ZERO SUM
“Man, we’ve made so many albums, I can’t keep up any more. This October was 25 years since the first album came out. Back then, you think you’re unstoppable!”
These are the words of Reggie ‘Fieldy’ Arvizu, bassist with Korn, the first nu-metal band—if that term means anything anymore. The quintet from Bakersfield, California, who are now accurately regarded as pioneers in their field after a quarter of a century and over 40 million album sales, have just released The Nothing, their thirteenth studio album since their debut record appeared in 1994. Reminded of these facts, Fieldy displays a refreshing refusal to take his band’s success for granted, marveling: “It’s surreal. The chances of us making it this far must be almost a one in a million. We’re in disbelief. It’s amazing... I can’t even wrap my head around it.”
Piercing the wall of riffs produced by seven-string guitar-slingers Brian Welch and James Shaffer, Fieldy’s bass tone on The Nothing is instantly recognizable—a clicky, buzzy, chiming twang, that is unlike that of anyone else, delivered from his signature Ibanez K-5 five-string. Some people like this tone, millions of Korn fans among them, but others—many of whom are this magazine’s readers and indeed, writers—can’t stand it, regarding it as unrefined or worse.
For this cover interview, we’ve collated a bunch of pointed questions from our staff and from visitors to our social media: it’s time for Fieldy to
