BLACK VEIL BRIDES

BLACK VEIL BRIDES have always walked the fine line between hard rock and metal, spectacle and skill. There's a gothic aura in what they do, stringing everything together and making sense of the noise.

It started with Andy Biersack, who still heads up the band. This Midwest kid obsessed with eyeliner, rock music and mythology vacated to Los Angeles to go after a dream. He met with Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton and Christian Coma forming the version of the band that could carry the weight of what Biersack had been building in his head.

The numbers tell the story: nearly 12 million loyal followers across social platforms, the kind of digital footprint that doesn't happen by accident. Additionally, the band's album "The Phantom Tomorrow" (2021) reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart. But, numbers and chart positions don't completely explain the loyalty. The BLACK VEIL BRIDES fanbase never treats the band's music like a casual listen; it's an alignment or identity.

On the band's latest album, "Vindicate", out on Spinefarm Records, BLACK VEIL BRIDES flex their musical muscles and deliver a harsher, more aggressive sound than on their last album, "The Phantom Tomorrow". The band has said that this set revolves around the themes of revenge and resilience, and that comes across here, with Biersack and company delivering a harsh, yet beautiful, message through their music.

One of the album's highlights, "Revenger", featuring the mighty Robb Fynn of Machine Head, follows a self-appointed avenger who's convinced payback equals justice. There's a certain tension in that idea, and it plays out in the song with jagged storytelling. Musically, "Revenger" is as brutal as it gets, with death metal growls and iron clad guitars.

But, there are plenty of other highlights here. "Vindicate", the title track, sounds a bit like GHOST or AVENGED SEVENFOLD, with a classic rock vibe and melodic, thin vocals, while "Cut" featuring Lilith Czar is one of the more melodic and mainstreams songs on the set, offering a shining duet amid swelling guitars. "Sorrow" is a straight-ahead hard rock song with a post-grunge, anthemic feel, while "Grace" is a short, instrumental interlude that boasts strings.

Nearly 20 years in, BLACK VEIL BRIDES don't sound like a band that's winding down or settling into legacy mode. If anything, they sound like they're shifting into another chapter entirely. This album doesn't sit still. It moves between moods, textures and tones without feeling unorganized. There's range on here, and it's not forced. That kind of versatility is what makes "Vindicate" such an exciting listen.