KORN Guitarist HEAD's Kidney Stone Surgery In Russia Was One Of Worst Experiences Of His Life

June 1, 2014

Jason Nivens of the 98.9 The Rock radio station conducted an interview with KORN members Ray Luzier (drums) and James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar) yesterday (Saturday, May 31) at Rockfest at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. You can now watch the chat below.

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch underwent kidney stone surgery last week while on tour in Russia and was forced to miss several shows. He was temporarily replaced by 19-year-old JR Bareis, who plays guitar for Welch's LOVE & DEATH project.

"[Welch] said it was one of the worst experiences he's ever went through," Shaffer told 98.9 The Rock. "Because there's a language barrier. He was at the hospital and couldn't tell anybody where it hurt. [He] would point to [his] groin and say, 'This is where it hurts, girls.'"

KORN's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift" (Prospect Park),sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8, 2013 via Prospect Park.

"The Paradigm Shift" is the first KORN disc to feature Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror" and follows up 2011's dubstep experiment, "The Path Of Totality".

Speaking about Welch's return to the group, Shaffer told 98.9 The Rock: "It's been something that… I don't see how we were doing it without him, honestly. But now it feels like a complete band."

Welch left KORN in 2005 after he converted to Christianity and got off drugs. He rejoined them for a handful of live performances in 2012 before officially becoming part of the lineup again in early 2013.

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