Korn Guitarist: Fieldy is “Taking Some Time to Figure Out What Makes Him Happy”
When Korn announced a new album called Requiem this week, fans couldn’t help but notice that bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu was missing from promo photos and the video for the record’s first single, “Start the Healing.” In June, Fieldy announced he was taking a hiatus from Korn to focus on “personal issues” — but I think most people assumed he’d be back by the time the group released new music.
We’ve since learned that Fiedly is, indeed, a credited co-writer on “Start the Healing” and that he appears on the entirety of Requiem, making his absence all the more noticeable.
Now guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has explained Fieldy’s absence to Loudwire, and… well, basically, nothing has changed since that announcement in June:
“I mean, right now he’s just taking some time to kinda figure out what makes him happy and figure out his happiness and what he wants to do with his life, I guess is the best way to put it. And make sure his mental health is at its best, because if your mental health isn’t good, or you’re not clear, you’re gonna make bad choices.
“I make an example. I had my own challenges through the years, and once you get clarity, your life becomes a lot easier to manage. We’re just giving him time to like, no pressure, just figure out what you want to do because we can still work and we can still go out and tour. But we miss him. We love the guy, and we want him to just be healthy.”
This echoes sentiments the band expressed after Fieldy’s hiatus was first announced: health, mental and physical, need to come first, and the bassist is of course welcome back to the fold whenever he’s ready.
In the meantime, Ra Diaz (Suicidal Tendencies) filled in for Fieldy on Korn’s most recent tour. Their next show isn’t until February, so I wouldn’t expect to hear much about Fieldy one way or the other before then regardless.
You can watch the “Start the Healing” video below. Requiem is out February 4 via Loma Vista. Pre-order it here.
[via The PRP]
