Korn is a band from Bakersfield, California whose music is classified as alternative or industrial metal and who are often credited with creating and popularizing this genre. They first formed in 1993, with the members Reginald Arvizu on Bass, David Silveria on Drums, Brian Welch on Guitar, James Shaffer on Guitar, and Jonathan Davis on vocals and bagpipes.
The band is known for setting trends instead of following them, and in 2004 Korn continued in their trend setting ways by being the heaviest band to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. While the festival started as a Jazz only celebration in 1967, it has since emerged as a multi-genre music event over the years.
Korn: Live at Montreux 2004 features multi camera angles and comes across as a very professional and very clean production. It features the band at its height with the full complement of musicians before the departure of Brian Welch for "religious" reasons, and drummer Silveria on temporary hiatus.
Korn: Live at Montreux 2004 comes after what could be considered their peak with 2002's Untouchables and what many consider a backward step with 2003's Mirror. Korn was also facing a rap-metal movement that had changed significantly with the likes of Kid Rock doing duets with Sheryl Crow, and new bands like Linkin Park refining and the commercializing the Korn sound.
But even with all this going on, Korn: Live at Montreux 2004 is what it is, Korn at its best. The power and sound of the band are firing on all cylinders. You can see the normally reticent crowd transformed into a seething mass of humanity bouncing and rocking as one. They were really getting into the music. The film does a good job of capturing the crowd as well.
The music itself is very powerful, the band is incredibly tight and it shows with most of the songs they perform. Keeping in mind that they were promoting a new album they perform some of the songs from it. "Right Now" starts off the set really well but "'Y'All Want a Single" just doesn't do it for me. It sounds as lacking as it does on the album.
Within the concert there are also some spots in which Davis' vocals are so soft that you strain to hear him. But there are some really great parts as well such as with "Somebody Someone," "Dead Bodies Everywhere," and "Falling Away From Me."
Article comments