-the-moment decision: Welch initially visited the festival because of his daughter, who was a fan of bands performing. Welch joined
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
on stage for a song, and would eventually be persuaded to join his old bandmates in Korn for a
meet and greet
Meet may refer to:
People with the name
* Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer
* Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...
.
[''Reconciliation (DVD)''] Upon Korn preparing for the show, the guitar tech prepared an extra guitar and amplifier for Welch, "just in case".
On July 18, 2012, Jonathan Davis told
Billboard.com
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
that Korn was getting ready to start recording their eleventh studio album that would be released independently. It was also announced that their next album would not contain any dubstep influences like ''
The Path of Totality
''The Path of Totality'' is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 2, 2011 in Europe and December 6, 2011 in the US. The album was produced by various electronic music producers such as Skrillex, Noisi ...
''. Guitarist
James "Munky" Shaffer stated in an interview with the ''
Phoenix New Times
''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue ...
'' that the new album would be heavier, with more aggressive "in-your-face" guitars and vocals. He went on to say that he would be using new recording techniques in the studio to give his riffs a fresh approach.
In November 2012, Mudvayne bassist
Ryan Martinie
Ryan Martinie (born August 6, 1975) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Mudvayne.
Early life
Ryan Martinie was born on August 6, 1975, in Peoria, Illinois.
Career Mudvayne
In 1996, Mudvayne was formed. The ...
toured Korn as a temporary replacement for Reginald Arvizu, who stayed at home during his wife's pregnancy. That month also saw the confirmation of Welch's return to the band. His comeback was initially thought to be temporary as he was only scheduled for two shows in June 2013 at
Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park
The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...
, but
Ray Luzier
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
announced at the January 25
Sabian Sabian may refer to:
*Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by:
**Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshlands of southern Iraq claiming John the Baptist as their most important prophet
**Sabians of Harran, ...
show during NAMM that Welch would be working the whole tour.
In January 2013,
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
artist Beta Traxx acknowledged he was working on a new Korn song for their upcoming album, which he commented would sound "like the past and the future at the same time." Luzier affirmed that the album would be produced by Don Gilmore. The BK Entertainment Group updated their clients list on February 12 and attested that Korn had signed to their management's independent label - Prospect Park Productions.
On June 1,
Caroline Records
Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...
added Korn to their roster confirming that the band have been signed on to a contract with the label; they are partnered with Korn's management Prospect Park. On February 18, 2013, Korn posted a photo showing Head as part of the line up, which escalated rumors that he was in the process to rejoin Korn permanently. This was confirmed by Head himself in May, when it was also confirmed that he had been recording as part of the band for their upcoming album.
Fieldy has said of the album "Right now, I will tell you this ... we've done something we've never done before. Normally if we do a new Korn record, we'll normally put 12 or 13 songs and that's how many we make. This time we've made 20-plus songs, and we'll put the best of what we have on there, whatever the numbers end up being. We have so many to choose from, I think it's going to be a little extra special this time." Munky later confirmed this by saying that the band completed 25 songs and 15 of them would be put on the album. Head later elaborated that musically this was Korn's best album.
Korn's eleventh studio album, ''
The Paradigm Shift
''The Paradigm Shift'' is the eleventh studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Produced by Don Gilmore, it was released by multiple labels in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2013 and in the United States the next day. It is the first Korn ...
'', was released on October 8, 2013.
Their first single,
"Never Never" was set to be released August 12, 2013. The band recorded an episode of
Guitar Center
Guitar Center is an American musical instrument retailer chain. It is the largest company of its kind in the United States, with 294 locations. Its headquarters is in Westlake Village, California.
Guitar Center oversees various subsidiaries in ...
Sessions for
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
on September 11, 2013, which is scheduled to premiere November 1, 2013 on DirecTV Audience Channel.
Korn will also be the latest act to be inducted into the world-famous Hollywood
Rockwalk
Guitar Center is an American musical instrument retailer chain. It is the largest company of its kind in the United States, with 294 locations. Its headquarters is in Westlake Village, California.
Guitar Center oversees various subsidiaries in ...
on October 8, 2013.
The band brought back their
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was an annual rock and hip hop tour held by the American nu metal band Korn since 1998. The first tour took place in 1998 and the second tour in 1999, but the tour took a hiatus in 2000 due to heavy competition from the A ...
as a one-day festival, on October 5, 2013. The venue and line up were revealed on September 3, 2013. The music video for "Spike in My Veins" was released on February 6, 2014. The band performed the entirety of their
self-titled
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
debut album on several occasions during 2015.
''The Serenity of Suffering'' (2015–2018)
Korn soon began the process of writing new songs for a twelfth studio album. Guitarist Head described the music on the new album as "heavier than anyone's heard us in a long time." Their twelfth studio album ''
The Serenity of Suffering
''The Serenity of Suffering'' is the twelfth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 21, 2016. According to guitarist Brian Welch, it is "heavier than anyone's heard us in a long time" and it contains their most in ...
'' was released on October 21, 2016. On July 14, 2016, guitarist
James "Munky" Shaffer revealed to ''
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 ...
'' that
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...
of
Slipknot/
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...
would make a guest appearance on the new album. He also revealed
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 ...
as the album's producer. On July 16, 2016, Korn premiered a new song, "Rotting in Vain", at
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 ...
Festival.
In late 2016,
Zac Baird
Zachary Baird (born February 16, 1971) is an American keyboardist known for collaborating with the nu metal band Korn.http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051801/korn-goes-experimental-vents-anger-on-new-album ''Korn Goes Experimental, Vents ...
left the live band after 10 years. Jules Venturini completed the tour before
Davey Oberlin
Davey Oberlin is an American musician. He is best known as the onstage Keyboard player, keyboardist for the nu metal band Korn. Oberlin is also known for his work in symphonic deathcore group Winds of Plague.
Background
At sixteen, Oberlin drew ...
was brought in to the band. It was later announced that Fieldy would be missing Korn's South American tour and
Robert Trujillo
Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of cr ...
's then-12-year-old son
Tye was brought in to perform with the band for the tour's duration.
In March 2018, Korn embarked on a Japanese tour with support from
Deadly Apples
Deadly Apples is a Canadian rock / industrial metal band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band consists of frontman / lyricist Alex Martel (vocals) and main composer Antoine Lamothe (drums), with live musicians joining them on stage.
An early ve ...
, including a stop at
Vans Warped Tour Japan.
''The Nothing'' (2018–2020)
On May 15, 2018, Korn announced the dates of special shows in order to mark the 20th anniversary of their album ''Follow the Leader''. In order to mark the album's 20th anniversary, the band partnered with the clothing company Pleasures to release clothing
merchandise
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...
dedicated to the album.
In August 2018, Luzier reported via
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
that Korn has begun the process of tracking drums for the upcoming thirteenth album. In a December 2018 interview to ''Revolver Magazine'', Welch revealed that the upcoming album was scheduled for release in fall 2019, with
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 ...
resuming production duties. He also stated some of the tracks had been co-written with
John Feldmann
John Feldmann (born June 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He serves as the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger.
Early life
Feldmann grew up in Saratoga, California. He started writing song ...
and that the band had tracked demos with
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transpla ...
on drums.
On June 25, 2019, the band revealed that their latest album, ''
The Nothing'', would be released on September 13, 2019, and unveiled its first single: "
You'll Never Find Me
"You'll Never Find Me" is a song by American nu metal band Korn, released as the lead single from their thirteenth studio album ''The Nothing (Korn album), The Nothing''.
Background
The initial working title of the song, ''Smog Check'', was d ...
". On August 2, the band released a brand new song from ''The Nothing'' called "
Cold
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
". On August 22, Korn announced their new album by playing a concert in multiplayer game AdventureQuest 3D, complete with in-game merchandise, a virtual meet-and-greet, and performing a new song on a digital stage.
In July 2020, Korn released a cover of "
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels, Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album ''Million Mile Reflections''.
The song is written in the key of D minor. Vassar Clements originally wr ...
" by
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...
, who had died earlier that year. The cover was recorded during sessions for ''The Nothing'' and featured rapper
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixta ...
and proceeds were donated to non-profit ''Awakening Youth''.
During an interview with ''Wall of Sound'',
Munky
James Christian Shaffer (born June 6, 1970), also known by his stage name "Munky", is an American musician best known as co-founder and guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. He has cited Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, and Randy Rhoads as some of hi ...
spoke about COVID ruining their plans to tour ''The Nothing'', stating "It was kind of a fucking bummer, I gotta be honest man. I was so excited
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
that album. We put the artwork together, we designed the stages, we got everything ready to roll out, merch and all; you know everything a band does before they go on the road and promote an album."
''Requiem'' and Fieldy's hiatus (2021–present)
In his first online interview of 2021,
Brian 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. ...
revealed that the band had plans for 2021 but was coy about what they were, hinting it had something to do with touring in a powerful way. On April 24, 2021, Korn released a one-off, online streaming event entitled ''Monumental'' that was filmed on the top of a parking structure at the ''Stranger Things: A Drive-Into Experience'' set in Los Angeles.
On May 12, the band announced a 28-date summer US tour with
Staind
Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...
as the supporting act. The 2021 tour comes after Korn was forced to cancel their planned 2020 run with
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On June 21, the band announced that their bassist Arvizu will be taking a hiatus from the band and won't be performing with them on their upcoming summer tour. Ra Díaz of
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...
replaced Arvizu on the tour.
The tour was marred by several separate instances where members contracted
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
: first, Jonathan Davis tested positive in August, causing several dates to be postponed. Then in September, Munky was forced to sit out several dates, being replaced by
Love and Death
''Love and Death'' is a 1975 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a satire on Russian literature starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Boris and Sonja, Russians living during the Napoleonic Era who engage in mock-serious p ...
guitarist JR Bareis while he recovered. Lastly, in October Ray Luzier also tested positive, missing the next three shows while
Fever 333
Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, United States, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison ...
drummer Aric Improta stepped in.
On April 23, the band confirmed that they had begun work on a fourteenth studio album, utilizing the
period of lockdown due to COVID-19 to begin writing. The album was said to be fully written as of April 2021. A new single was released November 11 entitled "
Start the Healing
"Start the Healing" is a song by American nu metal band Korn, released as the first single from their fourteenth studio album ''Requiem''. The song topped Active Rock chart in mid-February.
Background
Just like it was done with ''You'll Never ...
", with the music video debuting in a YouTube premiere. On January 13, 2022, the band released the second single from the album entitled "Forgotten". The album ''
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'' was released on February 4, 2022. On April 21, 2022, the band released a music video for the song, "Worst Is on Its Way".
Shortly prior to the release of ''Requiem'', Davis revealed in an interview with Music Feeds that the band were already in the process of working on a follow-up studio album.
Artistry
Style and lyrics
Korn is identified as the pioneers of nu metal music, a form of
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...
music which began in the mid-1990s. While generally considered an alternative metal
and nu metal
band, the band has also been labeled as
heavy metal,
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
,
rap rock
Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...
,
rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables.
History Origins and early ...
,
funk metal
Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...
,
groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...
and
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
.
Their debut album mixed
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
hip-hop,
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
* ...
, and
dissonance. Their lyrics focus on pain and personal alienation rather than traditional heavy metal themes.
Historically, when ''Life Is Peachy'' was released, the band's music was not yet labeled "nu metal". Thus, in November 1996, Korn was described as "one of the key players in an American metal revival" alongside Deftones, "two bands that share the same roots". In the music community, there have been disagreements whether the band should be considered as "heavy metal". In 2015, lead singer Jonathan Davis commented, "Yeah, we're heavy and downtuned, but metal, to me, is like
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
and
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
, that's metal man. I always thought of us as a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
band."
Many of Korn's first works are based on early experiences. The song "
Daddy
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
" was described by lead singer
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 ...
: "When I was a kid, I was being abused by somebody else and I went to my parents and told them about it, and they thought I was lying and joking around. They never did shit about it. They didn't believe it was happening to their son.... I don't really like to talk about that song. This is as much as I've ever talked about it..." "Kill You" was written about Davis's experiences as a child with his stepmother. ''Follow the Leader'' marked the first album where the majority of the lyrics did not have origins relating to early occurrences, with songs like "Justin" and "Pretty" written about incidents occurring during adulthood.
Bassist Reginald Arvizu plays his instrument using both the techniques of
fingerstyle
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...
and
slapping. Jonathan Davis was said by author Doug Small to be "the eye of the storm around which the music of Korn rages." Small described the band as "a basket-case full of contradictions."
Influences
A few years before establishing Korn, James "Munky" Shaffer; Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu; and David Silveria (who were three members of the
funk rock
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer sta ...
band
L.A.P.D.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
), alongside friend Brian "Head" Welch, all had the common influences of
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
and especially the
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
album ''
The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to:
Film and television
* The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film
* ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...
''.
[ Likewise, Davis was greatly inspired by the adventurousness of ''The Real Thing'' upon its 1989 release: "It showed everybody you could do heavy music and not be 'metal'. It was something completely different."
Munky later acknowledged the song structures and instrumentations of Faith No More in inspiring Korn's future songwriting: "Faith No More steered us in the direction where we ultimately ended up."] They became "fanatics" of Faith No More singer Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
, researched about him, and traveled to the band's hometown of San Francisco in order to watch them play. In this way, they discovered Patton's avant-garde metal
Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...
band Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
, whose 1991 self-titled album had a long-standing impact on Korn's experimentation, dissonance, and eccentric stylings. A notable example of Bungle's influence has been what Korn dubbed the "Mr. Bungle chord" (a flat fifth chord or "tritone
In music theory, the tritone is defined as a musical interval composed of three adjacent whole tones (six semitones). For instance, the interval from F up to the B above it (in short, F–B) is a tritone as it can be decomposed into the three a ...
"), which became a band trademark throughout their discography.
Besides the projects of Patton, Korn had a wide range of influences that included groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
* ...
-oriented metal acts such as Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
, Prong
Prong or Prongs may refer to:
* Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects
* Prong (band), an American metal band
* Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City
* Prongs, British ...
, and Biohazard
A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...
, in addition to the dynamics and live performances of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...
and its frontman Zack de la Rocha
Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
. Head later explained that they tried to mix the weird elements of Bungle with catchy choruses and melodies, alongside the songwriting and grooves from those metal bands.[ On the other hand, Fieldy discards any influence ]classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
groups like The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
have had on Korn; "Nobody in the band ever listened to that stuff."
Much of Korn's work has also been inspired by hip hop music, as suggested in the band's song "All in the Family
''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...
" and the cover song
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
of Ice Cube's "Wicked
Wicked may refer to:
Books
* Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe
* ''Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name
* ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' ser ...
". The band imitated the samples used by Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...
, with Davis going as far to say "If there's no Cypress Hill there would be no Korn."
In the ''Guitar World'' section "The Album that Changed My Life" of January 1997, Welch listed ''The Real Thing'' by Faith No More as the album that changed his life, while Arvizu named both the Red Hot Chili Peppers' ''Freaky Styley
''Freaky Styley'' is the second studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released August 16, 1985 on EMI America. ''Freaky Styley'' marks founding guitarist Hillel Slovak's studio album debut, following his return to the band ear ...
'' and Faith No More's ''Introduce Yourself
''Introduce Yourself'' is Faith No More's second studio album, released in 1987. Due to the limited availability of the first album, ''We Care a Lot'' (until it was re-released on CD years later), many, including the band, once considered this ...
''. Fieldy's biggest bass influences were Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypool
Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...
from Primus. He was also greatly inspired by Billy Gould
William David Gould (born April 24, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and producer. He is best known as the bassist of Faith No More.
Biography Early years
Billy said he is of Hungarian descent from his father's side.
F ...
's chemistry with his Faith No More bandmates and Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...
. In 2015, asked about what record has stuck with him through the years, Munky first named 1992's '' Angel Dust'' by Faith No More, followed by '' Evil Empire'' by Rage Against the Machine and ''The Fragile
''The Fragile'' is the third studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as a double album by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on September 21, 1999. It was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor ...
'' by Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
. For his part, David Silveria named Mike Bordin
Michael Andrew Bordin (born November 27, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Faith No More. He has amicably been known as "Puffy", "Puffster" or "The Puff", in reference to the afro hair style he wore in ...
of Faith No More one of his biggest influences.
Many reviewers point out stark similarities between the vocals of Davis and several techniques employed by Mike Patton, such as those from ''Angel Dust''. Davis' rhythmic and aggressive singing was also based on toasting, a reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
/dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
vocal style that emphasizes rhythm and embellishments.
The members of Korn are also influenced by Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
, Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
, N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
,[ ]Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
, Geto Boys
Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning ...
, Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
,[ ]The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...
,[ ]Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
,[ ]Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
,[ and ]John Zorn
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...
.
In other media
They have contributed music to the soundtracks for movies such as '' The Crow: City of Angels'', ''I Know What You Did Last Summer
''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'', ''Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: Ar ...
'', ''End of Days End of days may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''End of Days'' (film), a 1999 supernatural film
Music
* ''The End of Days'', a 2010 album by Abney Park
* ''End of Days'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the 1999 film
...
'' and '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life''. The music of Korn has also been featured on various television series, including ''South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'' (which they starred as guests), ''Beavis and Butt-head
''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...
'', ''Daria
''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, ...
'', and ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''.
Legacy
Korn's debut album has been recognized for its influence on heavy music. Bands such as Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, the two had also created the band She's in Pain, in 1992. The original lineup also consisted of bassist ...
and Limp Bizkit were inspired by the album's "churning rage, emphasizing similar grooves and song structures" and "the sound's hip-hop elements." Slipknot, Machine Head
A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...
, and Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
were also inspired by Korn's debut album. The album launched the career of record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.
...
, who later produced albums such as ''Three Dollar Bill, Yall
''Three Dollar Bill, Y'all'' (stylized as ''Three Dollar Bill, Yall$'') is the debut studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit, released on July 1, 1997, by Flip and Interscope Records. It established the band's trademark sound with the ...
'' by Limp Bizkit, Sepultura's ''Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'' and Slipknot's first two albums. Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler (; born December 13, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the co-founder, lead vocalist, and lead songwriter of the rock band Evanescence. Alongside her contributions with the band, Lee has also particip ...
of Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut s ...
also cited Korn as an influence growing up.
Richard S. He of ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' wrote: "More than any other album, ''Follow the Leader'' opened the floodgates for countless nu-metal acts to infiltrate the mainstream." In the 2002 book ''Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk'', Korn was marked as the third biggest nu metal band in the world. Korn created a fan-base described by Doug Small and Eaton Entertainment as extremely loyal.
Band members
Rock Im Park
The (German language, German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at ...
2016" widths="180" heights="180">
Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (5 von 14).jpg, Jonathan Davis
Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (12 von 14).jpg, James "Munky" Shaffer
Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (10 von 14).jpg, Brian "Head" Welch
Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (2 von 14).jpg, Ray Luzier
Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (11 von 14).jpg, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu
Current members
*