Brian 'Head' Welch's Band Between Love and Death Release 'Between Here & Lost': Review
Love and Death's Between Here & Lost is an inspiring foray into the world of former Korn member, Brian "Head" Welch's mind and past demons as he transitions into a Christian. The message conveyed through the album is about finding a way through being stuck between complacency and misdirection.
The album opens fittingly with the lyrics, "Wake up sleepy wide awake!" as Welch screams of not giving up on "The Abandoning." This song has a killer melodic chorus with lots of harmonic layers. A great start to the album.
The second track is a cover of Devo's "Whip It." However, that's where the similarities end; this version is amped up with crunchy guitars and grungy vocals. Love and Death truly made this song their own; not to mention a guest vocal appearance by Spoken's Matt Baird.
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"Watching the Bottom Fall" is about falling for the same lies and promises we make to ourselves and yet still expecting to have a different result. The bridge into the last chorus has a nice flow to it as it changes up slightly.
This song is very personal and deep for Welch as he reflects over a death in his life and while the song is mostly heavy, the chorus mellows out more into a heartfelt angst free cry of sorts. "By the Way" is LaD's version of a rock ballad.
"Meltdown" opens with brutal guitars into Welch's signature deep songy whisper that he so often uses on verses which then leads into a growling mini breakdown before the chorus. Later on into the song it completely drops out into a chanting section and soft bridge before kicking the adrenaline back in.
"Disaster" focuses on the Welch's inner turmoil with God as he feels sometimes he is left to fend for himself. He's not blaming God, but rather asking Him why He allows periods of loneliness to occur. Some of the highlights of this song is the instrumentation. The drums are great and the cool effected guitar riff over the chorus fits perfectly.
Next up is "I W8 4 U" featuring Mattie Montgomery of For Today. He contributes some heavy screams to the track as he blasts lines "Tell me you lost it, tell me you lost it." It makes the song feel like it's up in your face, a very nice touch.
"Fading Away" goes back into the theme of lies and encourages all those who fall for them to "Lie down and let go" before they fade away.
"Paralyzed" opens up with synthy guitar sounds reminiscent of the work he used to do in Korn. It's easy to see why this song was chosen as a single. It's one of the more catchier tunes on the album, and would appeal to a good spectrum of rock fans as it has multiple changing styles to it.
"Chemicals," which was also selected as a single and had an EP of the same name, may very well be the best track on the album. It's crazy to hear how Welch gets his voice so low on parts like, "You're the killer and I'm the kisser." The song rings out almost as if it were an anthem for what the band stands for.
The final song on the album is, "Bruises." Everything about "Bruises" is powerful and hauntingly beautiful. The keys and light guitar work compliment Welch's mellowed out soft singing. It picks up for a little bit within the last minute of the song but never enters into the realm of brutality like the other tracks. The best part of this song are the lyrics. "Show us how to live/How do we forgive...Show us how to die/How to give our lives/Living sacrifice."
Overall Between Here & Lost tells a story of a broken man looking for a change. "This record was birthed from trials, tribulations, pain, suffering, anxiety, depression, and drama. However, we came out on top and the end result is a very real, raw & honest record," Welch said to antiMusic.com. With that being said, the album encompasses everything we'd expect, awesome nu metal heaviness with a positive message and amazing musicianship. Love and Death is just scratching the surface of their musical journey, and I can't wait to see what's next.
