Max Cavalera Thought Korn Made A Huge Name Mistake

Max Cavalera of Sepultura spoke about Korn’s 30th anniversary on the ‘Talk Toomey’ podcast. The musician remembers discovering the band. “Yes, very nostalgic. My late stepson Dana—Gloria’s son, who was slain in 1996—came home. Dana brought both records home along with Korn’s one-song promo and Deftones’ “Adrenaline.” I heard them both. I have no notion who those bands were. I joked with Dana about the names. You have a strange name, Korn. I doubt that will work. How wrong was I?

I really loved the song. Especially recording ‘Roots’ and [Soulfly’s debut album] ‘Soulfly,’ a lot of times, in the car, going in the studio, going up in Malibu, I was blasting Korn, Deftones’ ‘Adrenaline’, and I got to be part of the second [Deftones album], ‘Around The Fur’, which is one of my favorite records of all time,” Cavalera said. “That record rocks, man. Killer. I still listen to that and think, ‘Whoa, what a banger of an album.’ Yes, the first Korn is identical. Incredible record. It’s emotional and ballsy. That record has fantastic grooves.”

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis told Metal Hammer in 2016 that Sepultura’s album ‘Roots’ mimicked Korn’s sound. “I thought it was a big compliment and f*cked up. That was a Korn rip-off, and I fought with producer Ross Robinson because he gave Sepultura our sound. My immature brain couldn’t handle it. I suppose they deserve a pass because they were one of our main influencers. This is a classic album, so it’s fine.”

After clarifying, Cavalera denied this. “I don’t see it like that,” he responded. “I think Korn’s bass sound is terrible. We had a lot of low end and other stuff the Korn CD didn’t. I don’t see why he’s mad—they’re not that comparable. We wanted to collaborate with Ross for more than Korn. I appreciated his Fear Factory demo’s raw sound. I enjoyed his Deftones song on ‘Adrenaline’.”

Korn’s debut album turned 30 this month. The band launched an interactive free pop-up museum, limited-edition ‘Here to Slay’ hot sauce, and two skate decks with The Skateroom to commemorate.