Reviewed by Andy Shaw

Brian 'Head' Welch was a founding member of the influential nu-metal band Korn. In 2005, after 12 years with the band, Welch chose to dedicate his life to Jesus and left the band to focus on raising his daughter. Talk of a solo release has been ever present since his departure from the mainstream hitmakers and here is Head's first attempt at singing and songwriting with the axe star also contributing the majority of the instrumentation. He did enlist some help using his connections in the music industry to get such big names as drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails) involved in the recording. Musically this album draws very obvious comparisons with the music of Korn especially in opening track "L.O.V.E." with its single picked notes intro giving way to a heavy shredding guitar riff. This is not an album that sticks to one formula however and we encounter sides to Welch's guitar playing that have not been heard before proving him to be a hugely accomplished player. Keyboards and synths are used to good effect on tracks such as "Home" adding more depth and texture to the music. There are also more melodic tracks such as album closer "Washed By Blood" which is a sprawling epic stretching over nine minutes. Welch's vocals are surprisingly acceptable with a solid growl and decent tone. Lyrically there is plenty of in-your-face gospel proclamation though his inexperience in lyric writing does show with the words here lacking the poetic flow and the maturity of a more experienced wordsmith. But all in all this is a solid debut solo album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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