Throughout his August 1 speech on the sixth annual SoulStock Pageant at Shawmut Park in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, Brian “Head” Welch — who left KORN in early 2005, on the identical time asserting that he kicked his addictions to medicine and alcohol by changing into a born-again Christian — spoke about his resolution to exit the band and his eventual return. He stated partly (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”I ended up leaving the band for some time and I laid it down, as they are saying. You lay on the altar, you give up your life. And the disciples left every thing to observe Christ. And so I left my band. I advised them, ‘I do not wanna do that anymore.’ We had a $25-million contract with one other document label on the desk. They have been negotiating. And I used to be so inspired and simply joyful about Jesus, I did not care. I went on a radio station and advised everyone, ‘Come to this church. I am gonna let you know why I am leaving my band.’ And my band’s, like, ‘Is that this a sensible joke? Are we getting punked?’ … They did not perceive. They thought it was a joke. And subsequent factor you realize, MTV, CNN, Fox Information, all these stations, go to this church to seek out out what occurred to the darkish metallic man. And I obtained up there and confessed in entrance of my household for the primary time and the world that I had been a crystal methamphetamine person for all these years. And I teared up, and it was onerous, actually.”
Welch continued: “I knew at that second that I had discovered one thing that was gonna be the remainder of my life. Individuals have been saying it was a section, however I used to be, like, ‘I do not care what they are saying. They do not perceive what I simply skilled. I discovered the that means of life. I discovered the that means of my life. And I do not know what I am gonna do with music. I do not know, however I do know that I discovered the rationale for me respiration is that this. And I do not care who says it isn’t gonna final. I do know it is gonna final.’ And I knew it then and I do know it now. And it is proof now, as a result of it was actual. And I did not know, ‘trigger I began going again to KORN. The Lord led me again there. And it is messy and a few folks do not perceive it, however I do know that I do know that I do know, by means of those that I trusted that recommended me by means of it, and simply seeing the issues which have been taking place, what God has performed, I do know that I am presupposed to be there. And it has been a loopy journey.”
Lower than a month after leaving KORN, Welch — carrying a white gown and sporting a protracted beard — was baptized in Israel’s Jordan River, together with about 20 different members of the Valley Bible Fellowship, the Bakersfield, California, church by which he spoke two weekends earlier. On the time, Brian advised MTV Information that he determined to be baptized within the Jordan after receiving a divine message.
Welch formally returned to KORN in 2013, one yr after becoming a member of the band onstage on the Carolina Insurrection competition in Rockingham, North Carolina to carry out “Blind”.
Brian advised the SoulStock crowd: “I have been again within the band for 13 years. My first run was 11 years, so I have been again within the band longer than I used to be the primary 11 years. And God has performed so many issues. We’re simply very grateful now. We’re outdated. We’re simply outdated. We’re in our mid-fifties. We’re simply, like, ‘Oh my God, thank God we’re nonetheless doing this.’
“Not everyone believes like me within the band,” Welch admitted. “Does all your household consider such as you, no matter you consider? No. However they’re my household. And I have been capable of share my story everywhere in the world to followers and to point out them the non-religious Jesus Christ, not the one that’s outdoors of rock concert events and rap concert events saying, ‘You are going to hell. Jesus hates you. You are going to hell.’ That is not the Jesus I met. I met a God that stated, ‘I am gonna lead you to repentance with my kindness.'”
Since his conversion to Christ 20 years in the past, Welch has been very open about how God modified his way of life and restored his relationship together with his daughter.
In recent times, Brian has been preaching that individuals haven’t got to attend till they die to see if having an encounter with the presence of God is actual.
Each Welch and KORN bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu have had extremely public, although separate, conversion experiences, ones which have been greeted with a specific amount of skepticism.
In 2007, Welch‘s memoir, “Save Me From Myself: How I Discovered God, Give up Korn, Kicked Medication, And Lived To Inform My Story”, rocketed into The New York Occasions bestsellers listing after its first week of publication, debuting at No. 20 on the “Non-Fiction” listing.
Within the ebook, Welch talked for the primary time about how his tumultuous life with KORN led to his stunning resolution to stop the band.
In Might 2022, KORN frontman Jonathan Davis was requested by one of many readers of U.Ok.’s Metallic Hammer journal if Jonathan had ever been to church with Welch and Arvizu. Davis responded: “No. I have been to church and I respect their beliefs.
“The world could be a a lot better place if folks would simply cease fucking sticking their noses the place they do not belong and respect folks’s beliefs.
“My solely downside with Christianity is the fucking ‘holier than thou, we’re higher than you’ bullshit,” he continued.
“However these two, particularly Head, do not speak about that stuff. He simply kicks again and accepts everybody for who they’re.
“We performed a livestream in a church once we launched the brand new document and that was cool,” Davis added. “I like the precise buildings. I adorn my home like a church. I simply do not essentially like what goes on in them. [Laughs]”
Six years in the past, Jonathan touched upon his emotions about Christianity whereas talking to Mistress Carrie about his look within the first feature-length documentary about Welch. “Loud Krazy Love” is Welch‘s story of faith-based redemption and Davis‘s skepticism about Welch‘s religious awakening helps to offer stability within the film, which debuted in Might 2018 on the Dallas Worldwide Movie Pageant.
Within the movie, Davis is especially blunt about his emotions towards faith. Whereas he’s blissful that faith has helped Brian come to phrases together with his points, the singer criticizes what he views because the assimilation ways of Christian recruiters.
“I do not purchase into that bullshit, they usually all fucking realize it,” Davis stated. “Do not even attempt to try this to me, ‘trigger I will shut your ass down in two seconds.
“For those who have a look at it, it is fairly fucking humorous how they consider and the way they act,” he continued. “It is ridiculous. I believe [Head] agrees with plenty of what I used to be saying. It wasn’t to be imply; it is simply actual and it is true.
“I respect anybody’s beliefs, however when it is radical, like a few of these folks, I do not like that. And the entire method every thing occurred, I used to be simply being actual, and everyone favored that.
“I’ve no downside with [Head‘s faith]; it is simply the faith basically,” Davis added. “I’ve no downside. I am glad that one thing may get him out of his darkish gap and darkish place. So I completely respect that. And if folks want that, tremendous. Simply do not throw your views on me. That is the solely downside I’ve. Do not push what you consider on me. I am not doing it to you. So get the fuck again.”
Again in 2018, Welch advised Billboard that he beloved the truth that Jonathan spoke his thoughts within the movie. “He simply was trustworthy, whether or not it offended me or the fellows doing the film,” he stated. “We simply wished him to share his emotions on every thing. When he talked about me going again and all this stuff that I used to be saying, he is like, ‘Man, that is not God telling you; that is your head telling you.’ I believe it is good as a result of that is plenty of what folks assume, and it was good to have his opinion. And you realize what? Household can have completely different beliefs and various things happening. And what do you do? Do you permit your loved ones as a result of they consider one thing completely different? No, you stick it out and also you stick collectively and you’re employed out life.”
Posted by SoulStock Pageant on Monday, July 14, 2025
