Korn

Wed 30th Jun, 2010 in Features

Korn is one of the few bands synonymous with the nu-metal tag that has successfully navigated its way through the late 90s and into the new millennium.

The past few years has seen Korn go through the lows as the band struggled with the loss of two founding members and the ensuing controversy surrounding their departures, but also saw them experiencing highs by continuing to put out records that are reaching Platinum and Gold Status in the US and around the world.

They have also signed on with Roadrunner Records, which is a major coup for both band and label, as Korn prepare to go back to their roots for the release of their ninth studio album Korn III – Remember Who You Are.

When asked how they have been keeping sane with all the happenings in the band, Reginald Arvizu aka Fieldy, the original bassist for Korn, says that with the addition of Ray Luzier on the drums and signing to Roadrunner has meant that everything has fallen into place. ‘We found a drummer that has really fit the slot, he is like the missing link to Korn, and with a record label that is behind us well it’s just great that everybody is really behind us and that’s how we know that things are going to work out,’ he says.

The addition of Luzier could not have come at a better time. Fieldy mentions that Luzier is the best drummer that they have ever had, and that he fits in perfectly with the band. ‘We were out on tour and we had him come in to audition. He came in and played one song with us and we were like, man you have got the job. We just knew, he played it the way that we wanted it to be played and it was just amazing’.

This can only mean good news for the fans as Korn are set to release their next album on July 9th. With Luzier the apparent missing link and the decision to strip back to the basics that were so successful on their first three albums, Korn III is expected to be a record that silences the critics and takes the fans back to the days of Life Is Peachy and Follow The Leader.

‘We wanted to take an old school approach to it and that’s what everyone can expect. We stripped it down and just went for it,’ Fieldy says.

To really bring back that early Korn sound, the lads not only stripped back to the basics, but they decided to work again with Ross Robinson, who produced their first three albums. Fieldy describes working with Robinson as like a big family reunion. ‘You know, he walked in the door and it was just like whoa, it was 1993 all over again and we were making the first record,’ he says.

The new album was written solely inside in a tiny rehearsal room in a collaborative effort from all the members. ‘We arrived at the studio and locked ourselves in this little 10m by 8m room and just jammed out like it was the early days, how we used to as a band,’ Fieldy says. ‘We stayed in there for about three months, and I think that it is one of the best albums that we have put out to date because it is simply Korn’.

Touring for the new album kicks off this month in the US with Korn playing the Mayhem Festival alongside Rob Zombie and Lamb Of God. Rehearsing the new material started a few weeks ago and Fieldy says that the tracks are really transitioning well to the live stage. ‘We can’t wait to get onstage and show the new stuff off to the fans,’ he says.

Unfortunately, a tour in Australia does not look good for the latter half of 2010, but fans can pick up a copy of the new album, in July and hope that early 2011 brings the boys from Bakersfield back to our shores.

Will Korn play at Soundwave 2011? Check out FasterLouder’s bets on who could be playing the festival next year