Founding Guitarist quits band for Jesus

Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, a founding member of Korn, has left the band and has rededicated his life to Christianity, according to the group's management.

The band released this statement on 02/22/05: "Korn has parted ways with guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, who has chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end," a statement from the band reads. "Korn respects Brian's wishes, and hopes he finds the happiness he's searching for."

Welch told The Californian Tuesday that his decision to leave KORN, a band that has sold millions of records, may be seen as surprising to many.

"My old friend called today and said he was called up by another friend of mine who said, 'Who brainwashed Brian?" the rocker laughed. "Man, you guys don't even know... A lot of people think I'm crazy. I don't care."

The announcement puts to rest weeks of rumors that Welch was unhappy with Korn's direction. On February 8, he had apparently written a "letter of resignation" to the band's management. In the note, Welch detailed a long list of reasons for leaving the band, including increased moral objections to Korn's music and videos. He was also unhappy with the music video for the band's recent hit, a remake of funk band CAMEO's 1985 hit "Word Up", where the band members' faces are superimposed over the faces of dogs and go to a strip club.

Welch said the video was "so dumb that it's not even funny" and added it was "horrible, horrible. It's just not me."

"I can go up there and play those songs and those solos but ... I distanced myself from Korn for probably a year and a half, two years. I just wanted to fade away, it was crazy. I was so gone," Welch told Bakersfield, California, radio station KRAB on Sunday. "But I found my way out and I want to help anyone that wants to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I had to go through the lows to appreciate the highs..."

Welch plans on further explaining his decision to leave Korn, at the Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California. And on February 28 he plans to leave for Israel.

Korn formed in 1992 as the Bakersfield metal act LAPD, which featured Welch and guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, bassist Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu and drummer David Silveria. In 1993, vocalist Jonathan Davis joined the group, and they rechristened themselves Korn. Their self-titled 1994 debut went double platinum and was hailed as a landmark album in the burgeoning nü-metal scene. The group released six studio albums with Welch, sales of which have topped the 11-million mark in the U.S. alone. Their final album with Welch, Take a Look in the Mirror, was released in 2003.

Welch said he became more and more disenchanted with the image he saw of himself in KORN's music and videos, versus how he actually felt about himself.

The band has a dark, morbid image and Welch noted that on KORN's Web site it says "kill, die, murder," and added, "I don't kill, die or murder anyone."

Welch said. "You're shut in a (tour) bus with your best friends with as much beer as you can handle. Drug dealers come to the show. I'm growing up right now. I didn't have a chance to (before) with all the free beer I got."

And as a father of a 6-year-old daughter, Welch said he knew he needed to set a better example.

"I just grew up a little bit," he said. "I've got a daughter. I've got to think of my kid. I just want to do the right thing."

To keep him on, Welch said management offered to try to accommodate his daughter coming with him on tour, but he wasn't interested. "What parents would want their kids to go on a rock 'n' roll tour, a heavy metal tour?"

Welch said he debated leaving the band over the past year-and-a-half and that he has upset a lot of people with his decision.

He claims that that going to church and praying to God has set him free from drugs almost instantly. Welch said, "I'm so happy and it's like a fairy tale I swear, I mean I go through trials everyday...I mean but... He [God] speaks to us any way He can".

To his fans that came to see him give his testimony he said, "Give your life to the Lord. If you don't you will one day, I mean I'm just telling you I had it all, and this isn't to my fans only, this is to everybody; I had it all.

 I mean whoever's striving "I godda make that buck, I godda get that house"; when you get the stuff that you think you want, you may be 90 or 80 years old and your going to realize and your going to go, "man where's that feeling of fullness? I lived my life happy and I did what I was supposed to do". No... you will never feel like it's complete. Mines complete now, ...whatever I can do positive... I'm gonna try to change this world or die trying. I don't care, that's my life now, praise God."

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