Brian Welch on Korn's New Album: “The Heaviest in Years”

Brian “Head” Welch is dropping those familiar lines again—“heaviest stuff in years,” you know the drill. It’s almost like there’s a secret musician handbook, and on page one, right under “never say your best days are behind you,” is this classic line. After all, how many times have we heard bands—especially those with a few decades under their belt—promise the kind of earth-shattering heaviness that’s supposed to shake you out of your nu-metal nostalgia coma? But we’ve been here before. So what exactly does Welch think they’ve cooked up this time?

According to him, the band is knee-deep in crafting their next release, and the buzzword this time is “tones.” Apparently, they’re spending more time and money than usual trying to outdo themselves sonically.

He’s talking about “dissecting” their sound and obsessing over miking techniques, which either means they’ve discovered something truly special or they’re tinkering with the same old formula, hoping to strike gold. Korn’s last few records didn’t exactly break new ground, so it’s no wonder they’re trying to shake things up in the studio.

What’s catching attention, though, is the promise of a “vintage Korn feel with a modern twist.” Translation: they’re trying to relive their glory days while still sounding relevant. Whether they’ll actually pull it off or just give us a watered-down throwback remains to be seen. There’s talk of a more “raw” approach to recording, something that’ll supposedly bring back that aggressive, unpolished edge that fans from the 90s crave.

Head even mentioned how Jonathan Davis has been in the studio every day, which is interesting if you know Korn’s history of not always being the tightest unit offstage. Maybe all that time revisiting the early stuff for their 30th-anniversary shows has got them feeling nostalgic, like they can actually recapture the energy that made them stand out back in the day.

Is this the best Korn album in years, as Head claims? That depends on whether you’ve stuck with the band long enough to care. They’ve been around for three decades, so the bar is set high—and low—depending on how forgiving you are. Saying it’s their “heaviest” work is a nice touch, but seasoned ears will need to hear more than just buzzwords to be convinced. Still, it sounds like Korn is serious about this one, even if they are, as Welch admits, a little behind schedule. They’re investing a lot of themselves into this project, so at the very least, it won’t be a phoned-in effort.

For those die-hard fans, or maybe the curious skeptics, Korn will be hitting the road soon with Gojira and Spiritbox, so you’ll likely get a taste of what’s coming. Whether that taste is something fresh or just another trip down memory lane with a new coat of paint, well, you’ll have to judge for yourself.

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We’ll see if the new tunes hit as hard as Welch promises—or if this is just another case of wishful thinking from a band looking to reignite their flame.