Korn’s last record was 2022’s “Requiem,” which entered the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band’s self-titled debut also celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year, and guitarist Brian “Head” Welch talked about how influential the record became in a new interview with the Everblack podcast.
“We were just in love with music,” Welch said. “And we were in love with all kinds of genres — industrial, metal, like the Panteras, the Metallicas, and then you had the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nine Inch Nails and Faith No More and Prong and Biohazard and all of these artists that we just… I think about kids that have Spotify, and it’s an endless search. Back then, we could have like a collection of maybe 15 or 20 and be done. But we loved music so much that we wanted to include a lot of it in our band. We didn’t wanna just pick one style.”
Welch continued: “And we had bands like Anthrax who did it with Public Enemy. I think they were the first ones to do metal and rap, so I give props to them for opening that door. Not that we were hip-hop, but we have hip-hop undertones with the drums and the bass and whatnot. “Nu metal is sometimes associated with rap-rock or whatever, but what I love is Jonathan Davis. Because you throw that freaky, unique, strange, amazing voice and character into what we’re doing and he makes it Korn. He helps make Korn unique.”
Welch also provided an update on new Korn material, which he says is in the works. “Yeah, we got a lot of it written,” he said. “We’re still working. Dude, it’s a trip 30 years later, man, to try to keep doing it. And we’re very happy with what we got, but it’s just gonna take a while. And I don’t know how long — maybe next summer, maybe next year, the next winter, I don’t know, but it’s not gonna be soon.”
Watch Welch’s full interview below.
