Most of Brian “Head” Welch’s tattoos are new.

It seems like the multicolored ink sleeves and matted brown dreadlocks would be remnants of the “old” Brian, the one who spent a decade pounding out power chords to lyrics like “Right now / I feel it scratch inside / I want to slash and beat you.”

But the tattoo near his makeup-lined eyes gives him away. It’s a small teardrop — a traditional gang symbol — juxtaposed with a cross.

When he got it a couple years ago, he thought it symbolized the intense love of Jesus Christ.

Now, he says, it’s a permanent symbol of the unrelenting hardship, and prevailing joy, he discovered in 2005 when he abandoned riches and rock-star glory to become a Christian.

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