"We Stitch These Wounds"

As I start this, it is 1:30 in the morning. EST. July 20, 2010.

Black Veil Brides' debut album, "We Stitch These Wounds," is currently number two on the iTunes Rock charts. It's number thirteen overall. I've watched as it's gone up in the past hour and a half on both charts. Fans on Twitter and similar social networking sites are consumed by the rise. So what now?

Now I'm going to save this and log off. I intend to resume my writing later today - by which point I wouldn't be surprised if the band's followers - "Bridesmaids" and the "BVBarmy" - have pulled the album all the way to the top. We'll see!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Alright, due to unfortunate computer problems, I wasn't able to return to this the day of, but it's now July 21, and Black Veil Brides are slowly gathering more and more momentum. I've loved listening to the album... quite nearly constantly... and now, by request, I'm doing a track-by-track of the album that caused bassist Ashley Purdy to say to Noisecreep: "It's melodic laden battle cry ... a torch that's carried from everything we loved in heavy rock and metal music that hasn't existed in decades." I have to say, it's pretty incredible: Andy's vocals go between clean and rough at just the right points; Sandra shows that you better not judge her for being small and female, because she can own the drums as well as or better than any guy; between her and bassist Ashley Purdy, they've got a great rhythm section, which often goes sadly ignored by the fans - they won't let it happen here; guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx are incredible, already stamping out a place beside the greats in my book.


1. The Outcasts (Call to Arms)
Black Veil Brides fans are an army, so what better to open the album than a call to arms? I also find it really cool that Andy got his grandfather involved with this.

2. We Stitch These Wounds
This song was unofficially released over a year ago, and it sounded pretty different then. At first, I had some issues adjusting to the changes in melody - I kept singing the other - but after a few listens, I still love it. And I've got to say, the instrumental changes sound pretty freaking sweet. I definitely dig the solo - Jake Pitts is pretty much owning through solos all over this album! Overall, I've come to love the changes, and I can't get enough.

3. Beautiful Remains
I. Love. This. Song. It's one of my favorites on the album. The intro is great. I love the ceremonial feel of the first verse. The backing vocals before the chorus introduce an almost chant feel and serve for a great buildup (something also seen later in the album). The chorus itself is something nongeneric that manages to stay in your head. You just can't help singing along. The drumroll before the solo also creates a really cool vibe - which works because it's a sick solo. ;)

4. Children Surrender
This one was another of my instant favorites. The lyrics are just perfect. The first verse caught me because it seems to emphasize a big basis for Black Veil Brides - "We're born into the night like children of the damned/And our pain will shine a light to those who understand" - to me painting a picture of and for their outcast" fans... and of their former selves. The idea of pain (oppression, discrimination) calling to others is uplifting and it makes fans able to relate. The backing for the chorus has the "chant" feel mentioned above and it's great. The scream post-second-verse leads perfectly into the instrumentals, which in turn lead perfectly into pretty much everything else. And I won't lie - I love the vampire feel. Why not?

5. Perfect Weapon
The album's first single, "Perfect Weapon" is a wonderfully balanced track that displays everyone's talents perfectly - from the deep opening scream on the part of Andy Six - making it a great pick. I have to appreciate the video for this single, because I feel like it really shows how much they've progressed. It's harder to see in some ways, but this video was just as conceptual as their "Knives and Pens" video debut - it's actually intended as a sequel. In an interview with MUEN magazine, Andy said, "The idea behind this video is that the main character named David now has an army. It is supposed to represent the band's growth as well as the fans' growth with the band. In the first video, we were a band that not many people had heard of and now because of the video we have been allowed success." Lyrically, I really enjoy the song, especially the comparison in the second verse - "Like birds whose wings are broken/You live without direction".

6. Knives and Pens
"Knives and Pens" holds a special place in my heart for being the first video, what really got people's attention. In the WSTW version, there are some changes, but good ones. Everything's a lot cleaner. The vocals are clearer. The instrumentals have been amped up. There are smaller changes all over the place, and then the solo's been totally changed. Everything just flows better - and it wasn't bad at all to begin with. This is a really good reworking of an already great song.

7. The Mortician's Daughter
Before the release of the album, the original version of this was one of my favorites. I love this one just as much. It's so different from everything else, and it shows versatility that I really appreciate. It showcases Andy's voice beautifully, I love the use of piano and violin/orchestra, and everything just works. It's funny, because no one would really expect an acoustic song from them, but this one's always been beautiful. And lyrically it's one of the best things I've ever heard because it's totally heartfelt. It's a song that makes a girl say "Wow, does that really happen?" I was really glad that, vocally, it wasn't really altered. It was too perfect to me to begin with; I would have been heartbroken to hear it sang differently.

8. All Your Hate
Something about this song... I can't explain it (which is frustrating since that's kind of my job) but the verses are just different. It just stands out, something about how they're presented. The chorus I love, because it's another one that anyone can reach out and apply to life. "We learn from all your hate" - that's a line that I intend to hold in my mind as defense to those who would tear me down. I know I'm not alone in that. Again, the instrumentals are incredible - I don't think they can do it any other way.

9. Heaven's Calling
This song seems to project a lot. There's a lot of emotion, a lot of passion. It's very heavy, one of those songs that can place them up with some musicians of the past. Thinking about what to write here, my mind actually went to the fact that you can really tell their passionate about everything. Even through their recorded music. Anyway, I really love the instrumental power in this one, and the melody's great. Not my favorite off the album, but still really, really good.

10. Never Give In
This song is brilliance, pure brilliance. It's the most inspiring track I've heard in a long time, and they accomplish that without sacrificing any aspect of themselves. This song reaches out to every member of the "BVBarmy" to tell them that they don't have to give up. "When your life feels lost (Fight against all odds!)". It's flawless, uplifting, and really makes you want to stand up for yourself. It makes the fans feel connected, and they are.

11. Sweet Blasphemy
My number one WSTW track - and, judging from the tweets/status updates containing the lyrics, I'm not alone. This song, I feel, incarnates everything Black Veil Brides has come to stand for. It speaks about the world's pressure to conform and how we are strong enough to be who and what we want to be. We "won't believe this lie" because we know "there's something more inside" than what the world wants us to be. Our strength allows us to become "something more than they can be". This song epitomizes the message to be yourself. It really is standing up for the underdog, the disenfranchised, the ridiculed. It brings hope, strength, and confidence to fans everywhere. I thank Black Veil Brides for caring about their fans in a world wrought with bands "too good" for that.

12. Carolyn
A friend said to me that this final track was her least favorite, and with how different it seems, I can understand her opinion. To me, though, I love the difference. It stands out amongst the others on the album because of the stylistic elements. In the opening, I love the guitar (a pattern that reappears during the choruses), because it just puts me in mind of older rock music. The song itself is beautiful. Lyrically it's touching, and the simpler instrumental support for Six's vocals are a lovely complement. It is, yet again, a very uplifting track. I love the reversion to an acoustic sound, just for a couple of seconds, following the solo. The song overall has the feel of a modernized classic, if that makes sense. It's a song that I'm sure to go back to over and over again. It closes the album really, really well.


Now you, the reader, have a couple of options. You can buy "We Stitch These Wounds" on iTunes (help them climb the charts!), or you can buy a copy at Hot Topic, FYE, Amazon - anywhere, really! But the Hot Topic copy contains a special bonus track - an acoustic version of "Knives and Pens" - so I personally intend to go out and pick that up soon.

As bassist Ashley Purdy has said, Black Veil Brides is "definitely a band that stands out today but still brings [their] own take and a fresh spin on heavy rock and metal music with an image" (Noisecreep). They've certainly proven themselves with their breakout debut album, and I guarantee the BVBarmy will continue to grow as a result of their efforts, their talents, and most of all their passion and devotion to their fans and to their music. I, unfortunately, missed them at their Charlotte stop of the "Sacred Ceremony Tour," but if it hasn't yet reached you, I strongly encourage you to get out there! It's well worth it, and I'm willing to bet you won't get to see them in these club shows for too much longer. They'll be packing arenas any time now.

Much love for you, the readers, and for the band.
Mari
xoxo

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marissa.billiet@hotmail.com
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