Head reports upcoming Korn album returns to band’s roots

Brian 'Head' Welch
Brian 'Head' Welch (Image credit: Getty)

Korn guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch says the band’s upcoming 12th album will mark a return to the band’s roots.

He returned to the group for 2013’s The Paradigm Shift. And while he says that record marked a milestone in his career, their new material is more like the Korn of old.

Welch tells Music Radar: “Being back in Korn is just incredible. Being back in the band for The Paradigm Shift was awesome. It meant so much to me to be back and I enjoyed making that album – it was a slightly different sound for Korn.

“But then nothing satisfies me more than this new record that we’re doing right now. It feels like who we are – but it feels like we’ve come back to what Korn started out as.”

He previously reported the sound on the as-yet-untiled album, which they hope to release later this year, would be “more guitar-focused.” Now he adds: “There’s a lot of aggression on this new album. We just had fun, we sat down together in a studio and jammed out for six to eight hours a day.

“We just wrote together in the studio. It feels like we’re at a really great point in our career. It just feels like Korn.”

Korn have several appearances lined up over the coming weeks, including an appearance at this year’s Download festival on June 10.

Korn’s Head issues book trailer

Korn 2016 tour dates

May 14: Somerset Amphitheatre, WI
May 15: Somerset Amphitheatre, WI
May 27: Lisbon Rock In Rio, Portugal
May 30: Brussels Ancienne Belgique, Belgium
May 31: Rockhal Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Jun 02: Milan Gods Of Metal, Italy
Jun 03: Nuremberg Rock Im Park, Germany
Jun 07: Lodz Power Festival, Poland
Jun 09: Nickelsdorf Nova Rock, Austria
Jun 10: Download 2016, UK
Jun 13: Utrecht Tivoli Vredenburg, Netherlands
Jun 15: Prague Aerodrome Festival, Czech Republic
Jun 16: Pratteln Z7 Kontzertfabrik, Switzerland
Jun 17: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jun 23: Montebello Amnesia Rockiest, QC
Jun 25: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Jun 26: Woodlands The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Jul 08: Hartford Xfinity Theatre, CT
Jul 09: Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheatre, NY
Jul 10: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Jul 12: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Jul 13: Noblesville Klipsch Music Center, IN
Jul 16: Bridgeview Toyota Park, IL
Jul 17: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Jul 19: Burgettstown First Niagara Pavilion, PA
Jul 20: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Jul 22: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Jul 23: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Jul 24: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, CA
Jul 26: Clarkston DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Jul 27: Holmdel PNC Banks Arts Center, NJ
Jul 29: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA
Jul 30: Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center, NV
Aug 02: Austin 360 Amphitheatre, TX
Aug 03: Woodlands The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 04: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 06: Noblesville Klipsch Music Center, IN
Aug 07: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Aug 09: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 10: Bonner Springs Providence Amphitheatre, KS
Aug 17: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Aug 21: Clarkston DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Aug 23: Torono Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, ON
Aug 24: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 25: Burgettstown First Niagara Pavilion, PA
Aug 27: Syracuse lakeview Amphitheatre, NY
Aug 28: mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Aug 30: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Sep 01: Hartford Xfinity Theatre, CT
Sep 02: Camden BB&T Pavilion, NJ
Sep 03: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.