The Black Veil Brides, heir to the throne of theatrical, groove laden melodic metal, have taken over the WARPED tour. You may think that they do not fit WARPED and you may be right but that’s the point, that they do not fit so they will stand out. Even though Andy Six was almost sidelined with broken ribs, he took the time at the Pomona stop of WARPED to talk to Metal Exiles about the new record, Set The World On Fire, and whatever else came across Andy’s eccentric mind.
Interview with Andy "Six" Biersack of Black Veil Brides
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: You guys are kicking off the WARPED Tour with broken ribs, how’s it going to go for you?
Andy Six: I don’t know, I have a few hours until the first show so I guess I will take it one day at a time. I am excited to play so it was rough for me to be on the sidelines and not be able to play for the first week of the tour so I am excited to be back in the condition that I can play.
Metal Exiles: So will you be able to do your show or will you be standing there?
Andy: I will have limited movement on stage but at the end of the day I am giving the fans that paid to be there for us the show that they came to see.
Metal Exiles: Well, you have a ton of fans out there on the grounds; they aren’t hard to pick out.
Andy: Yes, our fans are very recognizable. They wear the black clothes and the black makeup like we do. Its fun because it is supposed to be and I like that they do it. It’s Rock N Roll you know and if you look back at the bands that influenced us like KISS, they had that kind following and we are fortunate to have that same kind of following.
Metal Exiles: When I was a kid (the first time around when KISS wore make up) I had to be someone from KISS every Halloween.
Andy: Same here, I think I was Gene for five years in a row.
Metal Exiles: I was mostly Peter, he was my fav member from KISS.
Andy: Well, there has to be someone that likes Peter.
Metal Exiles: 1977 and back he was an amazing drummer before the “outside influences” kicked in.
Andy: He wasn’t even playing on the studio albums after that and then you look at video, like for Sure Know Something, where he looks like he is out of his mind.
Metal Exiles: If you look at the live videos from the Alive era he was drumming like he was out of his mind, just amazing.
Andy: He was a very talented drummer but the way he ended up before he was out of the band is how he was perceived.
Metal Exiles: I have covered the WARPED for many years and I have seen many look/sound alike bands and I can guarantee that there aren’t any bands here that remotely resemble Black Veil Brides. What made you guys decide to do this tour?
Andy: For us it was like that, the idea to do something to shake things up a bit. There are not a lot of bands that aren’t excited that we are here and that is great for us.
Metal Exiles: Why is that?
Andy: People always have preconceived notions about us, there seems to be a reputation that comes with us and that’s fine. We revel in it. The way we look, party and say things, not everybody is into it, it is what it is. We are not making music for the bumpkins in other bands we are making it for our fans and that’s why we are here..
Metal Exiles: I am sure once you hit the stage everybody will stop and want to see you.
Andy: That’s the way it has to be, you have to make an impact. People are afraid to do that anymore, they are just afraid to be heroes.
Metal Exiles: It’s like when KISS came out or when Motley came out, you have that standard bearing band to say, this is the way it’s going to be for this decade. So for your genre you have to define the 2000’s.
Andy: That’s the way it’s going to be.
Metal Exiles: For Set The World On Fire, you graduated from Stand By to Universal. How did you guys convince a Major Label to take a chance on you guys?
Andy: It is the other way around. We were hesitant to sign with a major because we felt we were doing everything right on our own. We had been contacted by every major under the sun after the sales of our first record and our merchandise but nobody seemed to get it. Then we met Jason Flom and he completely understood what he wanted to do. He really wanted to sign this band and it was the best decision we ever made. The label does not try to shape us or make us into something we are not. They let us do what we want in the studio and we had complete creative control over the record. The benefits for being on a major is that our music is more widespread so more people get to hear it so we are incredibly happy and excited to have signed with Universal.
Metal Exiles: Well Jason did sign Twisted Sister and Skid Row as well as a lot of other great bands to Atlantic. He should know by now that he cannot mess with bands like yours.
Andy: Jason only signs a particular type of artist that has a vision and one that will make an impact. From Dee Snider to Sebastian Bach to Kid Rock to us, they are artists that have made an impact in music and we want to carry that torch.
Metal Exiles: You have made an impact, you basically have your own KISS Army out there. With this record from We Stitch These Wounds you have, in my opinion, went in a more melodic direction. Was this something you wanted to do or something that happened in the writing?
Andy: It is just a natural progression, it is not something that we sat down and said “Lets not do this or that”. It is just how the songs came out and I feel that we have matured as song writers. When a song calls for more aggression then we would use it but we were not looking around for a time to scream. It was just about improving our song writing. The bands that influenced us were bands that had big huge choruses and that was all we were concerned about was writing songs with big sing along choruses. For me its fun, as a listener of music I enjoy being able to sing along to and that’s what I want to give our fans, something to pump their fist to and sing along.
Metal Exiles: When you sit down to write a song do you let your ideas guide you or is it just there?
Andy: It is always different for me. Sometimes you have a catalyst like a title and you write around that title or you just free form the song. There is never just one thing that we do, there is always a different situation for every song. I like doing that because it makes every song that we do unique.
Metal Exiles: I have read about your past, how much that guided what you did on this record?
Andy: I think possibly less than the first record but you never forget who you are and what affected you. You run the risk of sounding like all you do is bitch if you always talk about how shitty your life was a kid. I am an adult now and this record is more about being an adult and being proactive by taking the world by the throat and wanting to make good things for yourself. In that regard it is a sequel to the first record. The first record is very introspective, it talks about dealing with your personal problems where the second record is more about going out and getting what you want in the world. I will never forget what I went through as a kid and what shaped the way I am now but I cant keep harping on things I am detached from. I am not that kid that gets picked on but I am that person internally and I can write songs that can help others.
Metal Exiles: With songs like New Religion and Set the World on Fire, it sounds like you were screaming from your heart. Where did those tracks come from?
Andy: I think those songs are a culmination of things. In terms of New Religion I have always seen religion as an interesting thing but I am not against it, people always need something to believe but people warp it quite a bit. It’s the nature of man to want something to find hope in because without hope why live for tomorrow? For me the greatest deity that I can believe in is myself, to believe in my own heart and devote myself to that before I devote myself to religion or anything else. New Religion is about the general idea of “Before you give yourself to anything else like another person, a god or a religion be strong in yourself to actually do that and know who you are. Set The World on fire plays into that because once you are strong enough you go out and just take what you want.
Metal Exiles: On the other side of the extreme you have a track like Rebel Love Song.
Andy: Rebel Love Song is about growing up in a small town or where ever you are from and wanting to escape from there. You are 16, 17 or 18 and you want to get to wherever you are going, wherever your life is going to take you and you create a utopian society in your mind. You think that once you escape everything will be perfect. The song is about escaping and getting to where you want to go. For us that rebellion and escape worked for us.
Metal Exiles: You put so much of you in your lyrics, is there anything that you are holding back that you are not putting in your lyrics?
Andy: I do not think I am holding anything back. When I am writing a song I do not purposely try to spill my guts and I think with the more songs I write I will advance more with what comes out of me but I just write to what the song needs.
Metal Exiles: You said you have improved as musicians. Where do you think the improvements have gone to?
Andy: I think with the songwriting we have really come together as a band. There was nothing separated, every moment was done as a band which is something we learned to do on this record.
Metal Exiles: Your new album is on vinyl. How important to you was it to have Set The World On Fire on vinyl?
Andy: I think it’s great. The artwork deserves to be bigger and it just looks better as a vinyl LP. I understand with today’s society it is les viable to release something on that format but I think our fans will like to have it and I certainly will want to have it. At the end of the day any merchandise we release we are thinking of the fans and what we enjoy. You have to release what the fans want so we have them in mind when we come up with something.
Metal Exiles: When some people see you or your image they assume you may sound like the Murderdolls or Cradle Of Filth and yet you have this great melodic hard driving sound. Do you get this a lot?
Andy: Certainly, it is human nature to draw a conclusion on what something is. When you see someone on the street in what they are wearing you automatically say “That person is that way”. People are so detached from what Rock N Roll used to be that people see us as so off the wall but if you look at us and you understand our influences it makes total sense. The sound of our music is what we want to be, we are our favorite band. We are not going to try to pander to anybody, we do what we want.
Metal Exiles: I came across something interesting, it seems people want to make a big deal about your religion. They are taken aback by the fact that you are listed as an atheist.
Andy: I do not consider myself as an atheist, I consider myself Andy. I do not claim to know what happens after you die. When I was younger I claimed atheism a bit more but more and more I realize that Atheists have such an elitists attitude towards religion and they pretend that they know and it is innately inhuman to know what happens after you die. Even if we knew it would be able to understand it. It is something that is so out of the scope of our minds and I do not subscribe to the fact that there is a God or a heaven and a hell but I certainly think that there is something more than what we have on earth, I just do not know what it is. I do not subscribe to Christianity or a major religion but I do believe in myself and that I only have so long in this world. The moments that really mean the most and the ones that create my humanity is when I am with my friends or when I am playing my music or writing songs. To me that is the greatest achievement you can have and if you are not killing or hurting anybody then there is nothing wrong with that.
Metal Exiles: I do not know why people get so bent out of shape, you sing for a metal band with KISS and Motley Crue, what were they expecting?
Andy: I don’t know but look at this tour (WARPED), 75% of the bands are Christian bands. That’s the way it is in music anymore and I am not speaking against Christian bands but it has become so watered down that if you are a metal band then they assume you are a Christian band. It is a weird thing as there is no rebellion in it because it is innately accepting. People are conditioned to that post 2003 WARPED tour crowd so that’s another reason why we are here, to bring some rebellion to the party.
Metal Exiles: Considering you are pretty much by yourselves in looks and sound, why do you think the young fans latched so hard onto you guys?
Andy: I think they want to be entertained, they want theatrics in rock music and to hear real rock songs.
Black Veil Brides have only been on the scene for a few short years but they have created a dent big enough for all of the short comers to fall into behind their wake. This is the next big thing, do not forget that.
BUY SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!
OFFICIAL BVB Site
Interview with Andy "Six" Biersack of Black Veil Brides
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: You guys are kicking off the WARPED Tour with broken ribs, how’s it going to go for you?
Andy Six: I don’t know, I have a few hours until the first show so I guess I will take it one day at a time. I am excited to play so it was rough for me to be on the sidelines and not be able to play for the first week of the tour so I am excited to be back in the condition that I can play.
Metal Exiles: So will you be able to do your show or will you be standing there?
Andy: I will have limited movement on stage but at the end of the day I am giving the fans that paid to be there for us the show that they came to see.
Metal Exiles: Well, you have a ton of fans out there on the grounds; they aren’t hard to pick out.
Andy: Yes, our fans are very recognizable. They wear the black clothes and the black makeup like we do. Its fun because it is supposed to be and I like that they do it. It’s Rock N Roll you know and if you look back at the bands that influenced us like KISS, they had that kind following and we are fortunate to have that same kind of following.
Metal Exiles: When I was a kid (the first time around when KISS wore make up) I had to be someone from KISS every Halloween.
Andy: Same here, I think I was Gene for five years in a row.
Metal Exiles: I was mostly Peter, he was my fav member from KISS.
Andy: Well, there has to be someone that likes Peter.
Metal Exiles: 1977 and back he was an amazing drummer before the “outside influences” kicked in.
Andy: He wasn’t even playing on the studio albums after that and then you look at video, like for Sure Know Something, where he looks like he is out of his mind.
Metal Exiles: If you look at the live videos from the Alive era he was drumming like he was out of his mind, just amazing.
Andy: He was a very talented drummer but the way he ended up before he was out of the band is how he was perceived.
Metal Exiles: I have covered the WARPED for many years and I have seen many look/sound alike bands and I can guarantee that there aren’t any bands here that remotely resemble Black Veil Brides. What made you guys decide to do this tour?
Andy: For us it was like that, the idea to do something to shake things up a bit. There are not a lot of bands that aren’t excited that we are here and that is great for us.
Metal Exiles: Why is that?
Andy: People always have preconceived notions about us, there seems to be a reputation that comes with us and that’s fine. We revel in it. The way we look, party and say things, not everybody is into it, it is what it is. We are not making music for the bumpkins in other bands we are making it for our fans and that’s why we are here..
Metal Exiles: I am sure once you hit the stage everybody will stop and want to see you.
Andy: That’s the way it has to be, you have to make an impact. People are afraid to do that anymore, they are just afraid to be heroes.
Metal Exiles: It’s like when KISS came out or when Motley came out, you have that standard bearing band to say, this is the way it’s going to be for this decade. So for your genre you have to define the 2000’s.
Andy: That’s the way it’s going to be.
Metal Exiles: For Set The World On Fire, you graduated from Stand By to Universal. How did you guys convince a Major Label to take a chance on you guys?
Andy: It is the other way around. We were hesitant to sign with a major because we felt we were doing everything right on our own. We had been contacted by every major under the sun after the sales of our first record and our merchandise but nobody seemed to get it. Then we met Jason Flom and he completely understood what he wanted to do. He really wanted to sign this band and it was the best decision we ever made. The label does not try to shape us or make us into something we are not. They let us do what we want in the studio and we had complete creative control over the record. The benefits for being on a major is that our music is more widespread so more people get to hear it so we are incredibly happy and excited to have signed with Universal.
Metal Exiles: Well Jason did sign Twisted Sister and Skid Row as well as a lot of other great bands to Atlantic. He should know by now that he cannot mess with bands like yours.
Andy: Jason only signs a particular type of artist that has a vision and one that will make an impact. From Dee Snider to Sebastian Bach to Kid Rock to us, they are artists that have made an impact in music and we want to carry that torch.
Metal Exiles: You have made an impact, you basically have your own KISS Army out there. With this record from We Stitch These Wounds you have, in my opinion, went in a more melodic direction. Was this something you wanted to do or something that happened in the writing?
Andy: It is just a natural progression, it is not something that we sat down and said “Lets not do this or that”. It is just how the songs came out and I feel that we have matured as song writers. When a song calls for more aggression then we would use it but we were not looking around for a time to scream. It was just about improving our song writing. The bands that influenced us were bands that had big huge choruses and that was all we were concerned about was writing songs with big sing along choruses. For me its fun, as a listener of music I enjoy being able to sing along to and that’s what I want to give our fans, something to pump their fist to and sing along.
Metal Exiles: When you sit down to write a song do you let your ideas guide you or is it just there?
Andy: It is always different for me. Sometimes you have a catalyst like a title and you write around that title or you just free form the song. There is never just one thing that we do, there is always a different situation for every song. I like doing that because it makes every song that we do unique.
Metal Exiles: I have read about your past, how much that guided what you did on this record?
Andy: I think possibly less than the first record but you never forget who you are and what affected you. You run the risk of sounding like all you do is bitch if you always talk about how shitty your life was a kid. I am an adult now and this record is more about being an adult and being proactive by taking the world by the throat and wanting to make good things for yourself. In that regard it is a sequel to the first record. The first record is very introspective, it talks about dealing with your personal problems where the second record is more about going out and getting what you want in the world. I will never forget what I went through as a kid and what shaped the way I am now but I cant keep harping on things I am detached from. I am not that kid that gets picked on but I am that person internally and I can write songs that can help others.
Metal Exiles: With songs like New Religion and Set the World on Fire, it sounds like you were screaming from your heart. Where did those tracks come from?
Andy: I think those songs are a culmination of things. In terms of New Religion I have always seen religion as an interesting thing but I am not against it, people always need something to believe but people warp it quite a bit. It’s the nature of man to want something to find hope in because without hope why live for tomorrow? For me the greatest deity that I can believe in is myself, to believe in my own heart and devote myself to that before I devote myself to religion or anything else. New Religion is about the general idea of “Before you give yourself to anything else like another person, a god or a religion be strong in yourself to actually do that and know who you are. Set The World on fire plays into that because once you are strong enough you go out and just take what you want.
Metal Exiles: On the other side of the extreme you have a track like Rebel Love Song.
Andy: Rebel Love Song is about growing up in a small town or where ever you are from and wanting to escape from there. You are 16, 17 or 18 and you want to get to wherever you are going, wherever your life is going to take you and you create a utopian society in your mind. You think that once you escape everything will be perfect. The song is about escaping and getting to where you want to go. For us that rebellion and escape worked for us.
Metal Exiles: You put so much of you in your lyrics, is there anything that you are holding back that you are not putting in your lyrics?
Andy: I do not think I am holding anything back. When I am writing a song I do not purposely try to spill my guts and I think with the more songs I write I will advance more with what comes out of me but I just write to what the song needs.
Metal Exiles: You said you have improved as musicians. Where do you think the improvements have gone to?
Andy: I think with the songwriting we have really come together as a band. There was nothing separated, every moment was done as a band which is something we learned to do on this record.
Metal Exiles: Your new album is on vinyl. How important to you was it to have Set The World On Fire on vinyl?
Andy: I think it’s great. The artwork deserves to be bigger and it just looks better as a vinyl LP. I understand with today’s society it is les viable to release something on that format but I think our fans will like to have it and I certainly will want to have it. At the end of the day any merchandise we release we are thinking of the fans and what we enjoy. You have to release what the fans want so we have them in mind when we come up with something.
Metal Exiles: When some people see you or your image they assume you may sound like the Murderdolls or Cradle Of Filth and yet you have this great melodic hard driving sound. Do you get this a lot?
Andy: Certainly, it is human nature to draw a conclusion on what something is. When you see someone on the street in what they are wearing you automatically say “That person is that way”. People are so detached from what Rock N Roll used to be that people see us as so off the wall but if you look at us and you understand our influences it makes total sense. The sound of our music is what we want to be, we are our favorite band. We are not going to try to pander to anybody, we do what we want.
Metal Exiles: I came across something interesting, it seems people want to make a big deal about your religion. They are taken aback by the fact that you are listed as an atheist.
Andy: I do not consider myself as an atheist, I consider myself Andy. I do not claim to know what happens after you die. When I was younger I claimed atheism a bit more but more and more I realize that Atheists have such an elitists attitude towards religion and they pretend that they know and it is innately inhuman to know what happens after you die. Even if we knew it would be able to understand it. It is something that is so out of the scope of our minds and I do not subscribe to the fact that there is a God or a heaven and a hell but I certainly think that there is something more than what we have on earth, I just do not know what it is. I do not subscribe to Christianity or a major religion but I do believe in myself and that I only have so long in this world. The moments that really mean the most and the ones that create my humanity is when I am with my friends or when I am playing my music or writing songs. To me that is the greatest achievement you can have and if you are not killing or hurting anybody then there is nothing wrong with that.
Metal Exiles: I do not know why people get so bent out of shape, you sing for a metal band with KISS and Motley Crue, what were they expecting?
Andy: I don’t know but look at this tour (WARPED), 75% of the bands are Christian bands. That’s the way it is in music anymore and I am not speaking against Christian bands but it has become so watered down that if you are a metal band then they assume you are a Christian band. It is a weird thing as there is no rebellion in it because it is innately accepting. People are conditioned to that post 2003 WARPED tour crowd so that’s another reason why we are here, to bring some rebellion to the party.
Metal Exiles: Considering you are pretty much by yourselves in looks and sound, why do you think the young fans latched so hard onto you guys?
Andy: I think they want to be entertained, they want theatrics in rock music and to hear real rock songs.
Black Veil Brides have only been on the scene for a few short years but they have created a dent big enough for all of the short comers to fall into behind their wake. This is the next big thing, do not forget that.
BUY SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!
OFFICIAL BVB Site
