Brian Welch, Head

Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch of Korn, captured in a 2013 performance, and his band will share the Blossom Music Center stage with co-headliner Rob Zombie on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

(Paul A. Hebert, AP file)

PREVIEW

Korn

Co-headliner:

.

When:

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Where:

Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls.

Opener:

In This Moment.

Tickets:

$25 to $69.50, plus fees, at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, online at

and

and by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Want a scary thought? Korn is just three years away from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility.

That may freak you, me and anyone who remembers vocalist Jonathan Davis and his dreads of that era making their nu-metal debut in 1994. But what we think is nothing compared to what the reminder triggered in lead guitarist Brian "Head'' Welch.

"No waaaaaay!'' said Welch, calling from a tour stop in St. Louis to talk about Korn's show with heavy metal icon Rob Zombie on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Blossom Music Center. "I never ever, ever, ever thought about it.''

But, let's say you DID think about it?

"It would be cool, and it would be an honor,'' said Welch after a bit of reflection. And yet, he's pretty sure the question is moot.

"Knowing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and how they choose people, I'd be very surprised if we got chosen,'' he said. "A lot of times, it feels like it's for the hype.''

Welch diplomatically said he does like a lot of bands that are among the ranks of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, then expressed incredulity upon learning that Abba is an inductee.

Minds sufficiently blown, we turned to discuss the band's newest album, "Serenity of Suffering,'' which is due out on Oct. 21. An advance copy of the album showed it to be even heavier than Korn's previous 11 efforts, but still true to Korn's angst-ridden lyrics.

"It's really heavy,'' said Welch. "We spent hours and hours in the studio writing it - me, Munky [guitarist Jim Shaffer] and Ray [Luzier], our drummer. We started in 2015 writing riffs.''

The guys brought the sound the sound to Davis, who originally was less than impressed.

"We were like, whoa, this might not be good,'' Welch said. "I loved most of the songs, but he might not be into it, because he didn't like the style.

"I think he was hearing songs that weren't finished, demos without all the bells and whistles on them,'' Welch said. "It was more of a guitar-heavy record than he was used to, and he was afraid . . . we were sounding too much like back in the day.''

Korn, throughout its career, has tried to maintain that consistency, and still develop and grow with each album. It's a difficult tightrope to walk. In the end, Welch is confident that "Serenity of Suffering'' has been able to do that.

"There are bits and pieces of all kinds of Korn stuff that have been going on in the last 22 years, with the dynamics of the song, lots of energy, getting quiet and then going crazy,'' he said.

"When we started Korn, we wrote all the songs thinking of live shows,'' Welch said. "This new record, we wanted to write like that, too.''

And there's a bit of vested interest in that, Welch admitted.

"If I have to play these songs live for the next decade, I want to have fun playing them,'' he said.

Fun is one more reason the guys from Korn decided to team up with Zombie again.

"We've been touring with Zombie since 1999, off and on,'' Welch said. "It's a good pairing, and the shows have been selling so well - we've had a few sellouts already,'' he said. Right now, Blossom isn't among them, but that could change.

The two are co-headlining the tour, so they're trading off on closing. But, perhaps showing the effects of those 22 years, Welch has a preference.

"I like when he closes,'' said Welch, now 46. "It means I get done earlier.''

Old men gotta rest up for that Rock Hall induction speech.