Kings For A Day - And Probably All of 2012

On June 6th, 2012, Fearless Records announced a new single for their wildly successful post-hardcore band, Pierce the Veil, titled "Kings for a Day." This new track was the first single to be released for the band's third album, Collide With the Sky. With the track promising a possible new spin on the band's usually poetic song titles and a feature from Sleeping With Sirens' passionate vocalist, Kellin Quinn, the song seemed to be something fresh from the beloved band.

Upon listening to the song, I found that Pierce the Veil has, in fact, changed. With a faster beat reminiscent of their 2010 release, "The Boy Who Could Fly", Pierce the Veil certainly surprised both newer and older fans with their aggressive single. The song itself is dotted with Pierce the Veil's signature switches between beautifully melodic vocals mixed in with rough screams and their ever-poetic lyrics, though the song definitely shows something the band has spent doing since their last album - growing up.

Going from a hugely popular album (the band's sophomore release Selfish Machines) is never an easy transition with such a huge fanbase developing since said release, but I believe Pierce the Veil handled it well. Last fall, the band co-headlined the "No Guts, No Glory" tour alongside metalcore veterans Miss May I, spent the entire tour writing songs for the album, are now dealing with the leak of Collide With the Sky, and are taking part in this year's Vans Warped Tour as Main Stage performers after only being on the tour one time, two years ago. Talk about a busy time for the band. "Kings for a Day" is a product of this time for the band, I think, and has opened doors for their musical style while still remaining true.

"Kings for a Day" is an honest track, spitting out truthfully painful lyrics ("The thing I think I love / Will surely bring me pain") while still holding the band's trademark of heart-wrenching vocals paired with impressive instrumentals. Quinn's voice sings out a mocking "The thought of you is no fucking fun / You want a martyr I'll be one" with Vic's call for being emotionless in this time of turmoil really sets the mood for a great track for having your heart broken and rising from the ashes. This isn't a new theme to the band, but the spin on it certainly is, something that I'm sure the band's fanbase will take into consideration before bashing on it's difference compared to Pierce the Veil's past releases.

The only real flaw with this single is that I would've liked to see Pierce the Veil collaborate with a vocalist whose voice doesn't resemble Vic's so much. With both voices merging in and out, the song itself can be confusing to listen to since both Quinn and Fuentes are so famously known for their higher vocal ranges, and getting them mixed up is actually quite easy when listening to this track. Besides that, I think the band took a brave leap with the song, and I am personally looking forward to hearing the rest of the album in full upon its release next month.