Why Deftones wouldn’t tour with Korn

Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno has explained why he and the band kept turning down the opportunity to tour with Korn in their early days.

Speaking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, the band reflect on creating their 1997 album Around The Fur to mark its 20th anniversary.

But while the nu metal scene was starting to take off around that time, Moreno and guitarist Stef Carpenter say they weren’t conscious of the movement and just wanted to make their second record the best it could be.

Carpenter says: “We didn’t really pay much attention to that. I remember when these subgenre names didn’t exist. It was just metal.

“So I don’t think we made a decision to step away from it – we’ve never paid attention to what anyone else was doing. We just did what we thought was right, and tried to make a killer album.”

Moreno reports they made a conscious decision of what bands they would play shows with – but Korn weren’t top of the list.

He continues: “It was hard to be this young band and having to turn down tours. I can’t remember how many times I turned down Korn! And they got pissed at us.

“Jonathan Davis would say, ‘Why do you hate us?’ and I didn’t know what to say. I’d tell him, ‘Dude, I don’t hate you. I love you guys, you’re my friends – but I don’t want to tour with you. I don’t want to be on the Family Values with you and Limp Bizkit.’

“The name of the genre was nu metal, so anything that is new is one day going to be old. And I didn’t want to be old with it.”

The full interview can be found in the brand new issue of Metal Hammer magazine which is on sale now. Rammstein are the cover stars, while Megadeth, System Of A Down and Beartooth also feature.

You can also read Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog free online with a TeamRock+ subscription.

Deftones are currently on tour across Europe. They were forced to cancel their show in Cologne earlier this week after Moreno suffered a broken foot after falling from a stage in Belgium.

Deftones 2017 tour dates

May 05: London Alexandra Palace, UK
May 06: Manchester O2 Apollo, UK
May 07: Glasgow SECC, UK
May 09: Dublin Vicar Street, Ireland
May 10: Dublin Vicar Street, Ireland
Jun 09: Chicago Huntington Bank Pavilion, IL
Jun 10: Sterling HeightsMichigan Lottery Amphitheatre, IL
Jun 11: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON
Jun 13: Wantagh Jones Beach Amphitheatre, NY
Jun 14: National Harbor MGM, MD
Jun16: Boston Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, MA
Jun 17: Philadelphia Festival Pier, PA
Jun 18: Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheatre, NC
Jun 20: Charlotte Metro Credit Union, NC
Jun 22: Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union, FL
Jun 23: Miami Bayfront Amphitheatre, FL
Jun 24: Jacksonville Daily’s Place, FL
Jun 26: The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Jun 27: Dallas Starplex Pavilion, TX
Jun 28: Austin 360, TX
Jun 30: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Jul 01: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Jul 03: Seattle White River Amphitheatre, WA
Jul 04: Bend Les Schwab Amphitheatre, OR
Jul 06: Concord Pavilion, CA
Jul 07: Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre, CA
Jul 08: Las Vegas Downtown Event Center, NV
Jul 09: Phoenix Ak Chin Pavilion, AZ

Deftones: How we made Around The Fur

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.