Korn’s Jonathan Davis on Fieldy’s Recovery: “I Watched Somebody I Care About Die and I’m Not Going to F***ing Do That Again”

Korn members by PitPony Photography, via Wikipedia.
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Back in June, it weas revealed that Korn bassist Fieldy would be taking some time away from the band to get “the bad habits out of [his] system.” Since then, guitarists Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer have spoken about Fieldy’s recovery and how much they wish him well. Now, frontman Jonathan Davis has touched on the subject, and in classic fashion, his expression of emotion is a bit more raw.

I love him; he’s my brother,” Davis told Kerrang! in a new interview about Korn’s upcoming album Reqiuem. “But I watched somebody I care about die and I’m not going to fucking do that again. I refuse to. I will feel guilt for the rest of my fucking life because of that. I tried my hardest but perhaps if I’d been a little bit tougher there’d have been a different outcome. I pray that he can figure it out and get better and come back and be a huge part of this band again.”

The person in question is likely Davis’ wife Devin, who passed away from an accidental overdose in 2018. This along with much of the rest of the interview makes it clear that if anyone is emotionally ready to help Fieldy duke it out with his demons on the road to recovery, it might be Davis.

The dark, to me, has been a very familiar place,” he explains. ​That’s comfortable to me. But now I’m going through this new life, having had that [darkness] all go away, I don’t know how to react to it and I don’t know what to do. It’s hard for me to let go of that place. I always want to go back there because it’s familiar, but I’ve got to let it go. I’m not tortured anymore. I had to break free from that place – it was going to fucking kill me if I stayed there forever. But I don’t know how to react to being happy. I really don’t. I feel all goofy and weird.”

You can check out the first single from Requiem, “Start the Healing,” below:

Korn’s Reqiuem drops February 4th, 2022, and is available for preorder. Check out the cover art and tracklisting below:

1. Forgotten
2. Let the Dark Do the Rest
3. Start The Healing
4. Lost in the Grandeur
5. Disconnect
6. Hopeless and Beaten
7. Penance to Sorrow
8. My Confession
9. Worst Is On Its Way

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Words by Chris Krovatin