History Music / Korn

Korn themselves are one of the few nu metal bands to try and reject the commercialism of other bands of the movement (not that they're ''un''commercial, mind you). They even commented on this trend-hopping tendency with the title of their third album, ''FollowTheLeader''. They also try and reject all genre classification, including rejecting the term "metal" to describe their music, (hence their exclusion from the Metal in the musicians page) though this had more to do with a dislike of being classified, period.

Korn (sometimes rendered as [=KoRn=] or KoЯn) is a NuMetal band formed in 1993 from Bakersfield, {{California}}. Well, we say ''a'' nu metal band. What we actually mean is ''[[TropeMaker the]]'' nu metal band. Korn are notable for being the first nu metal band - though others had fused [[RapMetal rap and metal]] before (Music/RageAgainstTheMachine, Music/FaithNoMore), Korn were the first to play the [[strike:in]]famous style of nu metal, adding angsty lyrics, downtuned guitars and funk-influenced bass playing and removing guitar solos. Korn's surprise success in the mid-nineties spawned a legion of similar bands that were more geared for the mainstream, resulting in nu metal becoming a separate genre from AlternativeMetal.

Korn themselves are one of the few nu metal bands to try and reject the commercialism of other bands of the movement (not that they're ''un''commercial, mind you). They even commented on this trend-hopping tendency with the title of their third album, ''FollowTheLeader''. They also try and reject all genre classification, including rejecting the term "metal" to describe their music (though this had more to do with a dislike of being classified, period).

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: For obvious reasons, Korn tends to reside on the higher single digits of the scale. ''Untouchables'' is arguably their heaviest album, helped in no small part by the [[EchoingAcoustics production]]. Their songs are usually in the 6-8 range.

* PathOfInspiration: The path taken by Brian "Head" Welch after leaving the band.

* BrickJoke:
** The "Freak on a Leash" music video had several animated characters playing hopscotch on a cliff, who ran off at the end of the video. The hopscotch-over-a-cliff thing is also the cover art of ''Follow the Leader''.
** The next album (''Issues'') had a single called "Falling Away From Me" with a music video beginning with several animated kids run past a security guard holding a bullet before the scene changes to live-action.

* {{Trope Maker|s}} and UrExample - Of nu metal, though they deny it.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Reportedly, producer Ross Robinson went to great lengths to get Korn to "remember who they were" when recording their 9th album. This included measures ranging from aggressively taunting/berating the new drummer to make him play more passionately to bringing Jonathan Davis's wife and son into the studio and making them sit across from him while he recorded vocals. Even Davis's therapist got on Ross's case about this, but ultimately all involved seem to have been pleased with the results.

* SingingSimlish: Davis' demented mixture of beatboxing, grunting and babbling.

* TropeMaker and UrExample - Of nu metal, though they deny it.

* BandToon: The HalloweenEpisode of SouthPark ''Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery'', a ScoobyDoo {{Homage}}, SmallAnnoyingCreature and [[ScoobyDooHoax Hoax]] in all. They at one point pull a [[ThePowerOfRock Power Of Rock]]-esque OneWingedAngel moment. The band also debuted its single "Falling Away From Me" after solving the hoax. The song's content and heaviness rather surprises the townspeople gathered, as it [[MeanCharacterNiceActor heavily contrasts the band's sunny disposition throughout the episode]].

* NuMetal: [[TropeMaker The first band]] of the genre. [[DefiedTrope They deny it]], saying "[[ShapedLikeItself Korn is Korn.]]"

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: For obvious reasons, Korn tends to reside on the higher single digits of the scale. ''Untouchables'' is arguably their heaviest album, helped in no small part by the [[EchoingAcoustics production]].

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Usually around an 7-and-a-half or an 8, especially considering they are NuMetal.

* SingingSimlish

* NuMetal: [[TropeMaker The first band]] of the genre. [[DefiedTrope They deny it]], saying "Korn is Korn."

* NuMetal: The first band of the genre. They deny it, saying "Korn is Korn."

* TakeThat: Despite the lyric being very ambiguous, "[[ClusterFBomb Y'all Want a Single]]" (especially, it's videoclip) is a song against the music business.

** Mostly, however, this trope is averted. Their album titles are usually thought up after the fact and with no relation to any particular song; or, in one case, [[NoTitle not thought up at all]].

* FunWithAcronyms: "A.D.I.D.A.S.", [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre but not the shoes...]]
** A[[spoiler: ll]] D[[spoiler: ay]] I D[[spoiler: ream]] A[[spoiler: bout]] S[[spoiler: ex]]

* IntercourseWithYou: "Getting Off", "Inside Out", "10 or a 2 way", "It's Me Again".'"Beat It Upright"
** Don't forget about "[[FunWithAcronyms A.D.I.D.A.S.]]"

* TakeThat: "[[ClusterFBomb Y'all Want a Single]]" is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin pretty much what it sounds like]].

** The content may also have to do with [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the band's internal turmoil at the time of recording the album]].

* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: Jonathan played bagpipes in high school and transferred his talent to Korn. Now at least once per album, there's gonna be some bagpipes somewhere in the songs, and somewhere in the live shows.

** Don't forget about "A.D.I.D.A.S."

** Mostly, however, this trope is averted. Their album titles are usually thought up after the fact and with no relation to any particular song; or, in one case, not thought up at all.

Korn (sometimes rendered as [=KoRn=] or KoЯn) is a NuMetal band formed in 1993 from Bakersfield, {{California}}. Well, we say ''a'' nu metal band. What we actually mean is ''the'' nu metal band. Korn are notable for being the first nu metal band - though others had fused [[RapMetal rap and metal]] before (Music/RageAgainstTheMachine, Music/FaithNoMore), Korn were the first to play the [[strike:in]]famous style of nu metal, adding angsty lyrics, downtuned guitars and funk-influenced bass playing and removing guitar solos. Korn's surprise success in the mid-nineties spawned a legion of similar bands that were more geared for the mainstream, resulting in nu metal becoming a separate genre from AlternativeMetal.

Korn (sometimes rendered as [=KoRn=] or KoЯn) is a NuMetal band formed in 1993 from Bakersfield, {{California}}. Well, we say ''a'' nu metal band. What we actually mean is ''the'' nu metal band. Korn are notable for being the first nu metal band - though others had fused [[RapMetal rap and metal]] before (RageAgainstTheMachine, FaithNoMore), Korn were the first to play the [[strike:in]]famous style of nu metal, adding angsty lyrics, downtuned guitars and funk-influenced bass playing and removing guitar solos. Korn's surprise success in the mid-nineties spawned a legion of similar bands that were more geared for the mainstream, resulting in nu metal becoming a separate genre from AlternativeMetal.

* CoverVersion: [[Music/{{Metallica}} "One"]], [[Music/{{War}} "Low Rider"]], [[IceCube "Wicked"]], [[CheechAndChong "Earache My Eye"]], [[PinkFloyd "Another Brick]] [[TheWall in the Wall]]", [[{{Radiohead}} "Creep"]], [[Music/{{Cameo}} "Word Up!"]] and [[PublicEnemy "Fight the Power"]].

* CreatorBreakdown

* EnforcedMethodActing: Reportedly, producer Ross Robinson went to great lengths to get Music/{{KoRn}} to "remember who they were" when recording their 9th album. This included measures ranging from aggressively taunting/berating the new drummer to make him play more passionately to bringing Jonathan Davis's wife and son into the studio and making them sit across from him while he recorded vocals. Even Davis's therapist got on Ross's case about this, but ultimately all involved seem to have been pleased with the results.

* 2011 - ''The Path to Totality'' (set for release on November 15)

* CoverVersion: [[{{Metallica}} "One"]], [[Music/{{War}} "Low Rider"]], [[IceCube "Wicked"]], [[CheechAndChong "Earache My Eye"]], [[PinkFloyd "Another Brick]] [[TheWall in the Wall]]", [[{{Radiohead}} "Creep"]], [[Music/{{Cameo}} "Word Up!"]] and [[PublicEnemy "Fight the Power"]].

* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Korn's 2009 tour was called the "Escape From The Studio" tour as a break from recording Korn III. The tour name was ripped off from a previous {{Metallica}} tour.

* RapMetal: Despite pioneering nu-metal, their music rarely features actual rapping outside of [[WolverinePublicity collaborations]] with {{Nas}}, IceCube, [[TheNotoriousBIG Biggie]], [[ATribeCalledQuest Q-Tip]], Xzibit and [=Slimkid3=].

* [[FaceOfTheBand Jonathan Davis]] - lyrics (occasionally Guitar or Drums; and sometimes [[EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes Bagpipes]])

* EnforcedMethodActing: Reportedly, producer Ross Robinson went to great lengths to get KoRn to "remember who they were" when recording their 9th album. This included measures ranging from aggressively taunting/berating the new drummer to make him play more passionately to bringing Jonathan Davis's wife and son into the studio and making them sit across from him while he recorded vocals. Even Davis's therapist got on Ross's case about this, but ultimately all involved seem to have been pleased with the results.