The group is effectively a re-branding of the touring group that performed under Welch's name to promote his solo album. Formed in 2009, Welch recruited musicians through open auditions via YouTube, and second-round auditions, in person, at his studio in Phoenix, Arizona. The original group was a six-piece group, that featured Michael Valentine on Bass, Ralph Patlan on guitar, Brian Ruedy on keyboard, Scott "SVH" Von Heldt on guitars and vocals and Dan Johnson on drums. After two years of touring, Von Heldt departed the band due to financial reasons, Ruedy was let go a few months earlier and later joined Whitesnake. Patlan also departed the band, but no reason was given. The search began to find a guitar player. In March 2011, two weeks before a tour, Welch discovered "the perfect fit" for his band through Thousand Foot Krutch's public audition videos for a new guitarist on Youtube. 15 years old at the time, J.R. Bareis was chosen by Welch to be the new guitar player and became an official permanent member of the band, as they settled on establishing themselves as a four-piece. The group released a single, "Paralyzed" in November 2011, under the Brian "Head" Welch name. In February 2012, the touring band was re-branded into the group Love and Death.
Love and Death was formally announced in February 2012 through an official statement made by Welch. In the statement, Welch explained that "I have wanted to use a band name for branding my music for a few years. It has been an ongoing discussion with my management, but we were just starting to tour and I was in the middle of supporting my third book and it seemed like a bad time to switch names. Now with the new music coming out, its time to really separate the things I do. I want the music to be about music. I will still be doing public speaking under Brian Head Welch. I am happy that all the confusion will be over."
Chemicals
Love and Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They offend me
You’re the killer
And the kisser
Try to not tell
All my secrets
Stop the pressure
Hear the whisper
How long will I live so broken
A fallen friend, no family
How long will I keep failing
Can you tell that I’m hurt
It’s critical
All I can smell is the burn
Of chemicals
And slowly lose to temptation
Let me go, let me fight
Chemicals in my mind
Regret as I fall
For that sweet burn
You’re the killer
And the kisser
Inject as I crawl
To my master
Stop the pressure
Hear the whisper
Watching myself fade away
How long will I live so broken
A fallen friend, no family
How long will I keep failing
Can you tell that I’m hurt
It’s critical
All I can smell is the burn
Of chemicals
And slowly lose to temptation
Let me go, let me fight
Chemicals in my mind
Time missed
I guess I’ve never contemplated
All the time that I have missed
Time, stress
I guess I’ve never contemplated
All the time wasted in stress
Time missed
I guess I’ve never contemplated
All of it
Time, stress
I guess I’ve never contemplated
All of it
Can you tell that I’m hurt
It’s critical
All I can smell is the burn
Of chemicals
And slowly lose to temptation
Let me go, let me fight
Chemicals in my mind
I’m not a criminal
I hate the chemicals
I’m not a criminal
I hate the chemicals
I’m not a criminal
I hate the chemicals
I’m not a criminal
I hate the chemicals
In "Chemicals," Love and Death explore the themes of addiction and the struggle to break free from its grasp. The lyrics suggest that the singer is battling an internal struggle against their addiction and the lies that addiction tells. The singer hints at the pressure and temptation towards their addiction and the way it impacts their life as they admit that they are a slave to it. They convey that they feel like they have been missing out on the important things in their lives because of their addiction. The lyrics also reveal that they feel like a fallen friend with no family and that they are broken because of this addiction.
The chorus repeatedly asks the listener if they can tell how hurt the singer is and how they are losing to the chemicals in their mind. The bridge of the song seems to suggest that the singer is coming to terms with the fact that they have been wasting precious time and losing to the stress that addiction causes. Phrases like "All the time that I have missed" and "All of it" are repeated, emphasizing the impact of addiction on both the present and the past.
Line by Line Meaning
The lies that you sell
I am offended by the falsehoods that you offer
They offend me
The untruths that you peddle are disconcerting to me
You’re the killer
You destroy me
And the kisser
You comfort me
Try to not tell
I ask you not to divulge
All my secrets
The information that I have shared with you in confidence
Stop the pressure
I cannot handle the strain anymore
Hear the whisper
I need you to listen closely to what I am saying
Watching myself fade away
I am losing myself slowly but surely
How long will I live so broken
I wonder how much longer I can continue to exist in this state of emotional ruin
A fallen friend, no family
I am estranged from my loved ones
How long will I keep failing
I am weary from persistently falling short
Can you tell that I’m hurt
Do you perceive the pain that I am experiencing?
It’s critical
This is a dire situation
All I can smell is the burn
I am overwhelmed by the scent of my burning emotions
Of chemicals
The turmoil inside me is chemical in nature
And slowly lose to temptation
I am yielding gradually to my desires
Let me go, let me fight
Release me so that I may confront this challenge
Chemicals in my mind
Emotions that are out of control
Regret as I fall
I am filled with remorse as I falter
For that sweet burn
I cannot resist the allure of that tingling feeling
Inject as I crawl
I am vulnerable and giving in
To my master
To my addiction, my inner demon
Time missed
All the time that has passed by without me realizing
I guess I’ve never contemplated
I must have never thought about it enough
All the time that I have missed
I have squandered so much time
Time, stress
The pressure of time
All the time wasted in stress
I have lost so much time worrying
I’m not a criminal
I am not intentionally causing harm
I hate the chemicals
I despise the emotions that overwhelm me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: BRIAN WELCH, JASEN RYAN RAUCH, MARK L. HOLMAN, MICHAEL VALENTINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@clokey420
As a past heavy drug addict, this song makes me tear up thinking about how I used to destroy myself wit dangerous and sometimes unknown substances. It got so bad that I was homeless with no friends, no job, no family, no food.. and then I met this girl (now my partner in crime💙) and she helped me get off meth, codeine, opioid pills and ecstasy. Now I hear this song and feel all of that hit me at once
@MichaelJunior1999
I'm trying to get through my own addictions. I heard this song in my sophomore year and 7 years after the context finally hits me differently. I'm proud of you 🤘🏽
@shawntyler863
It's cool man I feel you same here I see where I am now tho from when I listed to this back to back locked in a bathroom
@punkhead4312
🥺❤
@XxXK9
No one cares
@MandaloretheUndying1418
@Xx XK9 you are just a troll who thinks they are better than everyome else id bet money you are just a child who knows nothing of the struggles of addiction kick rocks before i fuck your mom and give her a kid worth keeping
@SS-tr5ru
Brian is and always was the soul of Korn. Dude is incredible
@WickedIntentSemi
Aggreed
@JaredGenesis777
also the soul of anything else he does
@sethsampica9320
Jonathan and him both!!