KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has clarified his recent comments about Christianity, insisting that he was only referring to his early fanaticism with the religion.
During an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn‘s “No Fuckin’ Regrets With Robb Flynn” podcast, Welch — who left KORN in early 2005, at the same time announcing that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian — spoke about the impact his new awareness has had on his life, his family and the influential rock act that he co-founded nearly 30 years ago. Asked if he thinks religion became his “new addiction” after his exit from KORN, Welch said: “The crazy thing is I had an experience with something from another dimension. And it wasn’t the religion — going to church and being a good boy — it was, like, I felt something come into my house, and I can’t explain it to this day. But I believe that it was Christ doing something in me. So that was real — that was very real. But yes, I think I went too far with it. And I got obsessed with it, just like I was obsessed with the drugs. I believe I did, for sure. And I had to come out of that and find normalcy, because there’s nothing worse than a freakin’ irritating religious person just shoving it down your throat — there’s nothing worse than that. And you saw it on the documentary [‘Loud Krazy Love’, which documents Brian‘s journey towards sobriety], Jonathan‘s [Davis, KORN singer], like, ‘I hate those motherfuckers.’ People can’t stand ’em. And for years, we’ve had those Christians outside of KORN concerts, saying KORN‘s of the devil, and all this. It’s crazy — it’s a crazy thing. But I’m just glad I got through it. And I’m glad that I am who I am now, and I have a lot of peace and rest for my soul. I feel very leveled and at peace with myself.”
Earlier today, Welch took to his Instagram to share the Consequence Of Sound headline “Korn’s Brian ‘Head’ Welch Admits That He ‘Went Too Far’ With His Christian Beliefs’, and he included the following message: “Some have taken my words out of context, but I do have a tendency to ramble without articulating my heart’s intent clear enough, which is typical when a person with A.D.D. tries to juggle the inflow of dozens of thoughts coming in at once.
“Let me shed some more light here: I was trying to address my early fanaticism with Christianity. Do I regret taking some much needed time away from KORN? Not at all. I enjoyed some of the best years of my life with my daughter, making precious memories with her I wouldn’t have been able to make if I would’ve stayed. But some of the choices I made were reminiscent of a true fanatic: I ripped Jennea out of public school because it was’t a ‘Christian’ school. One day, I left my house with her out of the blue and NEVER returned and I hired someone I barely knew to sell all of our furniture and bring our personal items to AZ; expensive items went missing of course! I joined a group of Christians in AZ that ended up resembling a cult and the leader squandered all my money away! And finally, I gave my mom ‘The Book of Christian Martyrs’ and told her that was who I wanted to be!
“These are only a few of the fanatical decisions I made, and they did damage to Jennea, and still effect her negatively in some ways to this day. What I will never regret though, is giving my entire being to Christ and I will share my story until the day I die. Sharing your story of faith is way different than shoving scripture down people’s throats in a heartless way as I was trying to convey in this interview with our old friend Robb.
“Jesus Christ is my whole life’s foundation. When the storms come, AND THEY WILL COME, my life will not crumble because my foundation is very secure. I have found true rest in the depths of my soul. Matthew 11:28; the first scripture that I found–my first scripture tattoo–came true for me in EVERY way. This life I’ve discovered is so real! I’m so glad I’ve never walked away from Christ like many have, AND I NEVER WILL! Take that you overly religious Christian haters”.
Less than a month after leaving KORN, Welch — wearing a white robe and sporting a long beard — was baptized in Israel’s Jordan River, along with about 20 other members of the Valley Bible Fellowship, the Bakersfield, California, church in which he spoke two weekends earlier. At the time, Brian told MTV News that he decided to be baptized in the Jordan after receiving a divine message.
“God told me … he didn’t say, ‘Hey Brian!,’ I just got a feeling in my heart that he was going to let me know something, I was going to be told something [in Israel],” Welch said. “Because the pastor is going to dunk me in the Jordan River, and when I come back here, I’m going to be a different person.”
Welch officially returned to KORN in 2013, one year after joining the band onstage at the Carolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, North Carolina to perform “Blind”.
Since his conversion to Christ 16 years ago, Welch has been very open about how God changed his lifestyle and restored his relationship with his daughter.
In recent years, Brian has been preaching that people don’t have to wait until they die to see if having an encounter with the presence of God is real.
Both Welch and KORN bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu have had highly public, though separate, conversion experiences, ones that have been greeted with a certain amount of skepticism.
KORN‘s latest album, “The Nothing”, was released in September 2019 via Roadrunner/Elektra.
Welch‘s LOVE AND DEATH project released its second album, “Perfectly Preserved”, in February via Earache Records.
