One of the legends in new metal music will share his personal story at an area church this weekend.

Brian “Head” Welch, co-founder of the the metal band Korn, will speak Sunday, December 11 at the First United Methodist Church in Sikeston. Welch will speak at the 11 a.m.service at the Sikeston church.

Korn became a Grammy award winning, multi-platinum force that shot to the top tier of the rock music world and dominated the new metal movement of the late 1990s. Korn’s 1998 Follow the Leader album cemented the band as rock titans when they debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, fighting off new releases from mainstream heavyweights. For his efforts with Korn, Head won two Grammys, was nominated for six, and sold some 40 million records worldwide.

As Korn continued to reach new creative and commercial heights, Head found himself drowning in the excesses of rock and roll. Among other things, Head became addicted to crystal meth, spiraling out of control even as he continued to sell millions of albums. He unsuccessfully tried to balance his career and his obligations as a single father to his daughter Jennea.

In 2005, he made a radical move and resigned from Korn, to dedicate his life to giving his gifts to those most desperately in need.

Though no longer a part of Korn, Head has not retired from music. His album, Save Me from Myself, put the music world on notice that he is very much alive and that his music was as potent as ever. He continues to record and release vital music that attracts fans of hard rock, and the legions of Korn devotees that continue to support his career.

To help those who struggle with substance abuse, despair, and crises of faith, he penned his 2007 autobiography, Save Me from Myself (HarperCollins). The book quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list, inspiring him to follow it up with a second book, Washed by Blood (2008, HarperCollins).

A year ago in December 2010, Head released Stronger: Forty Days of Metal and Spirituality by HarperCollins. Head speaks candidly about his continued bouts of depression and his struggles with darker impulses as he comes to terms with his faith-based life.

The event is free and open to everyone. First UMC is located at 1307 North Main Street in Sikeston.