Review Summary: Brian 'Head' Welch finds life with Korn, 'Love and Death' makes a heavy, dark, raw, and brutally honest debut album. Good listen.
Everybody has had their fair share of hardships in life, but not much have been through such a journey as former Korn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, and Love and Death's debut album 'Between Here and Lost' is the real story of his struggle to live, and find faith in the Lord. The band did everything but fall short to make you feel every heart wrenching moment he has experienced. From its chunky, ground breaking, yet somehow atmospheric and ominous riffs that JR Bareis delivers, to the booming bass that really helps amplify the riffs. The album is a great debut album, and shows a lot of promise.
The highlight of the album 'The Abandoning' is a piece not many other bands can say they have made alike. This song really is one of a kind. It starts out with Brian screaming 'Wake up sleepy wide wake' which brings you into the slick and slippery guitar line thats hard to lose after heard. The lyrics 'Don't give up on me now, cause thats what I've already done' made me almost want to give up life itself, and i'm not even depressed. Other lyrics such as 'time, time is so cold (we all die one day) from 'Fading Away' make you contemplate your life's choices, and want to do the right thing. The song 'Chemicals' builds up so much until the tension finally breaks after Brian yells out 'IM NOT A CRIMINAL, I HATE THE CHEMICALS' which brings out the demon in him we all have heard about over these years. The riffs played down by 15 year-old JR Bareis are simply a work of art. As I said before, "The Abandoning displayed riffs no man has every thought or heard of. He brought on maybe a new outlook into the metal world. 'My Disaster' is a good example of his finest moment on the album along with 'Chemicals', 'Bruises', and 'Empty'.
Although I enjoyed most of the songs on the album, I was not a fan of 'Whip It'. The Devo cover seemed a little out of place and sounded more like a band that was going through the motions rather than inventing or breaking new ground. Most of the songs sound similar, some almost identical, and you wonder if maybe they could've gotten a little more creative. Maybe mess with the song structures, because most of the songs really are structured pretty much the same way.
I recommend you give this album a listen, for it is worth listening to. Some songs have really broken new ground ('The Abandoning' and 'Chemicals'). I also recommend you read Welch's book 'Save Me From Myself'. It will give a whole new understanding of the lyrics in the album.
