Korn - Play classic album at Graspop

June 20th 2015

Dessel, Graspop Festival, Belgium

***3/4

Korn take you back in time!!!

Graspop Festival

Korn ***3/4 (Main Stage 1) are back with near enough the original line-up now, minus drummer David Silveria... who is was replaced by Ray Luzier. Yes! as we all know Head is back in the band, and again Korn are back at full strength. And I think their is no other way than showing off what they can do than playing their classic debut first album, of the same name as the band. They are still on their twentieth anniversary tour of the release of the album, which actually is now twenty first anniversary tour because 'Korn' came out back in 1994 and it's 2015 now.

This rare festival performance of this album, like the tour performances see's the band playing through the whole of the record in the exact order it originally came on the release. The anticipation is built up by a slight delay, until you hear the words "Are you Ready!" and they break into the song that made them famous 'Blind', which still sounds as fresh as it did when it was first released as a single. The crowd goes crazy and the crowd surfers are in force, while Jonathan Davis rocks back and forth with the microphone in his hand... minus his Geiger microphone stand.

Head and Munky really seem to be in good form as you see their heads go back and fourth in time to the music, and their dreads flowing all over the place. You don't really notice the lack of David on drums, because Ray plays the album to perfection if not better than it sounded in the first place. The only sad thing for me is, that I would actually like to be watching this show in one of the original venues they played it in... in the UK. But I am in Belgium and I am going to make the most of it, So when they break into 'Ball Tongue' which is mixed with the classic track 'It takes Two' I am loving every minute of it.

Even though I am loving it, I don't think this is a classic performance by Korn... I have seen them a lot better. At points in the set they do seem to be running through the motions and some songs don't sound as big as they should be. But maybe this is because Main Stage 1 has been suffering from some sound problems over the weekend, and I think some of these came to a head in Korn's set sadly. With Korn you want the beats and sound to be blowing your ear buds out and this was just not happening. Also I think with Slipknot coming on after them, people are only using half their energy so they don't get tired in the middle of their set.

'Need To' is mixed up a little, but it's fan favourites 'Clown' and 'Divine' that are two of the big highlight in the bands set. Along with Jon Davis on the bag pipes for the children of the Korn's lullaby 'Shoots and Ladders', which the crowd sing every word to. Korn really conquered the World in the Nu-Metal way and made way for bands like Slipknot, Coal Chamber and Limp Bizkit to come out of the same scene in a big way. 'Faget' is really big and kind of strange at the same time, to hear thousands of people screaming out that word. Not offensive at all... just kind of cool... honest...!!!.

You kind of forget how solid Korn's debut album actually was and even later tracks like 'Predictable, Fake, Lies' and the strangely titled 'Helmet in the Bush' go down really well. But it's the album closer 'Daddy' that everyone has been waiting for and it doesn't fail to impress on the live stage as well as the album. So with that the album is over and the band leave the stage.

The Geiger microphone stand comes back out and the band come onto the stage, they burst into two of their biggest hits 'Falling away from Me' and 'Freak on a Leash' which both have very distinctive sounds and were mega MTV hits for the band. These songs go by way to fast and you are left really wanting more. The bands set is way to short and the audience really are left disappointed wanting a couple more of the bands big hits from the other albums. But all and all it was nice to hear Korn playing this classic album... so Korn... 'Life is Peachy' next please.