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Korn has shattered a five-year silence with the surprise release of “Reward The Scars,” a pummeling new track recorded in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment for the upcoming Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion. Marking their first original material since 2022’s Requiem, the pioneering nu-metal legends have officially returned to the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz—the man behind their critically acclaimed 2019 effort The Nothing. The track, specifically written to capture the dark, atmospheric dread of the Diablo universe, arrives just as the band prepares to headline the massive Sick New World festival in Las Vegas this weekend.

The partnership is a natural fit for frontman Jonathan Davis, a notorious high-stakes gamer who has spent decades integrating dark, industrial aesthetics into Korn’s sound. With the Lord of Hatred expansion set to drop on April 28, “Reward The Scars” serves as the official sonic gateway to the game’s newest chapter. Fans won’t have to wait long to hear the band’s refreshed energy live, as the group’s return to the stage on April 25 kicks off a relentless 2026 world tour that spans South America, Europe, and the UK.

The Raskulinecz Connection: Korn’s Sonic Return

For “Reward The Scars,” Korn reunited with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Deftones, Evanescence), a move that signals a return to the heavy, layered intensity that defined the band’s late-2010s output. Raskulinecz famously helped steer the band back to their roots on 2016’s The Serenity of Suffering and 2019’s The Nothing, and his influence is palpable on the new track’s gritty, downtuned production.

While the band has spent the last several years focusing on solo projects and legacy tours, “Reward The Scars” marks a pivotal moment of creative growth. Written specifically for the Diablo IV universe, the track leans into the “Lord of Hatred” theme, providing a haunting backdrop for the expansion’s new classes—the Paladin and the Warlock—which are set to debut on April 28.

We Also Recommend – All 14 Korn Albums Ranked Worst to Best (The Definitive Nu-Metal Guide)

Sick New World and the 2026 World Tour

The surprise release comes just days before Korn headlines the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 25. The festival appearance serves as the official launch of a massive global itinerary that will see the band touring through South America in May with support from Spiritbox, followed by a sprawling European and UK arena run this fall alongside Architects. Get your tickets here.

Korn 2026 Tour Dates

(Full European schedule includes stops in Stuttgart, Munich, Paris, Berlin, and Milan through November 21.)

Jonathan Davis: The Gaming Frontman

Jonathan Davis’s involvement with Diablo IV is the latest chapter in his long-standing history with gaming culture. While the frontman’s specific fandom for the Diablo series has been a topic of debate among fans, his status as an avid gamer is undisputed. By “rewarding the scars” of the Diablo player base, Korn is bridging the gap between heavy metal and the dark-fantasy gaming community, ensuring their five-year hiatus ends with a definitive, atmospheric bang.

Make sure to tune in to the Loaded Radio 24-hour heavy metal stream and catch the Loaded Radio Podcast every week for unfiltered, high-octane interviews with the biggest names in hard rock and metal.

TL;DR:

Korn has released “Reward The Scars,” their first new song in five years, created for the Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion pack (out April 28). Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the track debuts just before the band’s headlining set at Sick New World in Las Vegas on April 25, which kicks off a global world tour including South America and Europe.

The post The Wait is Over: Korn Surprise Release “Reward The Scars”—Their First New Song in Five Years! appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Posted on April 23rd 2026, 4:20p.m.

Earlier this week, motherfucking Slayer announced that they were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Reign In Blood with a pair of special shows: one on September 4 in Shakopee, Minnesota and another on November 13 in Los Angeles, California. The list of supporting acts are stacked and all, but we should have known they weren’t done adding anniversary shows — it is a major milestone, after all.

Well, that’s exactly what happened. Earlier this morning, the iconic thrash metal band announced a third Reign In Blood 40th anniversary show. This time around, the show will take place in Los Angeles, California on November 14. That means the Kia Forum will host two consecutive nights of what could be one of the more killer shows of the year.

Slayer said they added the second date “due to overwhelming demand” after tickets for the November 13 show quickly sold out. The supporting acts/special guests for the second night will be the same as the first night — Cannibal Corpse, the Cavaleras playing Chaos A.D., and Crowbar.

Tickets for the second Los Angeles show will go live tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST. If you don’t want to wait, there’s always a pre-sale starting at noon today using the code RIB2026.

The post Slayer Extend ‘Reign in Blood’ Victory Lap With Another Anniversary Show appeared first on MetalSucks.

Track listing:

01. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

02. Lightning Strike

03. Breaking The Law

04. Beyond The Realms Of Death

05. Painkiller

06. Hell Bent For Leather

07. Rocka Rolla

08. Turbo Lover

09. Electric Eye

10. Crown Of Horns

11. Living After Midnight

12. Night Crawler

13. Heading Out To The Highway

14. Better By You, Better Than Me

15. The Sentinel

16. Diamonds And Rust

Order yours here: https://shop.judaspriest.com/products/the-best-of-judas-priest-cd

The post EXHUMED + IRON REAGAN: Tankcrimes To Repress Long Out-Of-Print Split Release On May 15th; Preorders Available appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.

Inspired by the upcoming ‘Lord Of Hatred’ expansion.

The post Korn Surprise Release New ‘Diablo IV’-Inspired Song “Reward The Scars” appeared first on Theprp.com.

The post BRINGERS OF DISEASE: No Clean Singing Premieres Sulphur LP From Vile Black Metal Faction Formed By Acheron, Acid Bath, Chrome Waves Members/Alumni; Album Out Friday On Disorder Recordings appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.

This summer, Eaux Claires, the music festival that Bon Iver main man Justin Vernon co-founded with the National’s Aaron Dessner, will make its grand return to Vernon’s Eau Claire, Wisconsin hometown. It’ll be the first Eaux Claires fest since 2018. Earlier this year, Vernon unveiled the festival’s lineup, and it includes luminaries like Aimee Mann, Daniel Caesar, Dijon, Lil Yachty, Kevin Morby, and “Bon Dylan.” Today, Justin Vernon tells us what “Bon Dylan” is.

The post Justin Vernon Details Bob Dylan Covers Show, Shares “Not Dark Yet” appeared first on Stereogum.

Rock ‘n’ roll has always been about excitement and danger, the ability to subvert the norm and turn it into something visceral. As time goes by, it seems like more and more is pushed to reach that new high, the old shocks becoming jaded due to repetition and expectation, familiarity breeding contempt.

President

Nick Rayns LCR, UEA, Norwich – 20 April 2026

Words: Paul Monkhouse

Photography: @zakpinchinfilms

In the 1970’s, bands like KISS and Alice Cooper pushed the theatrical side of rock, bringing genuine drama and a sense of otherworldliness to the scene, the latter having some great songs to boot.

Nowadays, it’s down to Slipknot, Lordi, Ghost and Sleep Token to bring that air of mystery, the former of course having been readily exposed without their masks, but there remains a frisson of curiosity as to real identities as each lets the music do the talking.

It has been written that President were years in development, a top-secret project that brought all of Download to a standstill when they made their debut onsite at an absolutely rammed Dogtooth Stage last year.

Their brief but impactful set was the talk of the weekend, a truly viral event with hundreds claiming they were there when in actuality they were far from the tent.

With quite a few more dates under their belts, this debut UK tour was the chance for people to really get a chance to see the band up close, every date selling out in record time.

When the travelling campaign trail hit Norwich, fifteen hundred squeezed into the venue for the rally, ready to hang on every word.

Things had reached fever pitch by the time vocalist President, guitarist Heist, bass player Protest, and drummer Vice strolled onto stage and tore into the soaring yet crushing Fearless in front of a crowd in a state of near hysteria, as they chanted its title with arms raised.

With their heady blend of Metalcore and electronica, the outfit can build skyscraping anthems like Dionysus that float along with an almost pop melody yet wind up with a blistering breakdown that sees the vocalist at his rawest.

Pacing the stage as his masked compatriots pour everything into their instruments, President sees every eye glued to him, the tall anonymous figure blending circus ringmaster and siren.

A gorgeous RAGE is transfixing, the punch of the heavy section in such stark contrast to the electronic burbling that leads to it like being suddenly doused with a bucket of icy water.

Throwing in a cover of Deftones number Change (In The House of Flies) worked well, the song a natural fit into the set and moved wordlessly into set closer Conclave as an extended finish brought out the angular muscle of its last notes.

A swift return for three more numbers finishing with a delightfully unhinged mix of light and shade, with In The Name of the Father, the quartet left the stage, the rally complete and the committed dazed.

With a total running time of just over forty minutes, it seems like President have a lot of work ahead of them to justify headlining a tour with such a brief set, and at times the evening seemed unnecessarily stretched to compensate for this seeming lack of material.

With the ever-growing use of AI in music and effects slathered live shows, the experience of going to a gig is changing rapidly to fit with the TikTok generation, the medium having to work ever harder to gain and keep attention.

President tread a fine line at the moment, capturing their own zeitgeist with some great songs but are in danger of becoming a novelty when the world is starting to look for something with a more human touch.

Only time will tell.