Korn released See You On The Other Side on December 6, 2005, through Virgin Records in the United States. Their seventh studio album was the first recorded without founding guitarist Brian “Head” Welch. With James “Munky” Shaffer handling guitars, the band opened up its writing process to the Matrix and Atticus Ross, alongside singer and co-producer Jonathan Davis.
The Matrix co-wrote and produced eight of the album’s 14 tracks, including lead single “Twisted Transistor” and “Coming Undone.” Ross brought production and programming to songs including “Open Up” and “Tearjerker.” Those collaborators helped build the material, working with Korn on song structures and the ways Davis could sing them. Their involvement extended through arrangements, lyrics and production.
Davis described the process in a 2005 MTV interview. The band would play together and develop parts, then the Matrix’s Scott Spock would work on their arrangement. Lauren Christy worked with Davis on vocals and lyrics. “It was a true collaboration,” Davis said. He emphasized that Korn weren’t being handed finished songs to perform. The outside writers were taking ideas the musicians had generated and finding possibilities the band hadn’t considered. That distinction mattered for an album made while Korn were adjusting to a smaller lineup.
For Davis, the attraction was finding a different way to express himself. In a press statement announcing the record, he explained that he wanted to move beyond familiar lyrical habits. Melody and phrasing could limit what he was able to communicate, and the additional writers helped him work through those restrictions. The aim was to change how he put his thoughts into songs while retaining the band’s identity.
The instrumental work also moved between programming and performance. In an August 2007 interview with Westword, Munky explained that many songs on See You On The Other Side began with programmed drums built around guitar riffs he had written. David Silveria then recorded the drum parts and developed them further. Electronic rhythm tracks were part of the writing process, with the band’s original drummer contributing to the finished performances.
The move to Virgin changed the business around those sessions, too. Korn’s arrangement with EMI extended into touring, merchandise and other activities beyond record sales. Yet Munky recalled that See You On The Other Side was already roughly three-quarters finished when the deal was presented. His account places much of the album’s development before the label agreement. Korn were negotiating a new commercial structure around music they had already spent substantial time making.
The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3 with 221,000 copies sold in its first week. More than 30 percent of those purchases were the deluxe edition, which paired additional music and live video with a year’s membership in the band’s online fan club. The expanded package connected the physical release to Korn’s digital fan community.
See You On The Other Side also became Silveria’s final studio album with Korn. His departure in 2006 meant that the quartet assembled after Welch’s exit lasted for just this one studio release.
