Earlier this year, deathcore stalwarts Carnifex surprised a fan or two by releasing an utterly brutal cover of a song that’s perhaps a little more mainstream than their usual fare: “Dead Bodies Everywhere,” the track by nu-metal groundbreakers Korn. For some, nu-metal and deathcore might be two different worlds entirely, but for the San Diego quartet, Korn have always been a huge influence, and of all their songs, this one made perfect sense to get a brutal makeover.
“Really, it was their collective influence on the band from our formative years,” says frontman Scott Lewis. “One thing we really wanted to embrace in this session was fun. Going back to the days when the band was just starting and we were making artist choices based on fun rather than expectation. Picking a song that we all love from back in the day was our way of doing that.”
Lewis is the first to admit that as a young’un with something to prove, he hated on Korn for not being extreme enough. But after meeting Carnifex drummer Shawn Cameron in 2003, he began to recognize just how heavy Korn were, and the parts of their music that he could connect with.
“Back when Korn was first breaking I was already really locked into death and black metal, and radio metal wasn’t extreme enough for me,” says Lewis. “But once I met Shawn and we started comparing our influences and I really became a fan. For me, it’s the lyrics. Being a heavy band is actually fairly easy, but articulating an equal amount of emotion to the degree Johnathan Davis does and putting that into his performance and writing is what sets them above the rest for me.”
Curious about how Korn affected the band, we asked the dudes in Carnifex to list which Korn songs were their favorite. Here are the tracks that they lived for…
Shawn Cameron, drums and keyboards – “Got The Life”
“Right when the song starts, it hits all the buttons. Heavy, aggressive, and catchy. It’s a banger for sure. Jonathan Davis’ vocals keep the verse super aggressive even though it’s just slap bass and drums. The song is so dynamic while staying aggressive and driving the whole time. I love it.”
Fred Calderon, bass – “Falling Away From Me”
“I have so many memories tied to their album Follow The Leader. Tons of hangs with my friends bumping while hanging at bonfires in the backyards of friend’s houses or at the beach. I was always stoked when a music video of theirs would debut because they would always stick out from the other bands being featured on MTV. When Issues dropped, I was beyond stoked that they were still heavy and catchy. ‘Falling Away From Me’ still is my favorite jam. It’s the track I never get tired of.”
Cory Arford, guitars – “Ball Tongue”
“Gotta be ‘Ball Tongue.’ That opening riff hit me, and I was locked in as a Korn fan. I’m all about those sick grooves!”
Scott Lewis, vocals – “A.D.I.D.A.S.”
“This song was the one that won me over. And I actually remember this video on MTV, and it was special to me that Johnathan and I both had a past in the death business, and this song is about his emotions and experience in that time. I put a lot of my experience from my days of funeral directing into our music, and that relatability really resonated with me.”
Carnifex’s Graveside Confessions drops September 3rd via Nuclear Blast and is available for preorder.
Catch the band on tour later this year with The Black Dahlia Murder at one of the following dates:
Sept. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Sept. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
Sept. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Sept. 7 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Sept. 8 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
Sept. 9 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
Sept. 10 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
Sept. 11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Sept. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Sept. 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Sept. 15 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
Sept. 17 – Berkley, CA @ UC Theater
Sept. 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
Sept. 19 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Sept. 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
Sept. 22 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
Sept. 24 – Dallas, TX @ GMBG
Sept. 25 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live
Sept. 26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Sept. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Sept. 29 – Greensboro, NC @ Arizona Pete’s
Sept. 30 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Oct. 1 – Columbus, OH @ King of Clubs
Oct. 2 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theater
Oct. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Oct. 5 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Oct. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
Oct. 7 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
Oct. 8 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Oct. 9 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct. 10 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
***
Words by Chris Krovatin
***
Words by Chris Krovatin
