According to initial reports, Korn's new 2010 album, 'Korn III: Remember Who You Are,' may provide fans with an entirely new sound from a band that's been churning out a distinct brand of heavy metal for the better part of the last two decades. Slated to drop on July 13, the band's ninth studio album will once again feature the work of producer Ross Robinson, who was in the studio for their first two albums. Ray Luzier, who'd been filling in for Korn on the road, will be featured as the group's permanent drummer on their forthcoming album. The follow-up to 2007's untitled release will also signal the group's long awaited return after taking a 10-month hiatus, that saw members of the band partake in individual side projects.
Shortly after the group wrapped up their ironically titled 'Escape From The Studio Tour' in 2009, Korn hit the studios, with everyone composing new material for the album, except for lead singer Jonathan Davis, who told Noisecreep in April 2009 that he preferred to compose lyrics for the music after Robinson had gone through polishing them up in production. A few months later, he told BlabberMouth that he'd written five or six songs himself, in addition to the 15 to 16 that Shaffer, Arvizu and Luzier had already written.
In an earlier interview with The Aquarian, Davis added that the work would be a concept album, and that it would be structured around what he considers to be the five "symbols of the downfall of man": organized religion, drugs, power, money and time. He also claims that the group has made a conscious effort to return to their roots, which, in part, explains their choice in asking Robinson to helm the project. According to Billboard, they've nixed a lot of the high-tech, sophisticated production in favor of a more stripped down, four-piece sound. Last year, they released a special preview trailer of the new 2010 album, which you can check out here.
Although they initially considered releasing the new 2010 album without a record label in March, MetalHammer reported that the group had in fact chosen to sign with RoadRunner. Although an official track list has not been released yet, Korn did release a special three-song EP that featured an instrumental demo from the new album. In January, a song called 'My Time' leaked briefly before the band's management was able to pull it down from the Internet. According to SMNNews, most of the lucky few who heard it, though, said it definitely sounded like "old-school Korn."
