Korn Vinyl Records – Follow the Leader, Issues & Essential Albums on Vinyl

Korn are the band that defined nu-metal. Formed in Bakersfield, California in 1993, the line-up of Jonathan Davis (vocals, bagpipes), James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch on seven-string guitars, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu on bass and David Silveria on drums created a sound that nothing previously had prepared audiences for — detuned, percussive, unguarded, and built more on hip-hop rhythmic feel than traditional metal riffing.

Their self-titled 1994 debut made the template, and the run through Life Is Peachy, Follow the Leader and Issues turned them into one of the biggest rock bands on the planet between 1996 and 2000. Davis's vocals — shifting between rap cadence, guttural growls, scat and genuine vulnerability — still sound like no-one else. The lyrical material, drawn from his own childhood trauma, gave the music an emotional weight most rap-metal contemporaries couldn't match.

Korn on vinyl is rewarding in a very specific way. The seven-string detuning, the sub-bass drops and the extreme dynamic range of their best records really need a proper pressing to breathe. The Music On Vinyl and recent 180g reissues across the catalogue are consistently excellent.

Best Korn Albums on Vinyl

Korn (1994)
The debut that invented the template. Blind opens it with what might be the most iconic riff of the genre, and Ball Tongue, Shoots and Ladders and Daddy remain some of the rawest songs Davis ever committed to tape. The Music On Vinyl 2xLP is the essential version.

Life Is Peachy (1996)
The quick follow-up, recorded in a matter of months. A.D.I.D.A.S., No Place to Hide, Twist and a genuinely unhinged cover of Low Rider. Shorter and leaner than the debut, it captured the band at their most aggressive.

Follow the Leader (1998)
The commercial breakthrough and arguably their artistic peak. Freak on a Leash and Got the Life became MTV staples; Pussy, Dead Bodies Everywhere and the Ice Cube collaboration Children of the Korn go deeper. The first Korn record to really feel like a produced, ambitious album.

Issues (1999)
Their most introspective record. Falling Away from Me, Make Me Bad and the interludes build a weirder, more atmospheric listen than their previous work. Undervalued at the time and increasingly considered among their best.

Untouchables (2002)
The big, glossy, extravagantly produced album — recorded in multiple studios with an enormous budget. Here to Stay, Thoughtless and Blame — Davis's vocal performance across the record is among his best. The 180g pressings do the production justice.

Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)
Self-produced and stripped back after Untouchables. Y'All Want a Single, Right Now and Did My Time mark a return to the more direct energy of Life Is Peachy, and the album remains a favourite among long-time fans.

If You Like Korn vinyl records, check these out:

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Metal / Heavy Metal