Quotes from Andy Biersack

More than anything, I write about what I know. The experiences that I've had in my life and that we've all had collectively, that's what we draw from.

Lyrically, the most important thing for me is, how can I tell a cohesive story?

When I was a kid, it was so important to listen only to bands nobody had ever heard of. I missed out on so much interesting music because of my need to listen to a psychobilly band that only two people knew about... Because I thought I was cool.

I don't believe in ghosts, or fairies, or crystals, or unicorns, or a man that can walk on water, or any of that non sense, I personally rely on logic, and have for the better part of my life.

You can't deny a band whose fans will literally do anything to see them win the awards. We're very appreciative to the fan base. That mutual feeling of appreciation is something that really helps.

It's really important for us as a band, that when someone is giving us grief on stage, to show our fans how important it is that they stand up for themselves and that they feel confident in themselves.

Kiss will always be Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to me.

As far as being onstage, commanding presence, I've always looked up to people like Axl Rose and Freddie Mercury and Paul Stanley - the rock gods. I've always wanted to be able to achieve that level of commanding nature onstage and really leading people at a show.

I don't really have any interest in allowing other people's kind of idiotic, unnecessary, either bigotry or hatred or whatever derision they have for me, I don't allow for it to really bother me, because I don't need it.

If they can look past the fact that I happen to wear mascara on stage - which, by the way, is a ridiculous thing that people have a stigma about - then we promise a good rock show.

Our music is never going to stop someone from bullying someone else. But you should be your own person.

One of the things that always disappointed me as a kid, growing up, was when you could tell the singer had a fancy for something different and turned the band into something else.

There is no reason why a guitar player makes the guitar-playing faces. It doesn't help you play guitar. You've not improved your skills. It's because you're up onstage, and the natural inclination is to put on a show. The rock guy faces are just as much of a front or a show as us wearing crazy makeup. It's just a different scale.

We're not here to make the ignorant people happy. We're here to write our music for those people that are interested in good rock n' roll music.

You know what? I'm an artist. I'm an artist and I'm gonna make art, arty art art!

We know that listening to Black Veil Brides, wearing Black Veil Bride shirts, or being in Black Veil Brides isn't always the most popular thing in the world.

I knew that my love for the Sisters of Mercy, Lords of the New Church and that kind of stuff, was never going to lend itself well to a direct interpretation in Black Veil Brides.

There's no place for Depeche Mode and the Sisters of Mercy in the music I make with my band. If I was a fan, I wouldn't want to hear that on a Black Veil Brides record. It was important for me and for the integrity of the band not to tarnish it.

My biggest love has always been the music Black Veil Brides make, but that doesn't mean I don't listen to or enjoy other things.

I've always been a big fan of utopian, future, new-world stories - 'V For Vendetta,' comic books, graphic novels.

I think Heaven and afterlife is for the living; it's for the people that continue on and remember that person, and if you've done something that is substantial in your life then you can leave a legacy and do something positive.

Each and every one of us has a fire that burns inside us. They can try like hell to put it out, but as long as we know in our minds who we are meant to be, they will never stand a chance.

I don't do anything unless I think about it six months in advance.

How do we make a record that's true to the vibe of the band but still maintain the pace of moving forward and doing something fresh?