Korn's Brian 'Head' Welch responds to critics who say he's merely replaced drugs with religion
Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch is hitting back at critics who say he's merely replaced his addiction to drugs with an addiction to religion.
Welch has frequently talked about his conversion to Christianity in the midst of his life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll (you can read his interviews with The Christian Post here, here and here). In a seven-minute video he uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday, Welch detailed the moment he became born again in 2005 and the tangible experiences he's had with the Holy Spirit that surpass any earthly high.
"Over the years, I've had many annoying people tell me, 'You just changed your addiction from drugs to an addiction to your religion.' So let me break it down for you. When you do drugs — a substance like cocaine, for instance — it goes in your nose to the brain, affects the dopamine in your brain, comes down through your body and makes you feel this euphoria or this pleasure and this high. That's a ... way to get high or feel pleasure or a euphoria like that,” Welch said.
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Welch spoke honestly about his struggles with addiction and chaotic life before he encountered God.
“There's a supernatural way that you can feel that euphoria and that high and that pleasure, and that comes from the Spirit,” Welch continued. "There's a scripture in the Bible that says, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived the wonderful things that God has prepared for us,' or prepared for humans.
"Now, people would say, 'Why do you believe the Bible? Why do you believe that? Why would you believe some words by men two thousand, three thousand, four thousand years ago?’ It's because of the next verse, and the next verse says, 'But God has revealed it and unveiled it to us by his spirit.'”
The rocker went on to preach that people don't have to wait until they die to see if having an encounter with the presence of God is real.
“That's why I've been walking in this for 14 years plus. I felt that. I was doing lines, I was doing pills, I was doing every drug you could think of, and alcohol, and you name it. And I was looking for this euphoria — to escape. 'I want more. I wanna enjoy life,’” he added.
Welch helped found Korn in 1993 and lived recklessly as a member of the band until 2005. He walked away from a $23 million record deal and left the group after choosing “the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior."
In 2013, after getting sober and publicly sharing of his newfound faith through the most-watched “I Am Second” film in history, Welch felt compelled to return to the band.
“It just seemed like I made it to the top of the music business, and it was like, 'This is it?' It didn't bring me that euphoria. So I wanted more — I wanted it through the drugs,” he explained in the new video.
“And once I got a hold of this supernatural spirit — this Holy Spirit is a person, but the substance that comes from Him as He comes inside of you, pours into you, it's love. It's divine love. It's pure light,” Welch testified.
"How many people have you heard that have had near-death experiences or died and came back [and said] that they saw light?" Welch asked. "Well, that's why Christ says in the Bible, He's the light of the world, 'cause that's the light. And so He pours the light into you, and you can feel the glory of God in your soul. Deep within the deepest part of who you are, the core of the person of who you are, that's where the pleasure goes."
Welch recently released the film “Loud Krazy Love” based on this part of his life's story where he reveals why he quit the award-winning band to stay home and be with his daughter in obedience to God. He believes the separation truly helped prepare Him to be a witness for Christ in the world of heavy metal.
The film's production took place over a span of four years and showcases two decades worth of exclusive material of Welch, his family, and Korn.
Korn will release their next album, The Nothing, on Sept. 13.
