Review Summary: And now for something completely different. Oh wait...
When Black Veil Brides first hit the scene, the music video for their song 'Knives and Pens' was the talk of my local Hot Topic. With only one song, and no official releases with their current lineup, I was stunned to find their band merchandise plastering the chest of every dyed pink hair beauty that I came across. What was the attraction? 'Knives and Pens' was a decent song, but the harmonized guitar riffs have been done to death many times before by many early metalcore bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu. The surprising thing is, Black Veil Brides' lyrical content mimics the two bands I've just mentioned's early releases.
Andy Sixx fronts the band with a very warm tone and the same lyrics you've heard countless times before. His voice is not bad, he's actually a very talented singer, but after you get halfway through the album, you can anticipate where his voice will go next. He's very predictable, and his incredibly weak screams add nothing to the mix but a fake sense of depth, something We Stitch These Wounds could've greatly used. There are gang vocals thrown in at awkward times, and they feel incredibly out of place. It's as if Black Veil Brides don't know what genre they're really aiming for.
This leads to the next problem. Black Veil Brides utilize many different aspects of many different genres, but it all leads to a muddled, confusing mess. We have the aforementioned harmonized riffs found in many early 00's metalcore acts, but then add a chug-a-lug breakdown in every other song and throw in some guitar solos. The guitarists, Jinx and Jake, are actually quite good, because their riffs really aren't that bad, and at first the guitar solos actually sound pretty cool. But when you finally reach the first ballad, 'The Mortician's Daughter', you realize that every song that's come before it has had a guitar solo, and they start to lose the cool factor. Black Veil Brides also have the annoying tendency to repeat their pointless breakdowns at the end of their songs.
Almost every song aside from the ballads follow the same exact song structure: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, breakdown/solo, chorus, breakdown/solo. Add to it that the second half of the album all feels like filler, and this really brings down the somewhat decent first half of the album. It really seems like Black Veil Brides try awfully hard to be every band that's come before them in the high school post-hardcore scene, and they stick to that formula throughout the entirety of We Stitch These Wounds.
However, the album does have some high points. Andy Sixx's voice is far from terrible, there is a very good but repetitive guitar section, and the drummer, Sandra, is actually quite good. Yet, the bad far outweighs the good. Bundle it all up with nonexistent bass, weak production, and an unaquired depth, and you have the debut album from Hot Topic-core act, Black Veil Brides. The band has potential, and with their hordes of fans, hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes.
Recommended Tracks:
We Stitch These Wounds
Knives and Pens
The Mortician's Daughter
