KORN Are Taking Their “Sweet Ass Time” on New Album, Say They’re Back to Recording on Tape

While official details remain scarce on KORN’s upcoming fifteenth studio album, the nü-metal pioneers offered some insight into their current mindset and creative process during a recent appearance on ‘Rock Show With Daniel P Carter’ on BBC Radio 1.

Ahead of their headlining set at this past weekend’s Download Festival, guitarists James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch spoke candidly about the band’s renewed focus on both business and music. The full interview can be heard via BBC.co.uk around the 1:36:00 mark.

Reflecting on their past approach to the business side of music, Welch shared:

“We didn’t give a rip about business before. We didn’t know what we were getting paid. We would collect checks, and we would get paid, so we were buying houses and that’s good. But we found out there’s a lot being taken from us because we just weren’t looking. We didn’t know, we didn’t care. Give me my alcohol, give me the girls, give me the drugs — all that stuff. And so, this second chance, me and him [Munky] are like obsessed with the business and the stage and the everything.”

Shaffer expanded on how they now use their creativity beyond the music itself:

“Him and I kind of use it as a creative outlet too, because we still gotta be creative; let’s get creative on how we can save money. Let’s get creative with how we can design the stage, or with the merch, or whatever it is. Like, which designs are doing well? Ya know?”

As for their long-awaited follow-up to Requiem (2022), Welch admitted they’re in no rush:

“We’re taking our sweet ass time with it.”

Shaffer added that they’ve returned to recording live to tape, recapturing the raw energy of their early work:

“Yeah, we’re doing it all on tape. Like, we’re all in the room, sweating it out, [the] tape is rolling. The guy gives us the thumbs up in the window and we start playing and all of us are locked in. And if we don’t get it right, we rewind the tape and we do it again. It takes more commitment. It’s like this is how we used to make records. So there’s an energy to it that we, I think, we like.”

While a release timeline has yet to be confirmed, Korn will have windows of downtime between tour stops this year to continue working on the record.

KORN – 2024 Tour Dates

06/19 Clisson, FRA – Hellfest Open Air
06/21 Dessel, BEL – Graspop Metal Meeting
06/24 Nimes, FRA – Arena Of Nimes
06/26 Viveiro, SPA – Resurrection Fest
06/28 Lisboa, POR – Evil Live Festival
08/01 Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08/27 East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium (feat. System Of A Down, Polyphia & Wisp)
08/28 East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium (feat. System Of A Down, Polyphia & Wisp)

With Gojira & Loathe
09/17 Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
09/19 Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
09/20 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
09/22 London, ON – Canada Life Place
09/25 Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
09/28 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
09/29 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
10/01 Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

KORN
10/04 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival

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