In This Moment, Korn, Rob Zombie
Austin 360 Amphitheater, Austin, Texas
August 2, 2016
How many fans does Korn and Rob Zombie still have? I wondered as I set out towards the outdoor venue located next to the Formula 1 racetrack that was built not too many years ago on the outskirts of the Live Music Capitol of the World. Turns out the answer to my query was a lot – 10,000-plus a lot.
First up was a band I was not familiar with. One of my hard rockin’ friends told me she was the female Marilyn Manson. “Can’t be!” I thought. The stage was nice and macabre, which was a good sign (if you’re into that sort of thing … which I am). I’m a big fan of the doomy, “gothic” hard rock of bands like Marilyn Manson, Rackets and Drapes, H.I.M., The Becoming and Type O Negative. If there was to be a new artist to add to this list, I was all ears.
Turns out it was a very visual show – perhaps more for the eyes than the ears. The drumset had these giant skeletal fingers coming up off the drum cage. It was going to be dark. This certainly fit the bill with the scary-core lineup of Korn and Rob Zombie.
The first clue to what was going to happen was a giant cabana or tent that was placed at center stage a good 10 feet from the edge. Turns out Maria Brink and her two female dancers would make a costume change between each and every song. This was a bit of a distraction on a big outdoor stage, but only because it was out of the norm. The wait between songs was not really a bother – especially since the trade-off was another stark visual look from the trio.
Maria Brink is the star of the show, but her dancers and backup band have lots to add as well, with their dark, drab and metal outfits – complete with masks, face-paint or other dark accoutrements. They are all outrageous, but quickly fade into the background compared to the show and sinister outfits donned by Brink. She’s quite stunning – over-the-top costume or not. She has quite the voice, too. Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson would be proud, as I’m sure Rob Zombie is as well.
If she had some killer tunes, the show would be much more impacting, but that’s not to say it sucked. The overall sound is heavy-based with a nod to the frenetic beat of dance music – but only a seasoning of electronic. I’d love to hear her take on a cover tune a la dark/doom rock, like “You’re So Vain” or “Personal Jesus,” as her male counterpart MM has done.
Her tunes “Sick Like Me,” “Adrenalized” and “Black Widow” have a nice, heavy sound to them. “Burn” was a little more intense and passionate, at least upon first listen.
It was even quite redeeming to hear her lyrics and message during the song “Whore,” which underlined the beauty, dignity and value that each of us have – even those discarded and judged as outcasts.
While at first glance she might seem to be pushing the limits of taste, she shows much restraint and class, relatively speaking (especially in the context of a no-rules genre of shock rock that she might be associated with). Artists like Zombie, Jim Rose and some legendary punk acts go to further, smuttier lengths (like porn).
I was impressed.
Korn came on next and the massive crowd was roaring with approval. Head, Fieldy, Munky and Ray Luzier all sauntered out onto the stage, laying down a nice groove (the tune “Right Now”) before Jonathan Davis came and grabbed his chrome naked lady mic stand. This is one of those very unique bands that mixes a lot of influence – from drugs, porn and profanity to the bold and unashamed witness of Christ via members Fieldy and Head.
It’s awesome to see the tattooed letters J-E-S-U-S on Head’s fingers as he solos in front of the stage cameras, plastering a giant, evangelistic message and Name on the giant video screens behind and on either side of the stage.
Korn comes off loud, proud and heavy, which is a nice tribute to a band that’s been around almost a quarter century. While not sporting a chip-on-their-shoulder and something-to-prove passion in their playing, they’re pretty darn close to being at the top of their game and not missing a beat.
Tunes like “Coming Undone,” “Make Me Bad” and “Somebody Someone,” with a few riffs reminiscent of VH’s “Jamie’s Cryin’” all sounded full, heavy and phat. It was tunes like “Shoots and Ladders,” which had the band deftly segueing into Metallica’s “One,” that really tilted the sonic meter in Korn’s direction. The crowd seemed to love every single note and dirty, heavy riff, but the band sounded best on these well-worn hits.
Korn finished up with “Freak on a Leash” and the friendliest bunch of dark rockers left the stage smiling and waving.
Rob Zombie took to the stage with “Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown,” setting the tone with the larger-than-life spectacle that was to come. “Superbeast” had a giant devil / beast that came out behind the band, kinda like the clownish “Ed the Head” (aka Eddie) mascot that Iron Maiden uses on stage.
A song or two later Zombie and highly proficient band (including guitar great John 5) romped through a fun cover of Ton Loc’s “Wild Thing.” That was a blast.
More stage props and tunes from the musician and filmmaker’s long career, the show was a blitzkrieg of visual images, which included a couple White Zombie tunes (“More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65”). John 5 showed off his chops in a certified guitar solo after “House of 1000 Corpses.”
The show ended with a huge, rockin’ cover of the Grand Funk hit, “We’re An American Band,” which served as a great endcap on the show. They encored with “Dragula” and the metallic onslaught was on to the next city.
—Review and Photos by Doug Van Pelt. Photos edited by Teresa Turnage-Simon. © 2016
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