Now you're adrift in a sea of lies
A foolish villain in an endless chapter
The demons writhing behind your eyes
A simple shadow we can fight together

The streets of Hollywood California were bustling with people as they passed him by and Andy Biersack couldn’t help but smirk while he watched them. He loved this place-loved everything about being in Hollywood, but the one thing he loved the most was the music scene. So many bands, people whom he admired and revered, walked these same sidewalks when they were in his position-desperate for a band that meant something to them and to the people all around the world who were willing to listen. Being born and raised in Ohio, Andy didn’t know too much about the world or the people in it, but one thing he did know was that he had always been meant to be in a band.

Even from a young age when people were telling him that he should want to be a firefighter or a policeman, Andy would stick out his lip and just shake his head. Nope-he was going to be Gene Simmons and he was going to be bigger than Gene Simmons ever was. Even though people had always told him no, Andy and his parents always believed that he would achieve the goals he set for himself, which was why he was in California. At just eighteen, Andy had packed up all of his things and was now a resident of Hollywood California. It was just him, Chris-his lead guitarist and Sandra-their drummer, but Andy knew that with a few auditions and meeting new people, that they could be something great.

The people walking past him stared, which was fine as that was something Andy was used to by now. With his growing black hair, which was straight and usually hung in his face and his piercing blue eyes, most people seemed rather scared of him. A demon he had been called before-a screaming demon sent from the pits of Hell. That was all well and good, but really he was just a kid from Ohio who had tried to make a band out of a bunch of friends and it turned out that things just weren’t meant to be.

Ohwell-he would start again, he would find new people and his first task was to find a bassist. As he walked down the cracked sidewalk, Andy knew that Chris and Sandra were waiting for him back at their tiny apartment, but he wasn’t ready to go back. Out of the corner of his eye as he passed a local music shop, Andy noticed a sign hanging in a window.

Bassist looking for rock and roll band with unique sound and attitude. Call 555-292-5600 and ask for Ashley

Andy felt his heart begin to beat quickly as he read and reread over the sign hanging before his eyes. Was this it? Was this some kind of weird signal from the powers that be that he was supposed to find this Ashley and see if she wanted to join up with them? Andy quickly rooted around in his pockets, biting down on his lip ring until finally he found what he was looking for.
A black pen so that he could write down the number to his possible future bassist.



I'll never walk away!
Tear! Down! The walls that will surround
Cry! Out! Above the burning sound
Show! Me! How bleeding heart still pounds
If we stand together, we will be unbroken

“Chris! Come on man wait up!” Andy called out to his guitarist and close friend, but the kid just wasn’t stopping. Finally Andy managed to catch up with him and as he placed a hand on the guitarist shoulder, he almost jumped back as Chris whipped around and stared at him.

“No! This is it Andy-I can’t do this anymore…” Chris said sadly and Andy could see that this was killing his long time friend and bandmate.

“Why not? Come on man, we’re finally getting things going-we’re finally getting somewhere.” Andy pleaded and he knew that Ashley, their bassist and not a girl like Andy and first thought, and Sandra their drummer, were both standing behind him.

“Look, I stood by while you put makeup on my face and made me wear absurd outfits, but this just isn’t me-it never really was. I’m out man…sorry.” He was walking towards the door and as the heavy wooden door to their practice space slammed shut in Andy’s face, the singer felt dejected.

He, Chris and Sandra had been together the longest and Andy was finally starting to wonder if this was ever going to work. They kept losing people and just as he would think that they had settled on a four member band-Chris had had enough. Sandra really wasn’t into the theatrics of Black Veil Brides either, but she was behind the drums and played a long just fine. It had been a miracle when Andy had met Ashley after calling him because the two of them shared a vision. KISS and Motley Crue were their biggest influences look wise and the two agreed right away that that was going to be the look of their band. Makeup, big hair, tight pants and screaming guitars-was there anything better?

Andy felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and he instantly knew that it was Ashley. The two of them had grown close, but even their friendship couldn’t stop the fact that now they had no guitarist. Andy felt like crying-he felt like a failure-but instead of letting his tears run down his cheeks, the young nineteen year old just bit down on his lip ring and turned to face the two remaining members of the band. They were both giving him encouraging smiles and soon Andy found himself being enveloped by a group hug.

“Don’t listen to him man-we’ve got something going, it’s just going to take a while for other people to understand it.” Sandra seemed to be saying and Andy only nodded his head silently.

“Yeah. We’re still here and together we will be Black Veil Brides-we will be unbroken.” Ashley smirked at him and Andy did the only thing that made sense.

He smirked back.



We carry forward into the nights
The strength of innocence like children's laughter
An army standing for what is rights
We'll fall like angels if we lose what matters

Andy looked out into the crowd before him and he couldn’t feel more proud in that moment. The band behind him-Ashley, Jinxx-rhythm guitar, Jake-lead guitar and Sandra were all playing their hearts out while Andy just watched the crowd. He had done it-they had done it-but this night was bitter sweet. The crowd before him weren’t just fans, they were an Army and he was their leader, but as all great leaders know, some times you have to say goodbye to people. Tonight was not only their last night on tour, but it was Sandra’s last night and last show as their drummer.

Andy respected her choice to move on and drum for a band that she had been interested in creating and he was going to say goodbye to her with pride and love in his heart. People moved on-he had seen plenty of people from his own band leave and never look back and that was fine. He had three brothers behind him who he knew, deep down, would be with him forever and that’s all that mattered. As the song ended and the crowd screamed, Andy knew that the time had come for them to say goodbye. The band would go on a short break as they were now finishing up recording their second album and then it would be time to tour once again.

Drummers would have to be auditioned and music videos and pictures would be shot and taken, but Andy looked forward to it all. As the crowd grew quiet and the mic in his hands grew sweaty, Andy only smirked and addressed the crowd.


“You guys have been amazing tonight!” He screamed into the mic and then smiled as the crowd screamed back at him.

“Tonight is actually kind of a sad night for us all-it is the last night for us on this tour…” There were a lot of boos calling out to him and Andy only smiled. This Army loved them, loved seeing them play and loved listening to him sing.

“But! It is more sad because tonight is Sandra’s last night with us!” There was an outcry from the audience and Andy knew it was only a matter of minutes before his announcement would blow up the internet. They had kept her departure quiet, but now it was time for their fans to know that Sandra was moving on.

“Please! Know that we as a band love and support Sandra in her choice to move on to do her own things and please know that this in no way means we are stopping as a band. You all mean the world to us and we will not stop doing what we love!” Andy laughed as people called out to him. Soon enough he was joined by the rest of the band and Sandra was at his side-Andy felt a tear come to his eyes.

“Sandra, we want to thank you for being there with us through some pretty rough times. We love you girl and we wish you all the best!” Andy said as he wrapped his lanky arms around the short girl beside him and he smiled. Well…time to start looking for a new drummer.



I will not walk away!
Tear! Down! The wall that will surround
Cry! Out! Above the burning sound
Show! Me! How bleeding heart still pounds
If we stand together, we will be unbroken

Andy smirked out at the crowd before him as he ran around the stage and looked to his left. They were performing at Hollywood and Highland and Andy was having the time of his life. Finally they had a complete band, with the addition of their new drummer CC and nothing else seemed like it could go wrong. Looking to his left, Andy spotted a large wall and smiling, he thought that maybe it would be cool if he could jump down from one large column and back on to the stage. Ashley looked at him, smiling and nodding his head a long to the beat of the song and Andy decided then and there that he was going to go for it. A break in the song gave him the perfect chance and so Andy just went for it.

First he climbed up a set of stairs, his boots slipping slightly against the marble beneath his feet. He could see CC laughing at him from behind the drums and Andy knew he probably looked like a crazy person, but on stage he kind of was. His hair, fluffed and teased to a great height, got in his face and he swiftly moved it out of his eyes. The guys continued playing and as Andy sang into the mic and looked around, he noticed that the audience seemed to love his impromptu climbing session. Now how to get back down? He couldn’t go the way he came and he certainly couldn’t just climb down. Andy bit down on his lip ring as he looked at the set of marble columns that were close enough to the stage and figured he could just hop to the second set and then jump down to the stage.

As he jumped, Andy could feel his boots slipping beneath him and all he could think about was how much this was going to hurt. He missed his mark, by a long shot, but the very edge of the marble caught him right on his left side and he could faintly hear a crunching noise. Fuck-ow-shit…he was on the ground now, rolling around and hugging his arms to his body as tightly as possible. Well that was fucking stupid of him. As he laid there on the ground, all Andy could think about was the fact that he needed to get back up and get on stage. A few people were standing over him, asking him if he was okay and Andy only nodded as he tried to stand up.

The pain was excruciating and Andy knew then and there that he was going to have to go to the hospital, but not now. No, now he was running back out on to the stage and he could see his bandmates looking at him like he was crazy. How was he performing right now? Any normal person would be crying and bawling like a baby, but not Andy. He just continued to sing, his lungs feeling like they were on fire and as there was a small break between songs, Andy noticed that Ashley was trying to talk to him.


“Are you okay man?” He asked the singer and Andy only smirked and nodded his head.

“Not really, but do you think one little fall is going to break me?” He smirked and Ashley only smiled at him as they kept on playing.


Together these five guys played one of the best shows they’d had so far, even though Andy was dying in pain. He would not give in…he would not be broken by a few injured ribs.



We will not walk away
Tear! Down! The wall that will surround
Cry! Out! Above the burning sound
Show! Me! How bleeding heart still pounds
If we stand together, we will be unbroken

“Fuck you man!” Ashley was shouting at him and Andy only felt his own rage begin to boil over. They were in the middle of one of the worst tours ever-Warped Tour. It was hot, they were tired and frankly they were just getting tired of being around one another.

“Oh yeah?! That’s not what you were saying four fucking years ago when I let your ass in to this band!” Andy shouted back and he knew once the words left his lips he couldn’t take them back. He and Ashley had been going at one another all summer and this morning it had hit its peak.

“This band wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t helped you make it what it was!” Ashley was coming towards him now, but was stopped as CC placed a hand against the bassist’s chest and held him in place.

“I made this band! I am the one who has worked the hardest to cultivate this fucking band Ashley!” Andy knew he sounded like an asshole right now, but he couldn’t help it. He had been asked by Tilly’s to do a signing-alone-and it wasn’t his fault that the other guys hadn’t been included.

“We’ve all worked hard Andy…not just you…” It was Jinxx speaking up now and as Andy looked to his right and saw Jake and Jinxx staring at him, he knew he would never be able to take those words back.

“You’re…you’re right. I’m sorry guys…that was really fucking selfish of me to say.” Andy admitted and he slumped his shoulders slightly. He was an egomaniac-they all knew it and they still love him for it.

“That’s right Biersack…apologize for another fucking selfcentered act and claim that it’s for the good of the band…I’m out of here…” Ashley had ripped away from CC and was now passing Andy towards the door.

“Ash…I really am sorry. This whole thing is just a huge misunderstanding…” Andy said as he reached out a hand and grabbed Ashley’s arm. The bassist stopped and his brown eyes connected with Andy’s silently. They had been through a lot of shit together-getting signed, getting tossed to another label, losing members and gaining new ones-everything they had been through had been for this band.

“I know you’re sorry man, but I just need to moment to breathe…” Andy only nodded his understanding and then watched as his bandmate and best friend walked off the bus and headed out in to the crowd.

“He’ll come back…” CC said from somewhere behind him and Andy only nodded as he turned around and faced his brothers.

“I know…we’ve all been through so much that it’s going to take more than just a petty argument to break us down…”


It was true-sometimes what doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.



Tear! Down! The wall that will surround
Cry! Out! Above the burning sound
Show! Me! How bleeding heart still pounds
If we stand together, we will be unbroken

Andy could hear the screaming and the shouting coming from the crowd and he couldn’t feel more proud of himself or of the four guys standing around him in the huddle. They had just released their fourth album and tonight was the first night of their headlining tour to support it. The opening bands had gone and come away with shouts and screams, but nothing like what was going on now that the house lights were down and the guys were about to take the stage. Andy was taking a moment to just stand there and understand everything that had happened to himself and these four other guys standing before him.

Countless line up changes, record label changes, arguments, hungry nights, fights, and hours and hours spent writing and rewriting music…here they were together. There had been times when Andy had thought that he had failed them all-breaking his ribs right before a tour had been a pretty stupid move-but the guys had always been there for him and they had always understood him. He was filled with passion, a passion that some would deem obsession and yet these four guys got it-they understood. Andy smiled as he cleared his throat and noticed that Ashley, CC, Jinxx and Jake were now looking at him-they were ready to do this.


“I just want to thank you guys for always being there with me and for me…” He said softly and Ashley only smiled and shoved him slightly.

“Don’t get soft on us now Biersack…” The bassist laughed and Andy only shook his head.

“I mean it. We’ve been through some shit and there were times where I wasn’t sure if you guys were going to put up with me anymore…” He laughed, running a hand through his short black hair.

“Yeah well for a pain in the ass…you sure are fucking talented.” Jake teased him and they all laughed as the five minute call came out over their huddle.

“Yeah-biggest complainer ever man.” Jinxx ribbed him and Andy only smirked as they all put their hands in the middle and began to hype themselves up.

“Unbroken on one. Two three!” They all raised their hands in the air and shouted out into the din of the backstage area.

“Unbroken!”


As they all ran out onto the stage and Ashley clapped Andy on the back, they truly were unbroken and they always would be.

As long as they had each other…

Notes