BLACK VEIL BRIDES and former HIM frontman Ville Valo — who now performs under the banner VV — have joined forces for a cover of the SISTERS OF MERCY classic “Temple Of Love”. The collaborative track arrives three months ahead of the launch of BLACK VEIL BRIDES and VV‘s North American co-headlining tour, presented by Hot Topic and featuring special guests DARK DIVINE.
“I first discovered SISTERS OF MERCY in my freshman year of high school,” BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack commented. “I had a poster of AFI from the ‘Art Of Drowning’ era and Davey was wearing a SOM shirt, and so, as was often the case back then, I went on the hunt to find the music that had inspired my favorite musicians. The very first song I heard by SOM was the ’92 version of ‘Temple Of Love’ and I became obsessed with their entire catalog.”
He continued: “We’ve talked about doing a BVB version of this song for years and when given the opportunity to collaborate with fellow SOM fan and goth-rock icon VV, it seems liked the perfect situation. We are thrilled with how it turned out and hope that anyone who’s familiar with the track enjoys our spin on it and those who have never heard the original enjoy it and maybe this will lead them down the path to the greatness that is SOM like that poster of AFI did for me when I was a kid.”
Committed to uncompromising expression, with a foundation in hard rock tradition and rule-breaking iconoclasm, BLACK VEIL BRIDES is a transcendent celebration of life-affirming power and anthemic catharsis. A gothic vision first summoned in a small town by an isolated kid fascinated with death, rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined),BLACK VEIL BRIDES is now a postmodern heavy metal institution with a legion of like-minded fans and supporters worldwide.
2021’s “The Phantom Tomorrow” produced BVB‘s first Top 10 single, “Scarlet Cross”. Last year’s “The Mourning” EP offered similar success with “Saviour II”, joining a rich catalog that includes “Knives And Pens” (over 160 million views on YouTube),the certified gold “Fallen Angels”, and the recently certified platinum “In The End”.
HIM, renowned as one of the most commercially successful Finnish bands of all time, has sold over ten million records. Ville Valo, the band’s frontman, released a series of beloved albums with HIM from 1997 through 2013, boasting influential modern goth-rock anthems like “Right Here In My Arms”, “Join Me In Death”, “Buried Alive By Love” and “Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly”. Declaring VV‘s solo debut, “Neon Noir”, a perfect record for fans of HIM, GHOST and EVANESCENCE, Kerrang! wrote, “If you’ve been seduced in Mr. Valo‘s musical twilight before, then you can now prepare to pulse in the glow of the heartagram once again.” In a VV cover story, Valo told the magazine, “It is a continuation of what I’ve done in the past and what might happen next.”
When the BLACK VEIL BRIDES and Ville Valo tour was first announced, Biersack said in a statement: “We cannot wait to join forces with Ville Valo and give both of our audiences in North America an unforgettable experience each night. This run has been in the works for quite a while. We couldn’t be happier now that we can finally share the news. Ville is an icon. We have all been fans of his, not only for his work in the hugely influential band HIM but as a torchbearer for an entire generation of rock fans and musicians.”
“There’s something tinnitus-inducingly romantic about the idea of being sandwiched nightly between BLACK VEIL BRIDES and DARK DIVINE on this autumnal trek across North America,” commented Valo. “And imagining us explore the architecture of doom and gloom from three distinctly different musical perspectives has already made the bats in my belfry suitably ravenous.”
Andy added: “This tour is a dream come true and will be something special. DARK DIVINE is new to the scene but garnering a lot of attention quickly and rightfully so. They are hands down one of the best young bands out there, and we are certain the BVB Army and VV fans will love them.”
Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer