NewsOctober 7, 2016 2:32 PM ET19,716 views

Korn frontman says Sepultura album was a 'blatant rip-off'

In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis speaks about the obvious influence his band had on the 1996 Sepultura album, Roots. Davis also explains that he partially blames producer Ross Robinson, who produced both Roots and Korn's first two albums. Interestingly, Roots featured a guest vocal appearance from Davis himself. Davis says that while the Sepultura album was a "blatant rip-off," he got over it:
"Slipknot were inspired by what we did, but they took it and did their own thing, which is fucking amazing. One that I thought was a big compliment, but I also thought was fucked up, was Sepultura's Roots album. That was just a blatant Korn rip-off, and I had it out with producer Ross Robinson about that, because he just took our sound and gave it to Sepultura. "My young brain couldn't handle it. But they were one of our biggest influences, so I guess they get a pass. And that's a classic album, so it's all good."
Meanwhile, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was a bit more philosophical:
"Here's the thing – that was us trying to imitate them! When Sepultura released Chaos A.D. in 1993, that was a huge influence on us, and it's still one of my favourite records. Now I'm older, I can appreciate art inspiring art."

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anonymous 10/7/2016 11:46:54 AM

Cool fact of the day. The Korn bass player has only played one note on every recording since the bands inception.

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:48:10 AM

BREAKING NEWS: Jonathan Davis is easily butthurt. Surprises no one.

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:50:18 AM

Why do people think Roots is a good album? It really isnt

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:57:08 AM

Jon Davis and that Brazilian bag of nuts deserve each other

anonymous 10/7/2016 12:10:08 PM

Ross is chilling in venice mansion right now crying a river

anonymous 10/7/2016 12:30:46 PM

he talks about this in the video where him and head are being interviewed in a car by a european f*ggot teenager

anonymous 10/7/2016 12:32:40 PM

if you think that there was ever a better band than korn circa 1993-1997 you are a complete retard

anonymous 10/7/2016 12:33:54 PM

you punk ass sissy i'm a ....freak you punk ass sissy i'm a...... FREAK

anonymous 10/7/2016 12:39:52 PM

okay and both bands blatantly ripped off Jones and NAILS concrete cassettes from the early 80s. move along, nothing to see here.

anonymous 10/7/2016 1:06:57 PM

Jonathan Davis vs Max Cavalera...its like watching 2 retards try to hump a doorknob

anonymous 10/7/2016 1:35:42 PM

anonymous57 minutes ago if you think that there was ever a better band than korn circa 1993-1997 you are a complete retard LOLLOL... You must be joking... Ever heard of Rage Against the Machine? Pantera? etc etc... KORN ---> LOL

anonymous 10/7/2016 1:37:17 PM

that's ridiculous. only like two songs sound remotely like Korn and just because low tuning.

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:06:22 PM

dudes with dreads and came shorts are pissed

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:08:34 PM

Imagine a member leaving this band. "The former Korn singer is starting a new band called Spinach. As the new Spinach singer he plans to step out of the shadows of his former band, Korn."

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:23:25 PM

Nobody cares. Jonathon Davis blatantly ripped off Mike Patton. Stop crying. You owe your career to Ross polishing the turd that is your sound.

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:38:20 PM

No you stope crying. Patton no originality, blatantly ripped off what Search Results Bad Brains had been doing for year.

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:43:05 PM

Worst band: korn, also Korn is the gateway to becoming a jugallo. This is a fact people

anonymous 10/7/2016 2:54:31 PM

Life is Peachy is a Code orange rip off.

anonymous 10/7/2016 3:01:40 PM

Terribly out of context headline. Also, no one cares.

anonymous 10/7/2016 3:13:23 PM

Lambgoat: Drama and Gossip Generate More Traffic Than News®

anonymous 10/7/2016 3:48:11 PM

Norma jean worst first week sales to date.....changed to Norma jean crack the top whatever

meatyd 10/7/2016 3:49:24 PM

Who had dreadlocks first? What about chain wallets?

anonymous 10/7/2016 4:16:49 PM

wait...didn't he (davis)have a guest vocal appearance on that album?

anonymous 10/7/2016 4:18:07 PM

Jonathan Davis was a bit more philosophical than James "Munky" Shaffer IMO. captcha = crowsfeet fellas

anonymous 10/7/2016 4:26:08 PM

This is a "my dad can beat up your dad" type of thing. Davis is also butt hurt because Sepultura has 2 "legendary" albums and Korn has none, nor is his band considered legendary. Regaurdless, both bands don't know when to quit.

anonymous 10/7/2016 4:43:23 PM

^ nasty comment- don't you think it's a bit harsh to make statements as insensitive like that....online? Aren't you worried about kama? I'd be more careful if i were you.

anonymous 10/7/2016 4:46:10 PM

^^^^^^^Your dads boyfriend (his dad) beat up your dad for not making his legendary butt hurt enough even though your dad didn't know when to quit.

anonymous 10/7/2016 5:00:48 PM

BAD BRIANS sucks, So does KORN and you.

anonymous 10/7/2016 5:09:10 PM

New Korn album is lit FAM

anonymous 10/7/2016 5:14:33 PM

Old men complaining about similar music made by other old men. Just have gay sex in the steamroom at 24hr fitness already. Sex heals vices.

anonymous 10/7/2016 6:24:06 PM

douglas yancy funnie > todd jones

anonymous 10/7/2016 6:32:27 PM

This one time me and Donkeylips collected everyone's spare change to buy hamburgers for the camp. Everyone distracted Ugg as we snuck up the camp road to collect our delicious prized hamburgers

anonymous 10/7/2016 7:21:53 PM

20 years later everyone gives a fck!

anonymous 10/7/2016 8:12:50 PM

LOLz @ Bad Brians

anonymous 10/7/2016 8:46:17 PM

2 bags of chips. Dressed all over, and Zesty Mordant.

anonymous 10/7/2016 9:30:24 PM

^^^^Hey Dildo! That would take 150 hours if no taxes were taken out. So reality is200 hours. At least do some math before you post.

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:43:08 PM

mafia 3 features nude women

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:48:21 PM

Says the guy who ripped off dubstep 20 years later because it was the most popular thing around at the time.

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:49:46 PM

"I guess they get a pass" The douchiest thing anyone has ever said.

anonymous 10/7/2016 11:52:09 PM

*sings on the album* *20 years later claims their sound was stolen*

anonymous 10/8/2016 1:48:50 AM

come with me.... we will travel the seas, we will embrace each other, and lose touch of reality, climb over mountains.... and saw through the air.... all i want girl, is for you to be there....

anonymous 10/8/2016 4:31:44 AM

My balls itch

anonymous 10/8/2016 8:11:45 AM

"My balls itch" LOLd.

anonymous 10/8/2016 8:18:10 AM

ass itch

anonymous 10/8/2016 9:42:54 AM

Didn't Davis do a dubstep project that ripped Skrillex and all those other guys?...interesting perspective Davis

united_ninety_three 10/8/2016 10:32:55 AM

lol @ all off the moronic asspssy nu metal kids this news post brought out.

anonymous 10/8/2016 2:30:55 PM

^^^^^ 99% of them were me self titled and life is peachy > all other shit it's not a game

anonymous 10/8/2016 3:16:33 PM

Jonny Davy

anonymous 10/8/2016 3:17:45 PM

jonathan davis is a blatant rip off of jonny davy from JFAC

anonymous 10/8/2016 4:21:23 PM

Nu metal is the hair metal of the 90s. Both are equally fcking gay.

anonymous 10/8/2016 8:51:54 PM

200 hrs. to those of use who work our is just 'a few hrs' to useasily achievable in month or friends aunt just boutght top of the range mercedes benz ?R-Class se the web -------------->>Webpay5.co m

anonymous 10/8/2016 10:36:40 PM

Roots is classic to me simply because I bought it the year it came out. I was a little gaygy 8th grader. I was a real gay and I liked boys. I'll tell ya something I didn't like........ KORN. That's what. Cause that band was soft and even at a young age I could tell that their fans were basically degenerate, low life, white/Mexican trash that didn't wear deodorant. Sincerely, Total gay/gay/bitch

anonymous 10/8/2016 11:46:01 PM

^^^^^^ so you're old as fck, awesome, congrats man

menstrualmath 10/9/2016 1:07:51 AM

Korn frontman says, 'i lost my glasses'

anonymous 10/9/2016 6:16:54 AM

The drumming on roots was excellent! So powerful... korn wishes they had that intensity lol

anonymous 10/9/2016 4:55:26 PM

Davis is 100% correct. When "Roots" came out in 1996 I was like "what the fck happened to Sepultura? They sound like KORN now!". I can hear a "Chaos AD" influcnce a bit on the KORN debut, but then SEP went and copied a sound that was cool at the time.

anonymous 10/9/2016 5:21:57 PM

^^ pees in his own mouth for fun

anonymous 10/10/2016 8:51:12 AM

sepultura > korn chaos a.d. > roots therefore korn sucks 8=D

anonymous 10/10/2016 10:00:04 AM

I can appreciate art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring art inspiring butts

anonymous 10/10/2016 11:25:50 AM

ball tongue

anonymous 10/10/2016 2:27:53 PM

Has he considered that it was Sepultura's natural sound progression, and that Korn, being influenced by Sep' also traveled down the path leading to that sound?

anonymous 10/10/2016 4:46:21 PM

let's be much more careful about throwing the word "art" around in this interview.

truthstar 10/10/2016 9:23:53 PM

koRn was the biggest fcking joke back in the day and somehow its fcking cool to like them now. someone fcking off me sick of this shit.

anonymous 10/11/2016 5:16:20 AM

Turds get mad at other turds for being stinkier.

anonymous 10/12/2016 3:55:32 AM

Where is SLK?

anonymous 10/12/2016 6:55:34 AM

Sepultura -"Lookaway" (feat. Jonathan Davis, Mike Patton & DJ Lethal).... yeah im sure he was real mad

anonymous 10/12/2016 9:27:11 AM

Wait I thought johnny davy was a pirate

anonymous 10/13/2016 8:30:53 AM

KORNY.

anonymous 10/13/2016 9:36:04 AM

CHAKA MALIK HERE. LETS SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. EVERYONE RIPPED ORANGE 9MM'S SOUND. THAT'S WHY I ENDED IT. NOW THEY TRYNA RIP BURN. GOOD LUCK

anonymous 10/19/2016 3:34:07 PM

First 2 albums were the only good ones anyways.




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