Love and Death- Chemicals EP

\"\"by Reggie Edwards Last fall, Brian “Head” Welch released the first single, “Paralyzed,” off his upcoming record (which was then yet-to-be-announced). Well, here we are in April and not only does Welch have a new name for his band in LOVE AND DEATH, but the band has released their latest record, an EP titled Chemicals. Even though there are only three new songs and two remixes, this is definitely some of Welch’s best work- even dating back to the KoRn days. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Save Me from Myself, but this one is heavier, less experimental, deeper, and darker but still holds the same spiritual message. On Save Me from Myself, Welch used a lot of experimental sounds but this one is just straight in-your-face rock and metal and it sounds like he went back to his roots. We all had a feeling this was going to rock when we heard “Paralyzed” in October and we were right, this one is short and sweet. Probably my favorite on this whole EP is “Whip It,” a cover of the Devo hit. The cool thing is that it doesn’t even sound anything like the original and, in my eyes, is actually a step above the original. Then you have the title track, “Chemicals,” a very deep and dark song, but when it comes down to it, has the Christian message that we hate the chemicals of life that get us down. All-in-all, this EP is amazing and is one of the best releases of the year so far. If Love and Death’s next full-length record is anything like this EP (which I think it’s safe to say it will be), we can expect nothing but good things from these guys. Rating: 9/10