ARKAEA: Signs To KOCH Records

 Brian “Head” Welch is the former one of two guitar players of
the acclaimed Nu metal band KoRn, a two-time grammy winning
musical act that has sold well over 30 million albums worldwide.

Welch shockingly departed the band in 2005 due to contrasting
personal beliefs, shifting his focus to more on life as a father and
to being devoted to his new life as a born again Christian.

He's returned with a gutsy and inspiring debut solo album entitled "Save Me from Myself", a collection of songs that runs the course of one man's "inner conflict to survive the demons within himself", music that cuts its listener seriously deep with a crushing, sonic landscape that only Welch can truly form – more oft than not he himself revels deeply in his own great past which harkens back to the sorely missed "Original KoRn" sound he helped create.

"Save Me From MySelf" was released via Driven Music Group on September 9, 2008. 

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted 
an EXCLUSIVE new interview with Head for TMD’s
ever loyal following of DEN HEADZ all across the globe!

Rocket: What first drew you to playing music?

Head: I remember listening to Queen and Billy Joel 8 track tapes and really getting bit by the music bug. I wanted to play drums at first, but my dad talked me into the guitar because of the noisey drums factor.

Rocket: When exactly did you first start playing the guitar?

Head: I started playing the guitar in 5th grade at 10 years old.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal guitar lessons?

Head: My mom started taking me to beginner lessons when I was 10, and once I figured out the basics, I quit and started teaching myself metal songs because playing by ear was a gift of mine.

Rocket: Who are some of your biggest playing influences of past and present?

Head: Iron Maiden, Ozzy/ Randy Rhoads, Motley Crue, Metallica, Faith No More, Alice In Chains, Coldplay, Rage Against The Machine.

Rocket: Can you tell me a bit more about how bad things got for you before you decided to leave Korn and turn to God for help?

Head: I did Crystal Meth everyday for the last 2 years I was in KoRn. The drug was eating me alive and I believe I would have been dead if I kept using. I hid my drug problem from everyone and I took it in my suitcase all over the world. I was a junky, porno freak, suicidal maniac mixing speed and pills all the time.

Rocket: When you found God, was it a 'moment' where it just clicked inside your head or just kind of an 'eventual process' that eventually led you to him once you started finally cleaning up?

Head: It clicked right away, bro. One night, I was high on meth reading the bible wondering if God was real, and all of a sudden I felt this crazy euphoric presence all around me that made me feel so much Love and peace that it over powered the drugs I was on. The next morning I threw away all of my drugs and my life completely changed after that experience. I've had many experiences like that since then and if this life with God wasn't very real to me, I wouldn't still be living it.

Rocket: Do you currently go to church?

Head: Nope. I concentrate on the every day intimate relationship with God rather than calling myself "Christian" and living a different way every other day of the week besides Sunday. I do pop into different Christian gatherings once in a while though.

Rocket: What was the general reaction you received from your fans when you released your autobiography?

Head: The main reaction was everyone seemed to have compassion for me because they had no idea I had so many problems back in KoRn. It was very cool to have people understand me.

Rocket: Let's talk about your new debut solo album, Save Me From Myself. Where was it recorded and who produced it?

Head: It was recorded in Phoenix AZ at Fleetwood Mac's old studio. I produced it, but I had a friend help me produce the drums and a couple other things. It was a long process and it feels great to have it finally come out!

Rocket: Who are the other musicians playing on the album?

Head: Josh Freese DRUMS, Tony Levin BASS, Trevor Dunn BASS, Archie J Muise RHYTHM GUITARS.

Rocket: The disc's first single is the rocking track "Flush". Can you elaborate more on the song's meaning?

Head: Flush is a song about flushing all of my addictions in life down the toilet and starting out fresh-exactly what I've been doing for the last few years. All the drama that I experienced with getting drunk and doing drugs all the time seemed interesting and amusing to write about. That lifestyle is total insanity and I'm just glad I'm not dead and I was able to write a song like 'Flush.'

Rocket: From the tracks I've heard so far, this album truly delivers on so many levels for the heavy music fan. What kind of guitarss did you use in the studio for this recording?

Head: Thanks for the props, man! I used a custom made Ibanez baritone guitar for the distorted guitars. I used a G&L for a lot of the lead guitars and a Les Paul some too.

Rocket: What kind of amp rigs?

Head: Mesa boogie, triple rect–Orange–Marshall–Bognar.

Rocket: What's the one piece of advice you'd give to a kid picking up a guitar today for the first time with serious aspirations to make it in the music business?

Head: Play by your own rules and don't let people tell you what's right or wrong to play. Play from your heart.

Rocket: How much touring will you be doing to support this album once it's released?

Head: We are in the middle of a CD promo/signing tour all over the US. Next on the agenda after OCTOBER is for us to put together some kind of live show hopefully.

Rocket: Thanks very much for taking time out from your hectic schedule right now to do this interview. Best of luck with it all. Go ahead and give a shout-out to your biggest supporters.
 
Head: Thank you for all the fans that stuck with me when I went crazy for a while back in 2005. Your faithfulness and loyalty has taught me a lot.

Visit Head On MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/brianheadwelch