With the Covid-19 pandemic putting all live music on hold throughout 2020 and into 2021, Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has finally found the time to return to his solo project Love and Death, a band that had been in purgatory since the 2016 single “Lo Lamento”. With all prior commitments put to the wayside last year, it was the perfect time for him to re-assemble the group (with some new faces) and get to work on album #2. And with Perfectly Preserved, we finally have the fruits of that labour.
Obviously given Head’s songwriting influence on Korn’s music, there’s always going to be a stylistic similarity to his main project, and with Love and Death placing more emphasis on melody than grooves, the best comparison you could make between Perfectly Preserved and Korn is 2013’s The Paradigm Shift, particularly with the big opening riffs of tracks like “Tragedy” and “Death of Us”, although even then that doesn’t do justice to either release. The increased input of co-conspirators Jasen Rauch (now permanent bassist for Love and Death) and JR Bareis help turn this project into its own distinct beast, with JR contributing even more vocals than before to the point of essentially being the co-lead vocalist, bouncing back and forth between his poppier vocals and the more raw aggression of Head’s more world-weary delivery. The contrast between the two is perhaps best seen on lead single “Down”, with each taking turns as lead vocalist and backing vocalist throughout. JR even takes centre stage on “Let Me Love You”, a surprising cover of DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s pop hit, with additional vocals from ex-Flyleaf frontwoman Lacey Sturm. His growth as a vocalist from his early contributions is noticeable, and he has the ability to front his own band if he ever decides to pursue that path.
However, this band is still Head’s project first and foremost, and it’s his contributions which have the most weight on Perfectly Preserved. Despite them not really being a major feature of his full time job, Head is a very accomplished singer and his harsh vocals continue to be a highlight on everything he appears on (especially on the pummelling “Affliction”). Overall his style lends itself to the more melody-focussed approach of Love and Death, with memorable choruses throughout – something he’s previously been criticised for lacking on previous solo efforts, but he’s managed to nail on this outing. The choruses to “Down”, “Death of Us” and “Lo Lamento” will stick in your head for hours after listening, and lyrically he’s improved too. Even though Love and Death are rather lazily called a Christian Metal band by a lot of media covering them, the religious undertones to the lyrics are a lot more subtle than before. It’s long been known that Head wants his songs to be relatable for people from all backgrounds, and although there are still elements of these songs which carry that religious message, they generally don’t come off as preachy like most bands in the “Christian Metal” movement tend to. Instead, they provide a subtext to Head’s own struggles with addiction and mental health among other things, and how he personally overcame them. There is still enough for those who don’t necessarily follow religion to find something to relate to, which is what they were aiming for.
Of course, JR and Head aren’t the only voices you’ll hear on this record. On this outing, they’ve managed to rope in some guests for the record including the aforementioned Lacey Sturm, Righteous Vendetta’s Ryan Hayes and Jasen Rauch’s Breaking Benjamin bandmate Keith Wallen. Their cameos have varying degrees of impact, though, with Sturm’s appearance on “Let Me Love You” a nice touch, while Keith Wallen’s contribution to “The Hunter” doesn’t particularly add all that much that JR and Head couldn’t have done themselves.
Nevertheless, if nu metal (particularly Korn) aren’t your thing there won’t be much to appeal to you on Perfectly Preserved. As its name (unintentionally) suggests, the music on this album is almost like a time capsule back to nu metal in its heyday: thick, downtuned riffs with big grooves and catchy choruses (and the occasional Bungle chord for good measure). If it didn’t work for you 20 years ago, this modern take on it won’t change much. There are still odd moments where the religious lyrics can come off a bit strong, such as on closing track “White Flag”, and that can be a turn-off for some listeners, and there is something of a dip in the second half of the album. To really appreciate Perfectly Preserved, you should probably think of it as a passion project for its members. This is them writing what they want to write without the pressures of their more illustrious main projects, and without concern for following trends or trying to break new ground that could feel disingenuous when put with the lyrics and intent behind them. And when you think of it like that, it becomes much more enjoyable to listen to.
So if you’re looking for groundbreaking new material, Perfectly Preserved won’t be for you. If you’re just after some good old fashioned nu metal which gives members of some of the scene’s big hitters a new outlet for themselves, then Love and Death will certainly be worth a shot. Nothing new, no frills, but a perfectly preserved encapsulation of what makes nu metal great.
Stream below and follow Love and Death on Facebook. Perfectly Preserved is out now via Earache.
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