|
Korn's cathartic alternative metal
sound positioned the group among the most popular and provocative
to emerge during the post-grunge era. Korn began its existence
as the Bakersfield, CA-based metal band LAPD, which included
guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head"
Welch, bassist Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu,
and drummer David Silveria. After issuing an LP, the members
of LAPD in 1993 crossed paths with Jonathan Davis, a mortuary
science student moonlighting as the lead vocalist for the
local group Sexart; they soon asked Davis to join the band,
and upon his arrival, the quintet rechristened itself Korn.
After signing to Epic's Immortal imprint, they issued their
debut album in late 1994; thanks to a relentless tour schedule
that included stints opening for Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth,
Marilyn Manson, and 311, the record slowly but steadily
rose the charts, eventually going gold. Its 1996 follow-up,
Life Is Peachy, was a more immediate smash, reaching the
number three spot on the pop album charts. The following
summer, they headlined Lollapalooza, but were forced to
drop off the tour when Shaffer was diagnosed with viral
meningitis. While recording their best-selling 1998 LP Follow
the Leader, Korn made national headlines when a student
in Zeeland, MI, was suspended for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned
with the group's logo; the school's principal later declared
their music "indecent, vulgar and obscene," prompting
the band to issue a cease-and-desist order. Their annual
Family Values tour also started in 1998, featuring a lineup
that consisted of Korn collaborators such as Limp Bizkit
and Ice Cube and likeminded artists such as Rammstein. The
tour was an enormous success, so much so that it continued
on with Korn overseeing the lineup for years after. Issues
followed in 1999, and in typical Korn fashion they debuted
their new single in an episode of South Park. The band toured
behind the album into the next year, but their efforts were
cut short by an injury that took out drummer David Silveria.
They hired former Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin to help
them finish the remaining shows, and took a short rest before
joining a summer tour with Metallica, Kid Rock, Powerman
5000, and System of a Down. Silveria also returned amid
rumors of leaving the band for a fashion career, but these
were merely stemming from some modeling work he had done
before his injury. A short headlining tour followed before
the band stepped off the road for a much-deserved rest.
Fieldy released a gangsta rap album and Davis scored the
film Queen of the Damned in the meantime, but the band resurfaced
as a unit toward the end of 2001 and entered the studio
for their next album. A few shows with Static-X helped iron
the wrinkles out of the new material, and by the next summer
they had Untouchables ready for release. Korn did a run
of Ozzfest dates in support, and the album was another smash
hit. The self-produced Take a Look in the Mirror arrived
in 2003. Billed by the band as a reconsideration of their
sound, the album was accompanied by a tour of smaller venues
called "Back to Basics." More touring followed,
with dates in Japan and Asia; 2004 also included Korn's
first greatest-hits collection. Welch left the band in 2005,
evidently due to his newfound Christian faith. But Korn
continued, playing shows that summer as a quartet and signing
an expansive recording and development deal with Virgin.
See You on the Other Side was released the following December.
It featured a batch of songs co-written with hitmaking production
team the Matrix. ~ Jason Ankeny & Bradley Torreano,
All Music Guide
Back
|
