Page 43 - Black Velvet Issue 96

BV96 pg43_BV96 pg43 12/03/2018 01:48 Page 1

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YYYYY Excellent YYYY Very Good YYY Good

YY Listenable, Just Y Poor

BLACK VEIL BRIDES / ASKING ALEXANDRIA / TO THE RATS AND WOLVES – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 23.01.18
In 2017, Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria announced a co-headline tour of the UK and USA. Both bands had been resurrected – Black Veil
Brides after having a couple of years away from the touring spotlight, with frontman Andy Black having released and toured his ‘The Shadow Side’
solo album instead, and Asking Alexandria back with Danny Worsnop, following his departure in January 2015. It made sense that the tour was named
The Resurrection Tour – and the tour kicked off in the USA, heading overseas towards the end of January.
Opening band To The Rats And Wolves hail from Germany and mix dancey electronic beats with metalcore guitars and screams. They tell the
crowd it’s the best night of their lives already. Unfortunately they’re a little more enthusiastic than us. We can’t quite get our heads around the onslaught
that comes in the form of ‘Blackout’, ‘Wild At Heart’ and ‘Young. Used. Wasted.’. Their shouty roars, blast beats and heavy breakdowns are earsplitting
and cacophonous. Having two vocalists means they can mix their vocals – we definitely prefer the more melodic ones, although they’re few and far
between.

“Motherfuckers, we’re back,” an-
nounces Danny Worsnop. With a new
self-titled album out, Asking Alexandria
have surprised everyone with their change
in style. Tonight, they keep old fans happy with
the heaviness of ‘Run Free’ and ‘The Final
Episode’, while showcasing their newer, more
melodic side in songs such as ‘Alone In A Room’ and ‘Into
The Fire’ from their self-titled release, which still pack a punch,
but do so a lot more elegantly. Their set even includes an acoustic
section, which sees guitarist Ben Bruce sat on a stool, while he and
Danny perform ‘Vultures’ and ‘Someone, Somewhere’. This definitely
shows a new side to Asking Alexandria. They are akin to chameleons, shed-
ding their skins to reveal completely different characteristics. Their new music is
hands down their best work yet, and their set sufficiently satisfies everyone.
Black Veil Brides have a new album out entitled ‘Vale’, number one in the rock charts
at the time of the show – although they choose to open with ‘Faithless’ from their previous
self-titled release instead. It’s a familiar favourite that instantly picks the crowd up and
from then on has them in the palms of their hands. The bright lights and big video screen
at the back are instantly impressive. Songs such as ‘Coffin’ and ‘Rebel Love Song’ are in-
your-face, punchy and packed with guitar riffs which the band perform while constantly
moving around the stage, Ashley Purdy with a headset microphone on so he can sing at
the same time as playing the bass. Andy Biersack has a slight memory lapse when he
thanks the opening band, but accidentally calls them Crown The Empire – since they’re
on tour with them in the U.S. He has forgotten the name of To The Rats And Wolves, the
European opening band, and has to ask the crowd what they’re called. To be fair, it’s quite
a hard name to remember – worth writing by the setlist, perhaps?
The softer ‘When They Call My Name’ sees guitarist Jinxx open the song with a spot
of violin playing, while black and white footage of the band’s earlier years plays on the
video screen. The darker and heavier ‘Shadows Die’ sees a more theatrical, haunted, hor-
ror-like fairytale, with Andy getting the crowd to sway along, while Jinxx again plays the
violin. There’s a big scream for ballad, ‘Lost It All’, which sees Jinxx don a black top hat
and a gothic tailed coat for this one and an impressive solo from Jake Pitts. Jinxx and
Jake frequently play their guitars back-to-back, and their dual guitar work gives the band
that notable metallic edge. The five-piece, completed with CC on the drums, play a set in
similar length to Asking Alexandria, with an encore consisting of ‘Perfect Weapon’, ‘Fallen
Angels’ and ‘In The End’. These are the songs that everyone’s waiting for, the latter gaining
the biggest sing-along of the night. In the end Black Veil Brides come out triumphant, al-
though they were winners right from the very start.
YYYYY
Shari Black Velvet
Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides) Photo By Shari Black Velvet

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