Pierce the Veil is a band known for their distinct style in the world of post-hardcore music. They’ve gained a strong following thanks to their powerful live performances and hit songs like ‘King for a Day’ and ‘A Match into Water.’
Any music fan can wonder about the sources of inspiration that fuel the band’s creative journey. Pierce the Veil frontman Vic Fuentes sat down with Alter The Press! in 2012 to discuss the albums that changed his life and guided his career. The first record he chose was Third Eye Blind’s 1997 self-titled album. The singer said the following about its impact on him:
“This is the one album that I still come back to for inspiration every time we make a record. Stephen Jenkins is my favorite lyricist because his songs are always very poetic, but also still very raw as if he is just speaking to the listener as a friend.”
As for his second pick, Fuentes named a classic: Queen’s ‘A Night at the Opera.’ Sharing how this record changed the way he made music, the frontman explained:
“I remember when I was first learning how to harmonize my vocal and guitar melodies, our producer in San Diego told me that I should check out this Queen record, and it changed the way I wrote songs forever. I have this obsession with songs that have tons of layers and interesting sounds scattered throughout them. Every time you listen to a song, you hear something that you never knew was there.”
Moving on to his third favorite album, Vic chose Sublime’s debut studio album ’40oz. to Freedom,’ released in 1992. He then revealed how the Sublime vocalist Bradley Nowell inspired with his singing style, saying:
“Bradley Nowell is my favorite vocalist of all time. He sings with more emotion and honesty than anyone I’ve ever heard. My dad has always told my brother Mike and I that we need to have heart and soul in our music, and that’s exactly what we try to do. Bradley Nowell will always be an inspiration to me as a vocalist trying to bring out every ounce of emotion in our songs.”
As we explore Fuentes’ top favorite records, let’s uncover his final choice: ‘Let’s Talk About Feelings’ by Lagwagon. The singer opened up about how this album affected his early career, stating:
“My brother and I grew up playing fast, technical punk rock early on while we were still in high school. This record is back to front one of my favorites because it taught me how to play that style, which we still incorporate in our music today.”
Considering Pierce the Veil’s eclectic style, which is regarded as a blend of post-hardcore, pop-punk, experimental rock, emo and metalcore, and Fuentes’ dynamic and emotional vocal style, it is possible to see the impact of all these bands on the singer and the San Diego-based act.