Korn
Korn emerged from Bakersfield, California, in 1993, pioneering the nu-metal sound with detuned seven-string guitars, a slapping, funk-derived rhythm section, and Jonathan Davis's raw, keening howl. Albums like their 1994 self-titled debut and 1998's 'Follow the Leader' turned inner torment and abrasive groove into a commercial juggernaut. The band explicitly framed itself as the heavy heir to funk-metal forebears, dragging hip-hop phrasing and hardcore weight into a single, hugely influential template.
Korn's members have repeatedly credited Faith No More's 1989 album 'The Real Thing' as the record that showed them heavy music didn't have to be conventional metal; the influence surfaces in Korn's whiplash shifts between rapped verses, sung melody, and screamed release.
listen forPlay Faith No More's genre-hopping 'Epic,' then Korn's 'Freak on a Leash' — both lurch from bouncing, rap-inflected verses into a huge melodic-then-unhinged payoff, treating dynamics and vocal mode-switching as the main event.
Bassist Fieldy has named Flea and the Chili Peppers' 'Freaky Styley' among his key influences, and that funk foundation is audible in Korn's rhythm section, where the bass slaps and pops as a lead voice rather than just holding down roots.
listen forThrow on the Chili Peppers' slap-funk anthem 'Give It Away,' then Korn's 'Got the Life' — both ride an elastic, popping bass groove that makes a heavy rock band feel danceable and funk-driven.
Fieldy has also cited Les Claypool of Primus as a bass influence, and Korn's earliest material shares Primus's percussive, hyper-articulated approach to the low end — the bass clicking and snapping like another drum.
listen forCompare the rubbery, percussive bass of Primus's 'Tommy the Cat' with Korn's 'Ball Tongue' — in both, the bass is dry, clicky, and up front, driving the riff instead of merely supporting it.