Korn guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer has described The Serenity Of Suffering as the album that “puts this ship back on course.”
Their 12th title will be released on October 21 via Roadrunner. They launched a video for lead track Rotting In Vain last month.
Munky tells WIRX Rock 107: “We compiled a lot of material and looked at it in retrospect to our previous albums – how did it play a part? Was it touching things that maybe we haven’t touched on? We took a long time to do that.
“We actually started writing a lot of the material with eight-string guitars. That didn’t pan out the way Head and I thought it was going to.
“But we got a lot of great stuff and we transposed a lot of that music to our seven-string sound, and it made more sense. It sounded more like Korn at that point.”
He says they “veered to the left” with the albums they made while Brian ‘Head’ Welch was out of the band. When they began working on The Serenity Of Suffering they thought: “Let’s kind of get this ship back on course a little bit, and still feel current with what’s going on in music – but still maintaining the integrity Korn fans are used to.”
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Munky adds that they aimed for an “old-school” approach to recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz. “The technology gets better – and it can help or hurt your sound,” he says.
“But you don’t want to have the computer doing the songwriting for you. That’s something we kept in mind when we were writing.
“We tracked the songs from the beginning to the end. I think that’s why the songs feel alive – they weren’t put together in some computer and now we’re trying to figure them out.”
Korn are currently touring North America.
Korn tour dates
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: Toronto 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
Sep 24: Fargo Scheels Arena, ND
Sep 25: Omaha Baxter Arena, NE
Sep 27: Cedar Rapis US Cellular Center, IA
Sep 28: Peoria Civic Center, IL
Oct 01: Madison JJO Sonic Boom, WI
Oct 02: Lousiville Louder Than Life, KY
Oct 05: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Oct 07: Pelham Oak Mountain Amphitheater, AL
Oct 08: Southhaven Landers Center, MS
Oct 09: Biloxi Mississippi Coast Coliseum, MS
Oct 11: Tampa Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater, FL
Oct 12: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, FL
Oct 13: Alpharetta Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, GA
Oct 15: Rogers Walmart Amphitheater, AR
Oct 16: Tulsa Bok Center, OK
Oct 19: Colorado Springs World Arena, CO
Oct 23: Sacramento Aftershock. CA
