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Korn: 30 years of music for the misunderstood

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis during his performance at the Vienna Gasometer in 2016 - the METAstadt will soon be buzzing.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Exactly 30 years ago, Korn released their eponymous debut album, with which they not only spoke to millions of misunderstood young people, but also founded nu metal. They are currently working on another album and will soon be coming to Vienna's METAstadt. We talked to guitarist Brian "Head" Welch in advance.

Green Day with "Dookie", Nine Inch Nails with "The Downward Spiral", Soundgarden with "Superunknown", Oasis with "Definitely Maybe", Blur with "Parklife" or The Offspring with the groundbreaking punk rock manifesto "Smash" - 1994 was probably the best and most important year for guitar music since the late 70s and remains so to this day. Even more important than the aforementioned works was the eponymous debut album by a Californian rascal called Korn. The iconic cover artwork, the famous track list with unforgettable songs such as "Blind", "Clown" or "Shoots And Ladders" and the almost nihilistic attitude of young musicians who openly talked about taboo subjects such as bullying, drug addiction and child abuse. With Korn, not only was a groundbreaking new band born, but also a whole new genre. The debut is regarded as the origin and primordial soup of nu metal, which would eventually rise to global prominence around the millennium.

Global superstars
"Writing and recording this album was incredibly exciting," recalls guitarist Brian "Head" Welch in an interview with Krone, "people were wondering what it was and we didn't even know ourselves." With "Life Is Peachy" (1996) and especially "Follow The Leader" (1998), singer Jonathan Davis and co. became global superstars. Or as Welch analyzes it with a little too much understatement: "We became really big. Not Linkin Park-big, but Korn-big, which was still quite a boost. We certainly opened the doors for bands like Linkin Park, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit or Disturbed back then. The great thing is that all these bands sound totally different. At some point, everyone put us in the nu-metal pigeonhole and proclaimed us pioneers of it. That's absolutely fine with me, but you can't compare us. Just like Public Enemy, Anthrax or Rage Against The Machine used to do their thing, the bands of our generation did the same."

After 30 years, Korn are still one of the biggest bands in the genre, although not only the combo itself, but also individual members have been on the brink of collapse several times due to drug and alcohol excesses, private crises and health problems. Davis, for example, devoted himself to mass murder memorabilia and his lavish porn video library, bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu concentrated on hip-hop and "Head" Welch found God over the years and no longer saw his values as compatible with those of the band. In 2005, he was baptized in the Jordan River to underline his bond with God and wrote an open book about his sinful life. He would eventually return to Korn in 2013. Still Christian, but de-radicalized. The missionary zeal has long since been reduced to a minimum and today the different faith approaches in the band operate quite naturally.

It's all about community
"I went out on a limb for a while and perhaps opened myself up too much," Welch sums up in retrospect, "when we get together as a band, we talk about Korn or our families, but not about our faith and the individual interests that everyone has. In the studio and on stage, it's about the community, the sound and the interaction. Jonathan, for example, is extremely introverted. He plays his show, gives an interview once in a blue moon, but then disappears again because he doesn't feel comfortable in social situations." All Korn members come from difficult backgrounds, have been teased and bullied and know the difficult sides of many of their listeners from their own experience. Even fame and money can't erase the horrors of the past, but after 30 years of using music as a common outlet, many differences have been smoothed over.

"Wisdom in life comes from pain, setbacks and ageing. We know all these things very well and they are always challenging for us, but that is also the reason why we as a band have survived all crises more or less well. We always come together somehow in the end because these things unite us. You don't leave your wife forever if things go bad for a while. It's the same in a band. I was away for a few years, it wasn't the best decision, but maybe it was necessary for things to work out the way they do today." After various musical aberrations, Korn got back on track in 2022 with "Requiem". They are already hard at work on their next album, and initial statements from the band members give hope for a heavy album that fans are longing for.

No tour in the 70s
Welch is unable to say how long Korn will be on the road with this music. "I can see 80-year-old Mick Jagger twirling around the stage with his impressive physique, but that's not us. Do we have three, five or ten years left? I have no idea. As long as we feel that we can still say something and radiate energy, we'll carry on. But I don't see myself touring in my 70s, I'd rather spend my time at home with my loved ones. If I did, then the budget would have to be enough for a system like the Rolling Stones. You're on the road for three weeks and have a three-day break from concert to concert to rest and acclimatize at the next venue." In any case, the fire in the Korn camp is unbroken and the fans are waiting for the new songs with impatient persistence. "Music means much more to us today than it used to."

Live in Vienna's METAstadt
On July 29, Korn are coming to Vienna's METAstadt for an open-air concert with the hyped Canadians from Spiritbox. If you don't have tickets yet and are hoping, you'll have to scour the internet exchanges or go there yourself and hope - the concert has officially been completely sold out for many weeks.