The first album from Los Angeles based quintet Black Veil Brides, “We Stitch These Wounds” showed that along with the band’s makeup clad image, the music wasn’t all that bad either. At times, “Wounds” [...]]]>

"World" is the type of album custom built for rock radio success- let's see if they bite.

The first album from Los Angeles based quintet Black Veil Brides, “We Stitch These Wounds” showed that along with the band’s makeup clad image, the music wasn’t all that bad either. At times, “Wounds” had it’s moments, but played more to their influences with H.I.M. than the band’s other major influences, such as Motley Crue and Kiss.

Well, for the band’s second album, the production is a tad bit better and the songs tend to play more off the influences that have been discussed, versus coming off as a carbon copy of another band. When listening to “World”, you get the feeling that the polish on the band’s sound has been highly tinkering for mass rock radio airplay. Take songs like the title track, in which the fist pumping rocker is ablaze with slick solos and almost flawless precision. You can also check out the highly improved guitar work on “Die For You”. The band’s love for hair metal and all things 80’s rock can be tightly packaged into the track, “Fallen Angels”, in which the band’s sound and their look could easily be mistaken for sometime in 1986. And the album does have it’s pre-requisite ballad, “Saviour”, which just sounds custom made for ascension on the rock charts.

Black Veil Brides have stepped up their game a bit with “Set The World On Fire”, in it’s production value and overall sonic output. The band is heavy enough not to fall into the emo category, yet catchy enough not to scare them or other more mainstream rock fans off. But given all of the polish, all of the improvements, “World” is a good listen, but not a great one and just needs something to push the band to that next level.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, [...]]]>

Black Veil Brides play this Friday at the I-Rock.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, lead singer of the LA based band Black Veil Brides, Andy Six, listening to those bands still faced a lot of that venom from fellow students when he was younger.

Those influences and others helped Andy head out to LA and start the Brides. After touring for a couple of years, the 19 year old Andy leads the Brides into their first major tour throughout the States in support of their upcoming release, “We Stitch Those Wounds” (due out July 20^th).

Before a show in Houston, I had a chance to talk with Andy about what to expect from the upcoming album and how he found the bands that helped shape his music interests. Here’s my interview with Andy:

AM: With the album coming out soon, what is your mood going into the release?
AS: There is a lot of excitement, but also a sense of accomplishment. Ultimately, I set out to make an record that I wanted to make and sounds like something I would listen to. I hope lyrically and musically, it makes an impression on people. I’ve been doing this since I was 14, it’s the only band I’ve been in and I want to band this band like bands I want to go see.

AM: What sort of influences go into the band’s sound?
AS: When starting out with the band, I was a bit selfish about how I wanted the band to sound (laughs). I set out to be a band like Motley Crue or Kiss, but definitely something more epic. As much as I love Kiss, I think the lyrical content maybe wasn’t the most emotional- so with my music, I set out to make the lyrics where more people would connect with it on an emotional level. Along with those bands, I was influenced by bands like Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio as well.

AM: What was your initial exposure to a band like Kiss?
AS: My earliest memory of discovering Kiss when I was 5. My dad was a musician who was in a bunch of punk bands and was a major Kiss fan. One day, he came down with a box full of trading cards and had Kiss trading cards- it was a rite of passage in a way. I looked at these guys as superheroes, like Batman or something. The first album I got into by the band was “Revenge” and it just started from there.

AM: How did your liking for those bands affect your motivation to start a band?
AS: You have to belief in yourself. In school in Kentucky, I was a bit of a loner and didn’t have friends. Living in a place like that, when you dress up like a member of Kiss, it kinda limits the friends you’re gonna have (laughs). But it spurred me to become something big. And now, I want to help other kids through tough times and inner strife. I enjoy going to places like Texas, and see these kids that looked like me all together and getting into a show- sometimes a show like that is far more intense than something in LA or something.

AM: What can we expect from a Black Veil Brides show?
AS: There are lot of ideas. At this point, we all feed off each other’s energy in the show. What we may lack in a stage show because we’re just starting out, we definitely make up for in the energy of the show. We want there to be nothing more entertaining than a Black Veil Brides show.

Black Veil Brides play the I-Rock Nightclub on Friday, July 23^rd. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.etix.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/blackveilbrides.