“I freaked out and cried in the studio.” Korn's classic debut album at 30: the craziness, the trauma and the birth of nu metal

In 1994, heavy music was in a transition phase. Grunge had either wiped out or significantly diminished the popularity of many of the thrash and glam bands that dominated the previous decade (although that scene was about to suffer its own traumatic fall from grace with the death of Nirvana's legendary frontman Kurt Cobain). Additionally, the emergence of gangsta rap, with its genuine sense of danger and variety of larger-than-life personalities, diverted some people's attention toward it and away from guitar music.

During this period, the metal bands that were successful were those who adopted something that felt at least partially connected to the zeitgeist; Pantera and Sepultura were clearly heavy metal bands, but brought a sense of groove that traditional '80s metal lacked. Tool and Life of Agony shared Nirvana's emotional fragility and sensitivity. “Machine Head” and “Biohazard” were extremely heavy while also adopting the aesthetics and mannerisms of hip-hop.