Black Veil Brides

The past couple of years have saw Black Veil Brides burst through the stratosphere and they’ve quickly emerged as one of the top bands on the scene.

They have just started their latest UK run, headlining the Kerrang! Tour in support of their latest release ‘Wretched & Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’. We caught up with them as they prepared to take to the stage in Manchester.

Music News: You’ve just kicked off your run headlining Kerrang Tour 2013, how was the first night?

Jake Pitts (Guitar): It went great, all sold out so I can’t complain.

Christian Coma (Drums): I had nothing but problems and wanted to set my drums on fire but a shitty day on stage is better than a shitty day in an office.

Music News: The band will be doing signings at a lot of these dates, what’s it like being having so many people turn up desperate to see you guys?

Jake: It’s always crazy. Sometimes there’s kids crying, they’re smiling, they can’t talk, they give you gifts.
CC: Today they thought it was my goddamn birthday! I got like 76 bags of stuff, what the hell’s with me over here? My birthday’s in April.

Jake: I guess we get used to it but when kids come up and they’re crying it’s still kind of shocking and unreal, we’re like “we’re just human, we’re just a band”.

CC: You get used to it which doesn’t mean we take it for granted, it’s so crazy that we’re half way around the world and people are freaking out. I don’t think we’ll ever take it for granted but it’s part of the job, so you’ve got to get used to it.

Jake: I think for me too, when we started touring this year in January we’d had quite a while off from touring so I think the first couple of weeks were shocking again but now it’s back to normal.

Music News: How does it feel to be headlining such a big tour?

CC: Awesome. I mean, the publication gives us so much press and supports us so much that it’s definitely good to be able to headline the tour. Part of our success over here is definitely due to Kerrang! Magazine.
Jake: It’s an honour to be even on the tour, let alone headlining it.

After you wrap up this tour you’ve got a one day gap before starting a US tour, do you not need a break at all?
Jake: We spend that day on the plane as well so there’s no break at all, this whole year’s going to be hectic for us. Flying sucks.

Music News: The album is a concept album, was it easier to write it than your other albums because you were writing with a story in mind or was it more difficult?

Jake: For me personally it was a little more difficult just because we had to write it backwards from what I’m used to. Normally I’ll start with a music piece and then we’ll add lyrics and a melody afterwards but this was kind of more backwards. Since we had a story the melody and lyrics came first and then we built the songs around that so it was kind of awkward at first but I definitely got used to it.

Music News: It seems like you left the story of the album open for a possible sequel, is this something you could see the band returning to in time?

CC: We’ll see, making this album wasn’t always a walk in the park, it was definitely a struggle at times but we’re stoked with the way it came out but we’re stoked with the way it came out. Who knows, the response to this has been amazing.

Jake: Yeah it’s hard to tell with this one being so new.

Music News: You released a film to accompany the album, ‘The Legion of the Black’, how was the process of making it?

CC: It was really cool, they had us running all over deserts.

Jake: Yeah there was a lot of running in that.

Music News: Where did the idea to make it come from?

Jake: I think we were all eating at a Chinese restaurant and we found it in a fortune cookie. But really, Andy (Biersack, Vocals) kind of had the concept from the beginning and kind of turned it into something bigger until it became a movie.

Music News: What were your lives like before the band picked off?

Jake: I was trying to make this my job since the first time I picked up a guitar so I’ve worked stupid day jobs to get by , pay the rent and eat but I never did anything that I was passionate about. I wanted to blow my brains out but coming home and working on music was the only thing that kept me sane so I’m very thankful for everything that we have.

CC: Same for me, I gave up on music because I’d toured before with previous bands but it was let down after let down after let down. Once you get let down after so many years you kind of give up so I got out of music but Jake and Jinxxx (guitar) pulled me into this group which I’m forever grateful for. But the same stuff though, trying to get by and wishing that we cold be doing what we’re doing now.

Music News: We’re barely in to 2013, what are the bands plans for the rest of the year?

Jake: After this we’re in America and then Europe, Canada, back to America so it will be pretty non stop all year.

CC: We get three weeks off in March but I don’t think there’s a break after that.


Black Veil Brides are currently touring the UK headlining the Kerrang! Tour with Chiodos, Tonight Alive and Fearless Vampire Killers