For anyone who listened to Korn’s self-titled debut album upon release in 1994, “joyous” probably wasn’t the first word which came to mind. It was an anguished thing, rooted in frontman Jonathan Davis’ very real experiences of high-school hazing and sexual abuse. Yet, within a few years, it became the seminal text for nu metal: the bouncing, colourful movement which dominated the mainstream.
There’s been plenty of debate over how much the bands in Korn’s wake missed the point of their tormented music, but at a sold-out O2 Arena in London, the joy of nu metal’s prime returns – and this time it feels truly earned. Several audience members are sporting the sequinned tracksuit from 1996’s A.D.I.D.A.S. video, while others are dressed as giant corn cobs. It’s a beautiful feeling, seeing the Bakersfield boys go from haunted outcasts to arena-fillers who relish their position. “Thank you so fucking much!” Davis screams more than once.
Before that, though, YOUTH CODE do their best to get the party started. The electro-industrial duo cut their teeth in Los Angeles’ seedy underbelly, decimating clubs with their German-rave-gone-to-hell ruckus. In this 25,000-capacity arena, they’re loud, energetic and confrontational, but clearly playing to the wrong crowd. One small yet fervent moshpit notwithstanding, people look on in confusion rather than pop their bodies to the apocalyptic beats. It’s a shame.
If Youth Code were starved for engagement, then ARCHITECTS enjoy a feast. Arena-calibre in their own right (they headlined this building last year), they fill the room early and command a rapt response. The jumping and moshing are constant as the Brightonians tear through material largely pulled from latest album The Sky, The Earth & All Between. An injury in the pit interrupts Animals, giving grim flashbacks to their start-stop Download set, but a lighter-lifting Everything Ends and beer-lobbing Seeing Red course-correct.
Vocalist Sam Carter promised to “scream the words from a place of passion” on this tour, after facing fierce criticism for his performances in the summer. While he doesn’t enjoy the “Sam’s back!” moment he once dreamed of (and has since admitted is impossible), it’s clear he gives a fuck, especially when he delivers a speech about mental health before Broken Mirror. On dance-metal finale Machine, released just two months ago, he declares “I built myself again!”, ending the set with heartening conviction.
Architects’ Sam Carter. (Image credit: Katja Ogrin/Getty Images)
Jonathan Davis’ silhouette boogies against a curtain in front of the stage as KORN arrive. When the beat drops on opener It’s On!, the track lives up to its title, turning the O2 into an ocean of flailing bodies. The members are just as fired-up: while Davis rocks his H.R. Giger-sculpted mic stand, guitarists Head and Munky bend over and whip their hair in time with the seven-string onslaught. Drummer Ray Luzier flexes behind the kit, and even though Ra Díaz is the recently-implemented replacement for founding bassist Fieldy, he swaggers and jumps as if he’s always belonged.
With such a locked-in lineup, it’s no surprise that the band fire out hits with the impact and regularity of tactical strikes. Here To Stay’s murky chords ascend towards a pristine chorus, the first collective singalong of the night, and the excitement continues through pretty much every fan-favourite of their three-decade career. Got The Life, Twist, A.D.I.D.A.S., Coming Undone – they’re all dusted off within the first hour, and they’re all explosive.
There’s room for the odd deep cut, as well. Reward The Scars, April’s single from a Diablo IV DLC, possibly paves the way for that long-awaited next album, before Chi and Kill You celebrate the 30th anniversary of Life Is Peachy. They don’t incite the masses the same way as the rest, but they’re a pleasing wink to the old-school followers, whom Davis acknowledges for lifting Korn from the 5,000-capacity Brixton Academy down the road to where they are now. Shoots And Ladders comes next, its nursery-rhyme lyrics and blaring bagpipe reuniting everyone in excitement.
Y’all Want A Single – ironically, a massive single – concludes the main set, then gives way to a stacked encore of Falling Away From Me, Blind, Twisted Transistor and Freak On A Leash: all essentials on any nu metal playlist. Combined, they’re a euphoric send-off from what has been a nonstop jubilant evening. From the darkest of origins, Korn have taken over the world, united thousands and become one of the biggest heavy bands going. How can anyone not smile about that?
Korn’s European tour continues at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on Sunday, November 8.
Korn setlist: O2 Arena, London – November 4, 2026
It’s On!Here To StayReward The ScarsGot The LifeRotting In VainTwistChiA.D.I.D.A.S.Kill YouShoots And LaddersComing UndoneDid My TimeMake Me BadY’All Want A SingleFalling Away From MeBlindTwisted TransistorFreak On A Leash
(LouderSound)
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