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Real metal will never die, but it was gasping on life support in the early 90's after nearly drowning in gallons of hair spray and eye makeup. Grunge was keeping it loud, but the lyrics were druggy and there was none of the musical virtuosity required for true metal riffs. Fortunately, Korn revitalized the genre by bringing all the rage and technical talent, stripping it down and reassembling it in a dark, pummeling package often referred to as nu metal. The cover of their 1994 self-titled debut was a stark image of the band's logo mowed into a shadowy cornfield-Korn were speaking for all the angry kids growing up misunderstood in the middle of America. Singer Jonathan Davis brought a commanding intensity to his harsh, half-rapped vocals and guitarist Brian Welch could bang out a thick groove or shred solos with the best of them. Their follow-up album, the cynically titled Life Is Peachy, yielded the single "No Place to Hide" but it wasn't til 1998's Follow the Leader that Korn became internationally famous. Many fans still consider Follow the Leader to be Korn's masterpiece, and it's surprisingly nuanced-the band may think things are pretty far from OK, but there's still a fragile hope that the kids can build something better. It featured the heavy singles "Got the Life" and "Freak On A Leash." Todd McFarlane-creator of the dark comic Spawn-designed the album art and video animation and helped solidify Korn's aesthetic. The disc had guest spots from Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and rapper Ice Cube. On the heels of their massive success, Korn started up the must-see Family Values Tour, bringing together an eclectic mix of musicians like Incubus, Rammstein, Deftones and The Crystal Method. Korn's latest effort, See You On the Other Side featuring the single "Twisted Transistor" is a hard, almost industrial disc and Jonathan Davis has collaborated with crunk artists Dem Franchize Boyz on a genre bending chopped n' screwed remix album.

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