Brian Head Welch Save Me From Myself

The Album That Broke Korn Fans (And Why I Got It)

Brian Head Welch's 2008 solo album, Save Me From Myself, came out when most people in the nu-metal scene were still convinced he wasn't serious. I had the CD in my car for about three weeks before I actually pressed play. The artwork looked like a self-help pamphlet for people who also liked heavy guitars, which set off every internal alarm I had. Turns out I was wrong about a lot of things. The album runs 46 minutes across 13 tracks. Opening with "Soulmate," it immediately establishes the template: downtuned guitar, clean verses that explode into harsh screams, and lyrics wrestling with faith, sobriety, and self-loathing. It's not Korn. The production is tighter, the tempos are more consistent, and Welch is singing with far more conviction than anyone expected from a guy who'd been away from the band for nearly a decade. "Crisis" and "God Don't Make Mistakes" are the heaviest cuts. "My Savior" is the most overtly Christian track and the one that alienated the most people from Korn, but honestly it sounds like any other post-hardcore chorus dressed in different language. I remember pulling the album up on Spotify years later and being struck by how many tracks actually hold up. "I'll Find You" has a riff that would've fit comfortably on Untouchables if Korn had written it. The guitar work here is surprisingly competent. Welch isn't a technical player, but he knows how to write a riff that sits right, and this album is proof of that.

The common complaint is that it's too polished. You're right. But I've found that polished works better than raw on most of these songs. "Save Me From Myself" itself uses that dial between aggression and melody as its central theme, so the production choices actually serve the material. I ran into a weird problem once when trying to reference specific moments from this album in a forum discussion and couldn't find timestamps that matched across different pressings. The European import runs about 90 seconds longer total because "Deliver Me" is extended by roughly 45 seconds. If you're editing or transcribing, use the US standard pressing. It saved me from looking like an idiot defending a timestamp that didn't exist on my version.

How to actually listen to this without cringing

Most people come to this album expecting Korn energy and leave confused. That's the wrong approach. Listen to it as a standalone project from a musician working through post-addiction clarity. The production choices make sense when you factor in that Welch was recording while actively rebuilding a relationship with his faith. The album sounds like someone trying to prove something to themselves more than to an audience. The vocal performances are worth paying attention to. Welch switches between singing and screaming more deliberately than he ever did in Korn. On tracks like "Crisis," the screamed lines carry genuine urgency rather than theatrical aggression. This matters because the album is autobiographical. He's writing about almost dying from a drug overdose, leaving Korn at the height of its fame, and rediscovering Christianity. The music reflects that transition from self-destruction to stabilization. I've owned three different versions of this album over the years. The original Columbia Records pressing from 2008 sounds the best. The reissue on Fearless Records trimmed some tracks and the mastering felt compressed. If you're building a collection or just want to hear it properly, go with the original pressing. I spent an afternoon A/B testing the two versions and the dynamic range difference was significant enough that I returned the reissue.

What this album gets right and where it falls apart

It works best when Welch leans into the tension between his Korn background and his new direction. "I Will Follow" bridges that gap neatly. It has the groove he was famous for but channels it through a completely different emotional framework. That's the album at its strongest moment: using familiar musical territory to explore unfamiliar emotional territory. It stumbles on the filler. "God Don't Make Mistakes (Pt. 2)" exists solely to pad runtime. The guest appearance doesn't add anything. The song could have been cut by two minutes and the album would've been stronger. Same issue with "My Savior" being the most generic track on the record. These aren't dealbreakers but they're noticeable. The biggest practical issue I ran into is availability. The album hasn't been reissued on vinyl and digital streaming platforms sometimes list it under different titles or combine it with later albums. If you're looking to purchase, the original CD pressing is still available through Amazon and Discogs but prices have crept up since it went out of print. The Spotify version is fine for casual listening. For anything involving actual analysis or referencing, get the physical copy or a high-quality download.

For anyone curious about where Welch's sound went after Korn disbanded temporarily, this is the starting point. It's not his best work, but it's the most honest. Joy in the Sorrow came two years later and sounded more refined, but this album has something the later one lacks: the raw edge of someone who just barely survived himself.