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Korn

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File:Korn logo1.gif
Korn logo
File:Kornlineup.jpg
Korn.
For other uses, see Korn (disambiguation).

Korn is a nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, United States. They are often credited with instigating the nu metal genre and inspiring the wave of nu metal bands in the mid 1990s and early 2000s. In particular, assisting the careers of Limp Bizkit and Deftones.

History

File:Kornatkerrang.jpg
Korn at the 2005 Kerrang Awards.

Korn originally formed as LAPD (which stood for Love And Peace Dude, also rumored to be Laugh At People Dying), which consisted of all five members apart from singer Jonathan Davis. They later changed their name to Creep. When Davis joined the band in 1993, they began styling their name as 'KoЯn' (with a backwards letter "R"), releasing their debut album, Korn, through Epic/Immortal Records in October, 1994. Korn is arguably the album most responsible for the rise of nu metal and influencing later nu metal bands such as Limp Bizkit.

The band followed up their debut album with their second album, Life Is Peachy, in October, 1996. The album was just as successful, reaching No.3 on The Billboard 200. Many fans felt it was their last good album, stating Korn lost their aggressive edge after this. Many fans liked it because of the similarity of the first album while others hate it due to the production.

In August, 1998, saw Korn at their peak as they released their third album, Follow the Leader. It is generally recognized as their breakthrough album, and the album that ultimately ushered nu metal into the mainstream. It featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. The album was a success, reaching No.1 on the US and Canadian charts and spawning the singles Freak on a Leash and Did My Time. It was also the band's most commercially successful album, selling over 5 million copies in the US alone.

The band's next album, Issues, was released in October, 1999. The album was successful, debuting at #1 on The Billboard 200, but didn't amount to the success of Follow the Leader. To others it was a disappointment, as it featured fewer nu metal songs and fans saw a decline in production and songwriting. Korn appeared on an episode of South Park, titled Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery, in where the first single from their then new album Falling Away From Me was premiered. In the episode, the band helped the boys solve a Scooby-Doo style mystery.

In June, 2002, after 2 and a half years out of the media spotlight, Korn re-emerged with their 5th album, Untouchables. In comparison with their previous albums, Untouchables had disappointing sales. The band have blamed Internet piracy for the drop in sales but others have blamed the decline in songwriting and production quality.

Korn's sixth album, Take a Look in the Mirror was released in November, 2003. It was successful and many fans felt the album was a return to the band's earlier sound. It had a warmer response and also had improved sales compared to their previous album. The album peaked at No. 9 on The Billboard 200.

As of 2004, the group have remained successful; that year Korn released their greatest hits album, Greatest Hits, Volume 1, with two cover versions as singles. The first single is a cover of Cameo's 1980s hit, Word Up. The other is a cover of the three parts of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.

The band has completed their record deal with Sony Records and now plans to release their future albums themselves, setting a new precedent for big name artists.

On February 22, 2005, Brian "Head" Welch announced that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end" [1], and was formally leaving Korn. Initial speculations that this was a hoax or practical joke were proven wrong; he has turned highly spiritual, even being baptized in the Jordan River and speaking openly about his faith and conversion, especially on his page. Brian has also stated that his reason for leaving the band has to do with his daughter reciting obscene Korn lyrics. This was the band's first line up change.

On September, 20th and 22nd the band will perform at the Russian Alternative Music Prize Ceremony in Russia. They will headline and close both shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg, taking home the best international act award.

As of August, 2005, the band have finished recording a new album, rumoured to be titled Souvenir of Sadness, which is scheduled for release this fall. According to Jonathan Davis's blog, 23 tracks have already been recorded and 13 tracks mixed. The band worked with pop producers such as Dallas Austin and The Matrix. Davis quoted "It's our most experimental album to date."

Style and Influences

Davis' distinctive singing — often a series of grunts, whines and bizarre scats (somewhat reminiscent of those used by Mike Patton) — and his lyrics, are inspired in part by his alleged child abuse by an unnamed party. Although the alleged abuser has never been explicitly identified, it is speculated, based upon statements by Davis in various interviews, that it was a family friend or neighbor. Davis has also stated that much of his inspiration is drawn from both his parents' denial of his abuse, and his time spent as an assistant in a morgue. For example, songs such as "Daddy" from 1994's "KoRn" and "Hey Daddy" from 1999's "Issues" illustrate his resentment towards his parents. Also, "Dead Bodies Everywhere" from 1998's "Follow The Leader" discusses both his issues with his parents and some of the atrocities Davis reported seeing during his time in the morgue. The group's music is a blend of pounding, tribal drums and loud, distorted seven-string guitars (almost extinct before Korn) has gained the band popularity throughout the years. The band is also notable for their collaborations with hip hop artists such as Ice Cube and Nas, as well as for introducing the bagpipe into mainstream rock music. The band's song simple song structure may be due to the band's pop sensibility. Davis grew up as an avid fan of the new romantic and new wave scene, where the pop song formula is used quite often. The band has cited bands such as Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ministry, N.W.A., Duran Duran are key influences. These influences help create a catchy yet loud sound that has yet to be completely cloned.

Members

Previous members

Discography

Albums

Compliation/Live albums

Singles/music videos

Most of these videos can be downloaded from KornTV.

From Korn:

  • "Blind" (1994) Video and single
  • "Shoots & Ladders" (1995) Video and single
  • "Clown" (1995) Video and single
  • "Need To" (1995) Single only
  • "Faget" (1995) Unreleased video only

From Life Is Peachy:

  • "No Place To Hide" (1996) #26 UK
  • "A.D.I.D.A.S." (1997) Video and single #22 UK
  • "Good God" (1997) Unreleased Video and Single #25 UK

From Follow The Leader:

  • "All In The Family" (1998) Single only
  • "Got The Life" (1998) #23 UK
  • "Freak on a Leash" (1999) #24 UK
  • "Children Of The Korn" (1999) Single only
  • "B.B.K." (1999) Mexican single only

From Issues:

  • "Falling Away From Me" (2000) #99 US, #24 UK
  • "Make Me Bad" (2000) #25 UK
  • "Somebody Someone" (2000)

From Untouchables:

  • "Here To Stay" (2002) #72 US, #12 UK
  • "Thoughtless" (2002) #37 UK
  • "Alone I Break" (2002)

From Take A Look In The Mirror:

  • "Did My Time" (2003) #38 US, #15 UK
  • "Right Now" (2003)
  • "Y'all Want a Single" (2004)
  • "Everything I've Known" (2004) Video only

From Greatest Hits, Volume 1:

  • "Word Up" (2004)
  • "Another Brick in the Wall" (2004)

Remixes

Korn often like to enlist other musicians to remix their singles and most popular songs. See a list of Korn's Remixes

Soundtrack contributions

See also

Errors above

The reason Jonathan Davis resents his parents is due to the fact he was abused as a child (the abuser's identity remains open to speculation), and they didn't believe him, as is evident in the song Daddy. But the song Hey Daddy has a completely different meaning:

"'Hey Daddy' where I was schizophrenic and there were these voices telling me to do shit... To kill myself, basically. Daddy is one of my nicknames, so its like I'm talking to myself the whole time. It's hard to explain."- Jonathan Davis

Fan Sites

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