Written by Jeffrey Yates, 17-year-old fan from Montreal, Quebec and winner of the KORN contest whereby fans submitted band bios.
Out of the small town of Bakersfield, California, in the early nineties, came a sound. A faint whisper at first, it grew in force
and intensity with time, unhindered by the yapping mouths of politicians and parents alike. It rang in their ears. It plagued
their minds. It genuinely terrified them. The voice, talking in low-tuned rhythmic tones, spoke for a generation that would
have no more of modern America and its leaders. A generation fed-up with lies, violence and greed from their own society.
It grew and grew as more and more people realized the veracity of its claims, and adhered to its cause. The politicians grew
fearful, and attempted to end its spread by censoring and denouncing. Little did they know that, six years later, that small
whisper would grow into a deafening scream, a disturbingly present reminder of its own existence, and of its legions of
followers...
KoRn have revolutionized heavy music as we know it (or used to know it), by injecting several different musical influences into traditional
rock, from hip-hop and rap, to 70's funk music. This strange blend gives KoRn a sound of its own. The different styles involved do,
theoretically, contradict themselves, but bound together by KoRn's musical savoir-faire, give the songs such atmosphere that the show-goers
cannot simply sit in their seats and say "Hmmm... nice." They feel the urge to jump in the mosh pit and enjoy the music at its core, letting all
of their energy flow with the tonal explosion that KoRn puts out for them. This is how KoRn wins fans with steady, unrelenting touring, giving
the fans the full experience and thus winning them for life. This strategy has given KoRn a much longer life span than the passing fad. And it
shows no sign of stopping.
Debuting strongly with their first, self-titled album, KoRn introduced itself bluntly to the world, featuring lightning-fast drum arrangements by
David, frightening, Halloween-like guitar riffs by guitarists Munky and Head, impressive hammer-style bass lines by Fieldy, and authentically
emotional vocals by Jonathan. The largely autobiographical songs written by Jonathan depicted a childhood lost, and were sung with such
fierce emotion and energy, that he won instant compassion by fans everywhere.
The way KoRn achieve their peculiar sound is very different from other bands. The first major difference is the use of seven-string guitars by
Head and Munky. The extra string gives the guitar a much lower tonality, allowing KoRn's guitarists a wider range of chords to execute. Not
to be dominated by conformity, Head and Munky also tune their guitars in a way very different than most rock guitarists. This gives KoRn's
guitar riffs a distinct feel, an almost eerie blend of hard-biting low tones and shrilling high tones. The frequent use of the Minor second,
Tritone and Major seventh chords, the three intervals that most disturb the human ear, complete KoRn's guitar individuality. Fieldy's bass
setup also differs from most bands. Using a five string bass tuned down to a rumbly low A D G C F, and employing a unique and amazing
hammer-style/damping technique, Fieldy gives the KoRn bass lines a very rhythmic, almost percussion-like personality. It is by differing from
the sludge of average bands that KoRn has gained success.
KoRn's first album went double platinum. From the hard, heart-pumping sounds of "Ball Tongue," to the slow, devastatingly emotional
"Daddy," fans were mesmerized by the plethora of music and sentiments presented before them. Also featured in this album was KoRn's
show-opening song "Blind," the irreverent "Shoots and Ladders", the mind numbingly fast "Divine" and the universally appealing "Need To."
The whole album, in fact, was a metaphor for childhood, from the picture of a young girl on the cover, to the child's writing on the inside of
the booklet, and the mocking misspelling of "corn" with a K and a reversed R. It became readily apparent to fans that what Jonathan had to
say was not the usual "Oh, my girlfriend left me..." insincere vocals projected by most bands. Instead, there were the disconcertingly true
tales of a man whose life was ruined by past events. The emotional ties thus formed between KoRn and their fans were total. KoRn did not,
however, let this early success go to their heads, realizing that fans are the livelihood of a band. They continued touring massively, steadily
earning a name in the underground rock scene.
In 1996, KoRn ventured out with their second double platinum outing, Life is Peachy, which showed no signs of faltering quality. From the
insanely bizarre "Twist" to the groovy "Good God." KoRn had not failed in their mission to bring their fans great music to enjoy, surpassing
their original level of quality.
1998 was a very busy year for KoRn. While spending time perfecting their third album Follow The Leader, KoRn also worked on several other
projects, including their own rock festival, The Family Values Tour, their own record label, Elementree Records, and a weekly Internet
program called "KoRn T.V."
In making Follow The Leader, KoRn took their time to ensure that this album would benefit from the success of both previous albums, giving
Follow The Leader a crisp, higher quality new sound. This album also incorporated various guest artists from Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and
Ice Cube, to Trevant Hardson of Pharcyde and Cheech Marin. Needless to say, Follow The Leader was a smash hit. The album reached triple
platinum status, the single "Got The Life" continuously played on the radio, while the "Freak on a Leash" music video went on to win two
awards at the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards. The men from KoRn had accomplished the journey from anonymity to megastardom, and
while some bands might have felt the urge to give in and "sell out", KoRn maintained their integrity, both moral and musical, and now, in
1999, are ready to unleash their biggest album yet to an ocean of thirsty fans.
At the time of this writing, not much is known of KoRn's new album Issues. The members have maintained a tight lid on their new project.
However, for those lucky enough to attend this year's Woodstock, KoRn indulged their fans by performing two songs from their new album.
What is there to say about the new songs? Everything is done right. It is a personification of KoRn's evolution, and to the trained KoRn fan's
ear, one can hear all of KoRn's different musical stages. Accessible to those new to KoRn, but also, hopefully, deep enough to satisfy those of
us who have been there from the start, Issues should be one of those truly memorable albums, which fans will be listening to for years to
come.
And so the voice rolls on, now a deep, low laugh. For those who understand its complex jargon, it seems to say, with fearless ranting and
steadfast determination:
"WHO THEN NOW?"
