KORN Drummer: 'I Never Do Anything Half-Assed With My Music'

Altsounds recently conducted an interview with KORN drummer Ray Luzier. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Altsounds: Why [call the new album] "Korn III: Remember Who You Are"? Some found it cheesy and hated it, and some went crazy for it. What's the inspiration behind the title?

Luzier: Well, it's exactly what it reads as — it's "Korn III" because it's our third album with [producer] Ross Robinson. It's not like we're trying to start a new generation of KORN or anything, but I'm a permanent member now it feels like a mini fresh start. "Remember Who You Are"? Well, we're not in the giant comfy recording studio that we're used to, we tried not to be too overproduced and really tried to capture our passion. That's pretty much what this whole record's about. There was nothing like, "Let's try and play our instruments perfectly." It was much more, "Let's just rock this," and we played what we felt like at the time. It's all about the passion. I kind of miss that. You hear so many records nowadays that just sound perfect, and when you see the band live they're very untidy. You're just left with this feeling of, "Why? That sucks!" [laughs] When we play our songs live, they sound just like the album, except with an added energy of the live scenario. We're kind of proud of that.

Altsounds: So you're confident that you've captured this return to roots in your current sound?

Luzier: Yeah, for the most part it doesn't sound like we were trying to replicate the first two albums at all. Which is not what we were doing, It's more of a message to be read in the album. When you look at the incredible success KORN has had, it's very easy to say, "Oh, we'll just take a year to write this record, maybe take a few months off in between." We wanted that garage stage where we can capture that moment, and there's no over-thinking of things, no trying to write a hit song, or any of that. People get too wrapped up in that. We would just write what we would feel. There's no bullshit. So many bands find success and then keep trying to write hit songs and it just fails. I think there's a reason why KORN has been around for seventeen years, and why the fans are so die hard. So many different generations come to the shows, it's really great.

Altsounds: KORN's sound and attitude has always had a lot to do with the band's lyricism — KORN's lyrics are disturbing at the best of points…

Luzier: Exactly man, there's just no bullshit. Jon [Davis] writes the lyrics mostly about things that he's gone through, or things he's passionate about. He's always sung from the heart. You can see it when the fans show up — they're laughing, they're crying, they're experiencing it. We play for real, we don't fake it. There's no point in that. On the deluxe edition of "Remember Who You Are", there's a little part of the DVD that goes with each song, and it really captures the moments when we were creating the album. Our photographer was crammed into our tiny shed of a studio, it got a bit cramped, but it really shows us sweating it out in the old cat box. Ross wanted to make us uncomfortable. He was punching cymbals, hitting guitars, and I think it worked. [laughs]

Altsounds: When you joined KORN, you originally just joined as a touring member. How did the transition to becoming a permanent member occur?

Luzier: It was great, because I never do anything half-assed with my music. I've had a pretty extensive music career, I've had the privilege of working within the music and touring industry for so long now — I started touring back in '94. OZZY OSBOURNE was my first tour and then everything in between — eight years of DAVID LEE ROTH, three years of ARMY OF ANYONE — and loads of other great things too. Everything I do I try and do it 110%. Personally, I also love watching a band grow, I love doing a record with a band and then later coming back to the same guys and see how both they and I have progressed. It's quite exciting.

Altsounds: When you first joined, did you feel obliged to play like Dave Silveria did?

Luzier: I respect the guy a lot, and KORN wouldn't have got anywhere without the power of his drums and that's set in stone. I know what it can be like for fans though, if I saw my favorite band and there was some new guy up there, especially when you're so emotionally attached to a band, it can be really difficult. I remember when I was doing the first couple of meet-and-greets, a lot of people were just like, "Who the hell are you?" I'm like, "I'm the new guy!" Bands are a lot like marriages — people get divorced all the time and things change. It's really tough. It's just the way things work and people have to accept that. I think Dave created some really great parts and I totally respect that, but we're totally different drummers — way, way different. I love his playing style, and I love his uniqueness. But when they hired me for the band, they said, "We want Ray Luzier. We want a new fire and a new energy." Hopefully that's what I've been bringing.

Read the entire interview from Altsounds.