Korn Guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch Addresses Band’s New Music Releases
When taking about Korn and a potential new album, Brian mentioned that “it’s not gonna be soon” and that “it will take a while”.
In a new interview with Australia's “Everblack” podcast, he spoke about the songwriting sessions and their consequent progress following the band's 2022 album “Requiem”. “Yeah, we got a lot of it [written]. We're still working.” He continued saying: “Dude, it's a trip 30 years later, man, to try to keep doing it. And we're very happy with what we got, but it's just gonna take a while. And I don't know how long – maybe next summer, maybe next year, the next winter, I don't know, but it's not gonna be soon.”
Welch also mentioned the fact that Korn made a remarkable change in the world of music with the release of their self-titled debut album back in 1994. It would later become a cultural movement record, as Welch recalls the band’s mindset while creating the LP: “We were just in love with music. And we were in love with all kinds of genres – industrial, metal, like the Panteras, the Metallicas, and then you had the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nine Inch Nails and Faith No More and Prong and Biohazard and all of these artists that we just… I think about kids that have Spotify, and it's an endless search. Back then, we could have like a collection of maybe 15 or 20 and be done. But we loved music so much that we wanted to include a lot of it in our band. We didn't wanna just pick one style. And we had bands like Anthrax who did it with Public Enemy. I think they were the first ones to do [a mix of] metal [and rap], so I give props to them for opening that door. Not that we were hip-hop, but we have hip-hop undertones with the drums and the bass and whatnot. Nu metal is sometimes associated with rap-rock or whatever, but what I love is [Korn singer] Jonathan Davis. Because you throw that freaky, unique, strange, amazing voice and character into what we're doing and he makes it Korn. He helps make Korn unique. We all make Korn – obviously, our instruments, the Korn sound and all that – but having him, he never rapped once. He does a scat thing. He likes to do things that no one's doing… there was just something special about him and how he got so vulnerable and open to share his emotions. On that first album and stuff, you could feel his soul. And I don't know of… who was doing that before him to that level? People obviously opened the door, like Layne [Staley of Alice In Chains] and maybe Trent Reznor [of Nine Inch Nails]. I don't know, but to do it in a way that was just so emotional… that was before bands like Linkin Park. And so I'm grateful for Jonathan Davis… he's the quarterback to our football team, if we use American football terms. He's the leader. And we're honored to be able to create a bed of music underneath what he's created over the years.”
Korn’s latest album “Requiem” was released in February 2022 and entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. Bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu announced back in June 2021 that he would opt out of the band's tour so that we can heal after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He had been replaced on tour by Roberto "Ra" Díaz, bassist of American crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies. Even though he hasn’t been with his bandmates for more than three years, Arvizu did play on the “Requiem” album.
Future shows where Korn will be performing encompass Hellfest Open Air, which will take place between June 19-22, 2025 in Clisson, France. The whole lineup features a whopping 184 bands, including Muse, Scorpions or Linkin Park. Aside from this, alt-metal icons System Of A Down announced some massive shows for the timeframe August-September 2025, inviting Korn, Avenged Sevenfold and Deftones as special guests.
Sources:
Metalinjection.net - KORN, MUSE, SCORPIONS & LINKIN PARK To Headline Hellfest 2025, December 9, 2024
