Korn will headline this year's Halos N' Horns Music Festival, scheduled to take place on Friday, October 30th at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The Halloween-themed event will also feature performances from Shiny Toy Guns, Droid, Girl Talk and a reported total of more than 100 other acts, most of them local, performing on 13 different stages. The full lineup will offer music ranging from rock to pop to hip-hop, while a costume contest with a cash grand prize will also be part of the festivities. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster, ranging from $40 to $150.

Meanwhile, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis recently began recording his vocals for the band's ninth studio album, according to Noisecreep.com. The disc, with a working title of Korn III, was originally supposed to be based on a concept that Davis had about the downfall of man being caused by drugs, religion, power, money and time. He told us earlier this year he was especially incensed by religion: "I have a real problem with organized religion, brother. A real problem with it. I've lost Head (ex-guitarist Brian "Head" Welch) because of it, I've lost a lot of friends because of it, and I just have a real problem with Christianity and savior-based religions in general."

Korn bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and ex-guitarist Brian "Head" Welch are both born-again Christians.

Davis, however, has backed away from his initial lyrical concepts, telling Noisecreep, "It's turning into something else. I was going for that, and I was writing lyrics and stuff around that vibe. And other stuff started coming out, and I can't control what's coming out on my inside."

The upcoming Korn CD is being produced by Ross Robinson, who worked on the group's first two albums. Davis said the new project is "really like the old school stuff . . . it's just been amazing, and it sounds like nothing we've ever done. It's more in the vein of the first two records, and we're really excited about it."

Korn III is tentatively scheduled for an early 2010 release, although the band has yet to sign with a new label after completing its two-album contract with Virgin Records in 2007.

Davis has also been working on his debut solo effort, although that is not likely to be completed and released until after the next Korn album cycle is finished.