RAY LUZIER Says KORN 'Feels Like A Powerful Force' With HEAD Back In The Band

In a brand new interview with Antihero Magazine, KORN drummer Ray Luzier was asked what made him audition for the band ten years ago. He responded: "My last band, ARMY OF ANYONE, you know, [which featured members of] the STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and [the] FILTER singer, had the same manager KORN did. And when I saw this band not doing so well, I called my manager: 'Man, do you know any other gigs? And he's, like, 'What's wrong with KORN?' Their drummer left and now they have Joey [Jordison] filling in, and Terry Bozzio and Brooks Wackerman, who is now in AVENGED SEVENFOLD, all these guys filling in. [And he was] like, 'Yeah, they want someone permanent, they're looking.' And he said, 'You should audition.' I was, like, 'Why? I don't have tattoos.' I had long blond hair at the time. He said David [Silveria, original KORN drummer] doesn't either. David had a shaved head, he looked like a surfer guy, he doesn't have dreadlocks. True. And I said, 'Okay.' So, I went to my drum space in Los Angeles and just playing all the songs that I knew and I knew more than I thought. It's because I'm a fan; I was fan of all the old stuff. But I really wanted to learn the new record. Because I love 'Untitled', I love that record. And so that's why, when I walked in there [for the audition], I knew so many [songs], because I just kind of prepared. And that's it. I played six songs and they said,'Welcome to KORN. See you in Dublin.' Then I didn't hear anything for a month, two months. I called the manager: 'What's going on? Do I have the gig?' He said, 'Yes, of course. Why?' 'No one calls me. What are the songs we will play?' He's, like, 'They don't like to rehearse too much. You'll probably just go to Dublin and rehearse there.' 'What the… what are you talking about?' When I played with David Lee Roth, we rehearsed three or four weeks."

Luzier also looked back on his ten years with KORN so far, saying: "I'm so glad that [guitarist] Head [Brian Welch] rejoined. I was in the band almost as long he has been out of the band, so when he rejoined, now it feels like a powerful force. He had reason for quitting. The original drummer just quit. He has just said, 'My heart's not in it anymore. I'm out. I gotta go.' And he left everybody. Head kind of left because he had a reason to. There was more of drug problems, and his daughter, and a lot of things. And he became a big rock star when KORN blew up. They were unstoppable. It was like on top of everybody, you know? It does a lot to your mind when you're in that game. I've joined a lot of bands, from David Lee Roth, and ARMY OF ANYONE, and Jake E. Lee from OZZY OSBOURNE. I have a lot of experience with big bands. But all my original bands in Los Angeles were not as successful. We'd get a little bit of success and then nothing. So yeah, it feels great, though. Just in the last few years I feel like, 'Okay, now I'm even part of this band and everything feels great.'"

Silveria in 2013 gave Luzier a little bit of a slam while emphasizing how important he was to KORN's original sound. "I am a funky groove drummer and Ray is a heavy metal drummer," he said. "That's why KORN will never sound as unique as we used to… KORN lost their groove."

KORN and STONE SOUR will join forces for a summer tour, set to get underway June 16 at the USANA Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, Utah and then continue through early August.

KORN's latest album, "The Serenity Of Suffering", came out at the end of October. The track "A Different World" features a guest appearance from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor.