Why Korn Couldn't Have Made Their First Album Without Hair Metal Band W.A.S.P.

We generally think of hair metal as dead by the mid-'90s, and Korn as the band who slammed the final nail in its sequined coffin. But that's not quite true -- hair metal was still hanging around throughout the early '90s, and plenty of the more successful bands were still rehearsing and recording. But today, on the 25th anniversary of the release of Korn's debut, it's important to remember that not only did Korn not kill hair metal, they actually owe their entire careers to it.

In the first episode our new podcast Inside Track, famed nu-metal producer Ross Robinson tells Kerrang! that in order to accommodate Korn's low budget for their demo (i.e. nothing, given that these were just five young dudes from Bakersfield) he would sneak them into the studio at night, where he was recording an album with flamboyant glam band W.A.S.P., best known for their single Animal (Fuck Like A Beast).

Korn recorded their demo Niedermeyer's Mind using W.A.S.P.'s gear and set-up to save money on both studio time and gear. The demo is formative for the band, containing early recordings of Blind, Need To, and Daddy. And for those who can find a copy of the demo, they're in for a treat: W.A.S.P. are actually thanked in the liner notes.

So now you know -- every time you hear Jonathan Davis scatting, you have Blackie Lawless wearing a buzzsaw codpiece to thank for it.

To hear the full, bizarre, and surprisingly true story behind Korn's self-titled debut from Ross, Jonathan Davis, and Brian "Head" Welch, SUBSCRIBE NOW to our new podcast Inside Track at one of the digital outlets below:

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For a taste of our first episode, listen to the preview below: