Black Veil Brides Strap On And Plug In

A couple weeks back I came across a review of the Black Veil Brides that mentioned that they were equally influenced by emo, goth, and strip bands like the Crüe and LA Guns.

"Encased in makeup and black fabrics, Black Veil Brides appear like action figures crawling from post-apocalyptic wreckage abandoned on the Sunset Strip.  When they strap on and plug in, however, the focus shifts to BVB's sound: heavy on the Motley Crue and L.A. Guns metal signifiers with shattering emo breakdowns and billowing clouds of goth smoke."

Who writes these things? 

First of all, "when they strap on and plug in"!?  Yuck.

Second of all, I don't think I've ever heard a band's sound compared to another band that actually ended up sounding like said other band.  Of course I scanned the track list for a Matthew Wilder cover, in which case, BVB could actually sound EXACTLY like L.A. Guns.  Negative...at least none of the songs I know by Matthew Wilder, which is one, and arguably one too many.

Then there's the whole emo thing.  I've heard it was horrible, so I'm glad I was passed out through the 90's.  I can't imagine everyone running around all emotional screaming about feelings and shit.  In their defense, I would be pretty upset too if I had to sport a shaved bowl cut and only play in basements.

(Xshattered emo breakdownsX)

On top of all these descriptors, they throw goth in the mix for good measure.  In my experience, any band spanning more than two genres that isn't a wedding band is flirtin' with disaster.  I can't tell you how many times I've been approached by guys trying to get me to come see their bands..."Hey dude, why don't you come check out my band at Paladino's Tuesday afternoon?  We've got a really cool mix of rock, funk, groove metal, and even some smooth jazz."

"Unless you're Neil Schon, Jan Hammer, or a Schon & Hammer tribute band, no thanks."

So what do BVB sound like?  Well...

While I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, they sound a lot like Billy Idol to me...once he's strapped on and plugged in, of course.