Album per day: Day 5

Artist: Pierce The Veil
Album: Selfish Machines
Released: 2010

I have quite a few upcoming gigs this year, one of them being a Sleeping With Sirens/Pierce The Veil co-headliner in Birmingham with my girlfriend (who adores both bands). I've heard bits and bobs of either band, but never actually taken the time to listen to one of the albums in full. Pierce The Veil are one of those overseas acts that seem to have found their popularity through the internet, rather than relying on record sales or appearances on mainstream UK media. I've spotted them a couple of times on Kerrang! TV or Scuzz, but that's as far as it goes.
To give you a little background, Pierce The Veil are a pop punk band hailing from California, although you can tell that they honour their Mexican heritage. Their biggest hit was a collaboration with Sleeping With Sirens vocalist Kellin Quinn on King For A Day. I've been pointed in the direction of Selfish Machines as a good starting point, so here goes.
Whilst settling into this album, it is apparent that Pierce The Veil aren't your typical pop punk act, like New Found Glory or Good Charlotte; there's a lot more experimentation here. These guys can shred! All manner of influences are pulled in, ranging from post-hardcore to Rick Wakeman inspired keyboard sections, suggesting there are some more progressive elements happening here. Besitos kicks things off, but doesn't really shine as an opener. The Boy Who Could Fly sees the quartet let loose on their instruments, and shows just how damn good a vocalist Vic Fuentes is. They pull in old cohort Jeremy McKinnon from A Day To Remember to lend his voice to Caraphernelia, sending fangirls into excitement-induced comas everywhere. Bulletproof Love treats listeners to some excellent guitar work from Vic Fuentes and Tony Perry, whilst Stay Away From My Friends is the passionate ballad this album was crying out for; I especially enjoy the way the piano fades out the song.
As much as I can appreciate the talent that this band has, I find myself becoming a little irritated with how Vic Fuentes uses his voice as if he's singing at full volume for most of the album. I wish he'd calm it down a little more often, like he does in the verses of the poppy Disasterology. Did he also really need to use autotune on Million Dollar Houses? We end on The Sky Under The Sea, a roller coaster ride of a song that travels at stop-start speed; I can imagine this being a total bitch for the band to play live. It's a strong ending that this album deserves.
Pierce The Veil have never quite managed to emulate their American success over in the UK, but then again, they have never quite committed to touring here. They have that upcoming tour with Sleeping With Sirens, and an appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festival to look forward to, but with their fourth album hitting the shelves later in 2015, their could be bigger things on the horizon for this self-proclaimed "mexicore" group. As for this album, Selfish Machines is indeed a good place to start if you wish to become a cog in the Pierce The Veil fan machine, but they're a band who will always split opinion. As for me, I enjoyed it. The guys have got plenty of talent, and I appreciate how they can grab the attention of people from all sorts of musical subcultures, be it a straight up metalhead or a regular Radio 1 listener.

Rating: 7/10
Recommended songs: Caraphernelia, The Sky Under The Sea