KORN's MUNKY Says 'It Was Not Easy' Working On New Music After Death Of JONATHAN DAVIS's Wife

KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer spoke to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, about the songwriting process for the band's new album, "The Nothing". Asked how different it was trying to come up with fresh music knowing that it could be the basis for catharsis for vocalist Jonathan Davis, whose estranged wife Deven died in August 2018, Munky said: "It was not easy, because, as anybody knows, and most people do, when you're dealing with grief and loss, you go through different phases, different stages — you can be angry one day and sad the next, and it could go on and on like that for months. So, actually, what he started out, what he wanted us to do was much heavier than anything we've ever done, and then that kind of changed when we started handing him some demos that me, Brian ['Head' Welch, guitar] and Ray [Luzier, drums] were working on. It started leaning towards more of a melodic thing. I think that's just kind of what resonated with him when it came time to write lyrics and stuff. So, it changed a little bit, but that's part of the creative process."

"The Nothing" will be released on September 13 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz.

Welch recently described the sound of the disc as "a continuation of our last record. It's really guitar-heavy and energetic — there's a lot of energy," he told The Pulse Of Radio. "We came back to the root of what KORN is, in our sound, in the lyrics and in the feel of the songs. And so what KORN started out to be, I feel like we're doing that right now."

Shaffer will miss a week's worth of shows on the band's North American tour with ALICE IN CHAINS so that he can be home with his wife as they await the birth of their daughter. Filling in for him will be J.R. Bareis, who previously played in Welch's solo act LOVE AND DEATH.

Shaffer and wife Evis Xheneti have two sons together, six-year-old D'Angelo and three-year-old Rocky. Shaffer also has a daughter named Carmella, born in June 2001, from his previous marriage to Stephanie Roush. Shaffer and Roush divorced in 2004.