Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has given Musicradar a track-by-track look at their self-titled debut album, which they are currently playing in full on a 20th anniversary tour. Some excerpts can be found below:
On “Ball Tongue“:
“A lot of this stuff was influenced by 90s gangster rap, because we were really into N.W.A., Geto Boys, Cypress Hill… we wanted to kinda recreate that hip-hop feel with a metal edge. The beginning riff was actually something Fieldy [bass] and I wrote around 18 years old in another band.”
On “Need To“:
“Musically, we wanted a breakdown with a tom beat, which it has. That came from a Faith No More kinda influence, when [FNM drummer] Mike Bordin drives his toms to push the choruses in an unusual way that is rarely done.”
On “Divine“:
“Divine was actually a song written before we were signed… with [now Metallica bassist] Robert Trujillo! He wanted to produce our first record – he saw the potential we had!
He came down to our studio and we worked on the verse bit. We didn’t know where the hooks should be, or where the verses should be. There was a naivety about our songwriting; that’s one of the great things about the album: it’s pure.
So yeah, Robert came down and helped us write that song. Not a lot of people know that fact. When we came down, we were like, ‘Oh my god, it’s the guy from Infectious Grooves, Suicidal Tendencies! He’s like one of the most amazing bass players on the planet and wants to work with us? Cool!’”
There’s a lot more to be found for each track over at Musicradar.
