Korn has already composed around 40 songs during the songwriting sessions for the new album. However, not all of them are expected to make it onto the final record.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Brazil, guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer revealed details of the creative process behind the successor to Requiem: “I swear to God, we probably wrote almost 40 songs, revised them, rewrote them, discarded them, disassembled them and rebuilt them.”
“It’s been quite a long process because we’re very critical of what we do now. We’re very demanding because we want to maintain our original sound. There’s no escaping that—when we start playing, it sounds like Korn, especially with the five of us. And Ra [Diaz, current bassist] has been an incredible addition, bringing a lot of energy to the rhythm section. Ray [Luzier, drummer] and he play really well together. And it’s fun to see these guys working on the parts because they do things I would never have imagined,” revealed Munky.
He continued: “As an artist, and any artist, you don’t want to paint the same picture repeatedly. You want to add a special touch, add color, add something new to make it feel fresh, so that listeners still get a classic sound, but with new approaches. So, it still sounds like Korn, for sure. There’s not much electronics, or you won’t hear anything too out of the ordinary. It’s still very focused on the guitar and bass.”.
The musician also explained the delay in releasing a new album. According to him, after the pandemic, the band returned with an intense schedule of shows and felt the need to better promote The Nothing (2019). He stated that the isolation also motivated the return to the studio, which resulted in the album Requiem. “I think it was simply a matter of many tours and having dedicated time to releasing something that… We didn’t want to release something mediocre. That’s why we kept composing and rewriting. Because, honestly, we want to release new music.”
READ ALSO: Korn ends 9-year wait, proving their relevance with sold-out show in São Paulo
