Korn Tour 2015: First Album Gains New Attention As Band Remembers Its Roots

The Korn tour of 2015 is being dedicated to remembering the band’s roots. Their first album was a landmark in rock music history, and they are looking back on over 20 years of what remains a fan favorite today.

When Korn first started out in 1993 with their self-titled debut, they were still up against the titans of heavy metal. They began a controversial new sound, featuring recorded emotional outbursts from lead singer Jonathan Davis, as well as the “click” that accompanied their sound for years. The band’s original lineup of Davis, drummer David Silveria, and the three guitarists James “Munky” Shaffer, Brian “Head” Welch, and Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, had endured several albums together.

While in this configuration, the “nu metal” group teamed up with notable artists like Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst (for “All in the Family”) and hip hop legend Ice Cube (for “Children of the Korn”). Their smash debut hit, “Blind,” ended up being used in the ending to Capcom’s Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.

Though lyrically and vocally unchanged, Korn’s tour in 2015 is set to reflect on their past success. Jonathan Davis’ honest lyrics throughout the band’s career have run the gamut, from confronting antagonistic fans in “Clown” to dealing with Davis’ history of being abused as a child in “Daddy.” Even after he quit allegedly using methamphetamines, as reported by Metal Injection, Jonathan’s honesty never faded. This fact alone has earned him a lifetime of respect from fans.

Even the band’s recent collaborations with dubstep star Skrillex (“Get Up” and “Way Too Far” being among the most popular) never break from Jonathan Davis’ lyrical honesty.

The Korn 20th Anniversary Tour at Irving Plaza on October 5, 2015 in New York City. pic.twitter.com/5xdmusTUNc

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All Music managed to get an interview with original guitarist James Schaffer, who refers to the band’s first album, the subject of Korn’s 20th Anniversary Tour 2015, as an accomplishment.

“The songs, when you play them, there’s some elements that we didn’t know what we were doing, so there’s some beauty to that, especially because we weren’t writing for the radio. When your career moves step by step, you start to listen to management, you start to listen to record companies, you start caring about radio and commercial success a little bit more. Back then, we didn’t care, so that’s one of the things I love about that record. We weren’t writing for anybody but to satisfy ourselves creatively.

I have such a sense of pride about what we’ve accomplished. I always feel like our next record is going to cement our legacy. And the idea that the term nu-metal was created to describe this band, Korn, I’ll accept it. Then you had a lot of bands that sound like Korn but you don’t hear them say, ‘Oh, Korn influenced me.’ “

Korn’s 2015 tour has proven to be a challenge to “Munky,” who revealed that the job of background vocals falls on him now. In the first album days, it was Brian Welch who supplied the backup vocals as well as being a guitarist, especially during moments when Jonathan Davis had sung over his own voice. James feels “it’s a struggle for me every night, but I do it.”

In an interview with Billboard, Schaffer also gave some insight on the band’s next album, which is currently being planned as Korn Tour 2015 continues along the East coast.

“I’d say we’re about a third of the way done. We wrote about 20 songs and about 10 of those we’ve kept and made better. I think we’re gonna need to go back in and write another batch of songs and then fine-tune those into four, five really great songs. There’s no rush, which feels great. It’s time to take a little extra time and make a great album. I think it’s time to solidify our legacy, ’cause I’m really proud of it.”

While the next album might still be a few months away, you can still catch Korn’s 20th Anniversary Tour of 2015 as they pay homage to their first album and celebrate over 20 years of keeping rock alive.

[Featured image via Theo Wargo / Getty Images]