| Korn | |||||||||||||||||
| The Band |
In the early '90s, heavy music looked to be going the way of the dinosaurs: Well-heeled Brit-pop and well-scrubbed pop-punk were thoroughly dominating the guitar-rock landscape, and the few surviving old-school metal acts seemed hopelessly unable to adapt. But somewhere within the vast, murky Southern California wasteland, a dynamic new species was being born, a forward-thinking beast that disregarded the mistakes of heavy bands past while meshing dark, urban rhythms and low-tuned guitar sludge with violent, expressionist blasts of hip-core noise. That and the wildly emotional vocals of JONATHAN, which alternated between a bourbon-smooth croon and a viscerally sharp howl, made for a revolutionary mix that redefined heavy rock better than anyone had in a decade. The result was a monster 1994 self-titled debut album that went solid platinum, and by the time 1996's LIFE IS PEACHY was released, this beast had a fanbase over two million strong--and a legion of musical imitators so large it threatened to saturate the planet. It was time for a change of rules. Hence KORN's latest, greatest slab, aptly titled FOLLOW THE LEADER. From the broadened musical and emotional scope to the much beefier production values to the stunning cover art courtesy of Spawn-creator Todd McFarlane, FOLLOW THE LEADER is indeed an ambitious and deeply satisfying outing for the band. And while there is considerably more hype surrounding this rightly anticipated disc, JONATHAN is quick to put things in perspective. "Our only goal was to take our time on this album," he says. "Because I knew we had it in us to do something great. To full integrate both (previous) albums and put out a record we could be proud of...we wanted to do some phat shit." "I think working with a new producer and going into a new studio helped us grow musically as a band," adds guitarist MUNKY. "All of us really have that fire again about being excited about a record...We all feel like we grew, like when you grow out of some old shoes; your feet are all crammed in forever and you know you need to buy a new pair, but you need to save up the money to do it. We kind of saved up our confidence and made that leap into our new shoes." Fans of old-school KORN needn't despair--the new shoes kick just as much ass as the old pair. "Freak On A Leash" is a molotov cocktail of scathing, psychedelic guitar runs, hypno-groove bass grind, hip-hop jungle drumming, all sliced in two with an ingeniously placed scat line reminiscent of PEACHY opener "Twist." Then there's "Children Of The KORN," title courtesy of legendary gangsta rapper Ice Cube, who contributed an arresting series of verses to the tune, as well as a mallet-blunt mantra that speaks for every fed up kid in America: "Stop messing with me!" Check the epic closing track, "My Gift to You," one of the band's heaviest songs to date, rife with the sort of lyrical honesty that's earned JONATHAN true street cred with the kids--and dismay from the parents. Which is just fine with him--KORN, after all, speaks directly to those disenfranchised with a world of spent opportunity and violence, due in large part to the short-sightedness of generations past. "Yeah," says JONATHAN, "I am pissed off that I inherited it. I wish sometimes that I was born back in the day. But today's society is so messed up...we gotta thank the parents for doing that to the kids." Yes, they still rock. But FOLLOW THE LEADER also illustrates just how much JONATHAN's vocal and lyrical abilities have broadened from the "straight frickin cathartic rage" of KORN and PEACHY to a level that communicates a full range of human emotion, from regret ("It's On!") and empathy ("Justin"), to lighthearted if incredibly vitriolic banter ("All In The Family"). The band's musical growth is also well evident--from drummer DAVID's successful integration of D-Drum sampling to FIELDY's ever-more-percussive bass playing. Meanwhile, twin guitar towers MUNKY and HEAD have made there joint stylistic fusion nearly seamless. "It's like we're one person," adds HEAD. "We're one guitar player thinking. It's weird." The end result is an album that could well be KORN's swan song--and one that's sure to find the band's ever-growing throng of musical imitators scurrying back to the chalkboard. | ||||||||||||||||
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Jonathan Davis Jonathan Davis born in Bakersfield, California on January 18th, 1971. His nickname is HIV, as a sort of agreement with the "faggot" term he was dubbed in high school. He does not, in fact, have AIDS or the HIV virus, although he does have the letters "H I V" tattooed on his upper left arm. He says "That tattoo has probably saved my life. You know in situations when passion and lust take over your brain.... I take a look at that tattoo and I remember that the virus is out there and you never know who's got it." On his upper right arm is a tattoo of a crazed bishop ripping up his skin: "The bishop is a symbol of the atrocities that religion is making. He's ripping up my skin to reveal Christ. It's more of a symbol of how corrupt religion is. I don't believe in any of it because of stuff like televangilism. Do you really think that all that money really goes to charity?" Jonathan recently married his girlfriend, Rene, on November 14, 1998. They have one son, Nathaniel Houseman (Houseman being Jonathan's middle name, as well), born on October 18, 1995. He had been expecting (astrologically) a baby girl, but at delivery Jonathan was only slightly surprised to see, as he put it, "pink balls," and he had to come away from the girls name Salaam Dementia. James Shaffer - AKA - Munky James Shaffer born in Rosedale, California, on June 6th, 1970. Munky began playing the guitar after an accident as a child in which he cut part of his left index finger off. When he was younger, he had a three wheeler. One night, when he was sneaking out to go to a party, the chain slipped off. He wanted to quiet it, so he wouldn't get busted, and he slapped his hand down on the chain, but it got caught between the chain and the sprocket. When he pulled his hand up, he was missing the tip of his finger. His doctor said he needed to do something to help rehabilitate the finger, and then Munky remembered an old guitar that he had in his closet.... When he was asked about the "uniform" that he always wears on stage, he said: "I wanted to wear something on stage that was like... kind of trashy... dirty, you know? Because when I'm up there I feel like... sick. Really what it is, it's like that person I don't like in me, all the things I hate about myself, that's who I am up there." His nickname "Munky" comes from: "My feet. I'd spread 'em out and everyone said they look like hands, like monkey hands. Fieldy Fieldy is known for his alcohol-related antics. For instance, on a photo shoot, a bucket had to be found in case he threw up. At the end of May, 1998, Fieldy married his girlfriend, Shela. They have one daughter, Sarina Rae, born on September 30th, 1997, and are planning to work on the next baby when Sarina turns 1 year old. When he was asked about his nickname, he said: "When I was younger, I had chipmunk cheeks, right... so they called me 'Gopher', and then it became 'Gar'. Then they started callin' me 'Garfield' (as in the cartoon cat). Then it became 'Fieldy'." On the album, his name is Fieldy Snuts. David Silveria David Silveria, born in Bakersfield, California, on September 21st. David wanted to be a drummer since he was seven. His drumming skills caught the ear of Mike Muir from the Suicidal Tendencies. David can be heard on the new Infectious Grooves (Mike Muir's side band) album, as well as Sepultura's release "Roots". David grew up in Bakersfield, where he learned how to play drums at the age of 9. "I think one of the reasons music became such an obsession for everyone in the band is that there just wasn't a whole lot to do where we lived." David married Shannon Bellino in April, 1997. They have a son, David Jr., born on August 22, 1997. David has a penis fetish and usually when he signs things he makes a penis somewhere on it. He is described as the shy member of the band. David has recently taken up a lucrative side job as a model. He has already completed a modeling assignment for skatepunk clothing company 26 Red. He proved such a hit that 26 Red's biggest rivals, Grind, have now also contracted Silveria to do a series of ads for them. Brian Welch Or Head Brian Welch was born in Torrance, California, on June 19th, 1970. Brian has been friend with Munky throughout high school. Brian shows Munky how to play a few tunes. They both always had competitions to see who was better, and Brian, used to get jealous if Munky could play something new. Brian who's wife is named Rebecca, recently had a baby daughter named Jennea Marie, on July 6th, 1998. During the birth of Brian's baby, Korn had to drop out of Ozzfest 98' in Europe. He refused to travel overseas because he would rather be with his wife during the birth. Since Korn is such a loyal band they didn't want to "order" a replacement and they wouldn't in any situation. Brian also has a nickname, which is "Head", and the reason is... "Because I got a big head... Go get me any hat, and it won't fit." Say's Brian. | Info On the Members | ||||||||||||||||
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| Cd's | still need more time | ||||||||||||||||
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