"There are no lead guitars in this band, just guitars," says James "Munkey" Schaffer, of the ultra- aggro- crunchmeisters Korn. "It was pretty unanimous from the beginning that no one liked leads, so we've always avoided them." Korn the Huntington Beach, California, bands maiden offering, attests to the judicious nature of the band's decision. Though there's not a triplet of flashy scale runs to be found, there's no shortage of scorching intensity, thanks in large part to Munkey and Brian "Head" Welch's unique style of interplay, a fiery concoction of seismic chordal riffing and scratchy squalls that recalls both the thunderous fury of Tool and the fractured loopiness of Primus.

If the two seem to have mastered the art of complementary playing, though, they insist their approach is wholly undeliberated. "We just do what sounds best," says Welch. "Whatever tingles our little hearts."

The pair have been tingling each other since high school, when Welch first turned Munkey on to the joys of six string. "He inspired me to start playing when we were 14 or 15," Munkey recalls. "Actually, he sold me my first guitar- and he ripped me off! It was a Peavey Mystic, which looked like a big tooth. He sold it to me for $300." "It's true." Welch laughs. "I played it for a few years and then I made my money back. and then some, on Munkey."

These days, things are considerably more even handed; both guitarists play seven-string Ibanez Universes, with the bottom two strings turned down to D and A respectively, to generate a more boomy attack. They worked their rigs out together, much as they do their songwriting. "Everybody has their input." says Munkey. "Nothing gets by without everyone liking it 100 percent. Everybody has to be fully into it."

Guitar World "Tune-Ups"