Opening with the iconic growl Korn would forever be known for, “Life Is Peachy” had to meet high hopes rolling off their massive hit debut. Its release would peak at number 3 on the Billboard 200 but it wasn’t easy for the young band. They were living the typical rockstar lifestyle, spending more time high than sober and having difficulty coping with the social pressure. Creatively they were still churning out ideas, following a simple jam approach to write most of the album. In the short time they had to write and record the album, Korn scrapped together a cold scalpel version of their reverb-drenched sound. “Life is Peachy” would be remembered as one of their best albums despite being a narcotics-fueled album sandwiched between their two most significant releases.
The definitive nu-metal band, Korn not only popularized the genre but also dominated it for most of the ‘90s, competing with greats Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit. They captured a uniquely angsty generation of teens before rock’s gradual fall from grace but in a pre-internet era, allowing them to be some of the last true rockstars. Although they weren’t the most influential band of the 90s (that title fell on Nirvana), Korn were close runners-up, inspiring several subgenres of music, popularizing a crusty Adidas aesthetic and making metal cool again.
