Korn Return with “Reward the Scars,” Their First New Track in Four Years

Korn have released “Reward the Scars,” their first new music since 2022’s *Requiem*. The single arrives as a collaboration with the upcoming *Lords of Hate* expansion for the video game *Diablo IV*, out April 28th. It is a surprise drop, but one that feels more tied to a marketing calendar than a genuine artistic impulse.

The track is produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who worked with the band on 2016’s *The Serenity of Suffering*. That familiarity shows. The production is clean and heavy, with Jonathan Davis’s signature vocal tics—the guttural growls, the strained melodies—sitting front and center. The guitars are downtuned and chugging, the drums hit with mechanical precision. It is Korn doing what Korn does, and it does not deviate from the formula.

What stands out is the pacing. The song builds slowly, opening with a sparse, almost industrial beat before the band kicks in. The chorus is anthemic in that specific Korn way, with Davis repeating the title hook over a wall of distortion. But the structure feels predictable. There is no real surprise here, no new texture or shift in tone that suggests growth. It is a competent addition to their catalog, but not a memorable one.

The timing is strategic. The single drops just before Korn’s appearance at Sick New World in Las Vegas and their upcoming Latin American tour. It also sets the stage for their European run with Architects later this year. “Reward the Scars” works as a live set piece, a song built for crowd participation and catharsis. But as a standalone release, it lacks the urgency or invention that would make it essential listening.

For a band that has been active for over three decades, Korn remains a reliable force. But “Reward the Scars” feels like a placeholder, a song designed to fill a slot rather than push the sound forward. It is not bad. It is just not necessary.