Korn - The Paradigm Shift [World Tour Edition] 320k

The Paradigm Shift and the return of Brian "Head" Welch (2012–present)

On July 18, 2012, Jonathan Davis told Billboard.com that Korn was getting ready to start recording their eleventh studio album that would be released independently. It was also announced that their next album would not contain any dubstep influences like The Path of Totality. Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer stated in an interview with the Phoenix New Times that the new album would be heavier, with more aggressive "in-your-face" guitars and vocals. He went on to say that he would be using new recording techniques in the studio to give his riffs a fresh approach.

In January 2013, guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was confirmed to return to the band to play a number of festival shows, including Rock on the Range, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and the Download Festival.] His status in the band was initially thought to be temporary and for touring purposes only. Ray Luzier later announced at the Sabian show during NAMM that Welch would be joining Korn for the whole tour. Later in that month, techno artist Beta Traxx confirmed he was working on a new Korn song for their upcoming album, which he commented would sound "like the past and the future at the same time." It was also confirmed by Ray Luzier that Don Gilmore would be producing the upcoming album. On February 12, 2013, The BK Entertainment Group updated their clients list and confirmed that Korn has signed to their management's independent label; Prospect Park Productions.Later, On June 1, 2013 Caroline Records added Korn to their roster confirming that the band have been signed on to a contract with the label; they are partnered with Korn's management Prospect Park. On February 18, 2013, Korn posted a photo showing Head as part of the line up, which escalated rumors that he was in the process to rejoin Korn permanently. This was confirmed by Head himself in May, when it was also confirmed that he had been recording as part of the band for their upcoming album.

Fieldy has said of the album "Right now, I will tell you this ... we've done something we've never done before. Normally if we do a new Korn record, we'll normally put 12 or 13 songs and that's how many we make. This time we've made 20-plus songs, and we'll put the best of what we have on there, whatever the numbers end up being. We have so many to choose from, I think it's going to be a little extra special this time. Munky later confirmed this by saying that the band completed 25 songs and 15 of them would be put on the album. Head later elaborated that musically this was Korn's best album.

Korn's eleventh studio album, The Paradigm Shift, was released on October 8, 2013. Their first single, "Never Never" was set to be released August 12, 2013. The band recorded an episode of Guitar Center Sessions for DirecTV on September 11, 2013 which is scheduled to premiere November 1, 2013 on DirecTV Audience Channel Korn will also be the latest act to be inducted into the world-famous Hollywood Rockwalk on October 8, 2013.The band brought back their Family Values Tour as a one day festival, on October 5, 2013. The venue and line up were revealed on September 3, 2013. The music video for "Spike In My Veins" was released on February 6, 2014.
Style and legacy

The band has stated that their primary influences include Metallica, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, Sepultura, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Duran Duran, Fear Factory, Cathedral, Living Color, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Slayer, Pink Floyd, Primus, Tool, Ministry, Mr. Bungle, Biohazard, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Beastie Boys, Black Sabbath, N.W.A., Anthrax, and Jane's Addiction. Much of their work has been inspired by hip hop music, as suggested in the cover song of Ice Cube's "Wicked", and "All in the Family".

They are the first band to be labeled as nu metal. Alongside this genre, the band has also been labeled as heavy metal, alternative metal, alternative rock, grunge, post-grunge, hard rock, rap metal, funk metal, groove metal and industrial metal. Their debut album mixed metal, rock, hip-hop, groove, and dissonance. Their lyrics focus on pain and personal alienation rather than traditional heavy metal themes. In Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk, Korn was marked as the third biggest nu metal band in the world.

Due to controversies and arguments over the band being heavy metal or not than just with nu metal being heavy metal or not, lead singer Jonathan Davis commented, "I remember when were coming out we were fighting being called a metal band because we weren't a metal band, we were something that wasn't classifiable," Davis says. "Then they came up with 'nu-metal' but that's still cheesy. It's frustrating.".

The band's debut album warranted a Parental Advisory label solely because of the album's lyrics. Many of Korn's first works are based on early experiences. The song "Daddy" was described by lead singer Jonathan Davis: "When I was a kid, I was being abused by somebody else and I went to my parents and told them about it, and they thought I was lying and joking around. They never did shit about it. They didn't believe it was happening to their son.... I don't really like to talk about that song. This is as much as I've ever talked about it..." "Kill You" was written about Davis's experiences as a child with his step mother. Follow the Leader marked the first album where the majority of the lyrics did not have origins relating to early occurrences, with songs like "Justin" and "Pretty" written about incidents occurring during adulthood.

Bassist Reginald Arvizu plays his instrument using both the techniques of fingerstyle and slapping. Jonathan Davis was said by Doug Small to be "the eye of the storm around which the music of Korn rages." Small described the band as "a basket-case full of contradictions." Although the band virtually had no support by television or by radio broadcasting in its first four years, Korn would go on to influence Pleymo, Adema, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Evanescence, P.O.D., Cold, Machine Head, Staind, System of a Down, Seether, One Minute Silence, Flyleaf, Kittie, Endo, Taproot, Crazy Town, Otep, Hoobastank, Five Pointe O, Lacuna Coil, Chris Volz, Videodrone, Theory of a Deadman, Thousand Foot Krutch, Breaking Benjamin, Papa Roach, Sevendust, Nonpoint, Saliva, Drowning Pool, Spineshank, Trust Company, Ill Nino, Mudvayne, Shinedown, Coal Chamber, Three Days Grace, Flymore, Trapt, Molotov, Hollywood Undead and other bands. Korn also created a fan-base described by both Doug Small and Eaton Entertainment as extremely loyal. Well that about covers it. Cover Paradshift[size=200]