I cannot remember if it was Fall 1994 or Spring 1995, but I had been recently enrolled in the Communications program at the local Community College. One day I was in the Comm building going to one of the editing bays when I heard it. It was a sound like nothing I had ever heard before.
It was aggressive, heavy, and just flat out rocked. As I searched for the source, I eventually found a classmate sitting in one of the other bays listening to this band called "Korn." I was floored; the music was incredible. Now, fourteen years later, they are still a big name on the scene: still making waves and spreading their influence. Yes, I may be overstating it a bit, but Korn has had a strong career and created some excellent music that just begs to be cranked. This 2004 appearance at the Montreux Jazz festival captures an electrifying performance containing all of their biggest hits.
This performance is notable as being possibly the last recorded performance of the band's original line-up. This is not a fact, but considering that Brian "Head" Welch would leave the band mere months later, it is not that far outside the realm of possibility. The five piece is down to three members following the departure of Head and drummer David Silveria going on hiatus (since 2006). Now, I am not quite sure what hiatus means, but I have read that the remaining band members have vowed never to permanently replace their departed comrades.
Band members aside, this 75 minute set captures the band at the top of their game. They attack the stage with reckless abandon. Lights flashing and pulsating, the packed house jumping in time to the beat, I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness the show. Actually, no, I don't have to imagine it. I have seen the band twice, the first time during the Life is Peachy tour and then again just a few years back, 2003. I can attest to the energy delivered when in person, and it clearly shines through on this DVD.
Korn will never be known as a particularly technical or progressive band, and they are most definitely not metal, but there is no denying the infectious energy they bring, or the life the helped inject into the music scene of the mid 1990s, along with Rage Against the Machine, providing something of an antidote to the grunge scene.
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