The next album from Korn is still taking shape, and according to guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, the band has already gone through close to 40 songs during the writing process.
Speaking to Rolling Stone Brasil in an interview later transcribed by Blabbermouth.net, Shaffer described the sessions as long and demanding, with the band repeatedly rebuilding material instead of rushing toward a finished record.
“It’s taking a fucking long time,” Munky said. “We’ve written probably almost 40 songs, and gone through ’em, and rewrote ’em, and got rid of ’em, and tore ’em apart, and rebuilt ’em.”
The guitarist explained that the band are deliberately careful with the material because they want the new album to still feel unmistakably like Korn while avoiding repetition. According to him, the chemistry between bassist Roberto “Ra” Díaz and drummer Ray Luzier has become a major part of the current writing process, especially because this is the first time both musicians are working together on a Korn studio record.
Munky also said the band are trying to bring “fresh takes” into the music without moving too far away from the sound that built Korn in the first place. He described the material as still being “very guitar driven and bass heavy,” adding that fans should not expect a drastic electronic shift or anything completely outside the band’s identity.
The upcoming record will follow Requiem, released in 2022. Over the last few years, members of the band have repeatedly mentioned that new material was in progress, though the sessions appear to have stretched much longer than originally expected. In 2025, Munky also revealed that parts of the album were being recorded fully on tape, with the band playing together live in the studio.
Earlier this year, Korn released “Reward the Scars”, their first new song in four years, tied to the Diablo IV expansion Lord of Hatred.
