Between the release of one of their best records to date, The Nothing, and a blockbuster co-headlining summer tour with Alice in Chains, Korn have had a spectacular year by even their own legend-status standards. To commemorate the accomplishments, the band have released a six-part docuseries that follows them throughout their 2019 adventures and dives deeper into the recurring themes of the year, from singer Jonathan Davis’ dark times after the death of his wife and mother, to the stunning onstage visuals of their current stage production.
Episode one is where they discuss the visuals, including the plexiglass cubes that shifted atmosphere and light throughout the set. Guitarist Brian “Head” Welch calls the aesthetic “the best since I’ve been back in Korn.” Episode two focuses around the summer trek with AIC, something they call a “bucket-list” item and a nonstop party, highlighted by guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer’s fun onstage cameo with openers Fever 333.
The next installment is where Davis really opens up about his grief, particularly facing the demons he frequently draws on for his songwriting. His bandmates praise him for embracing the darkness and using it to create “beautiful art,” as Head calls it. Korn build on this praise with episode four, where Head and Munky discuss writing the material together before sending it off to Davis, who chose to take his time with The Nothing and layered as many as 20 vocal tracks to achieve his darkest, densest sound yet. Themes of grief remain pervasive throughout the work and the docuseries, and Davis refuses to shy away by the time the fifth clip rolls around. While discussing the tremendous loss he experienced and the challenges of now raising his children alone, he poignantly states, “I think those people who’ve gone through it really get what I’m talking about. You’re not the same after that.”
For the final episode, Korn exalt in their creative triumph out of tragedy. “Sometimes you’ve gotta walk away,” Davis muses, “You’ve got to leave that stuff and try and focus on what’s ahead of you.” They also look ahead to 2020, teasing a yet-to-be-announced North American summer tour. Watch all six episodes below.
