Album Review: Black Veil Brides (Self Titled)

Photo from NME

Words by: Savanah Ruiz

Hi, everybody. Today I thought I would review one of the bands I am looking forward to seeing at Warped Tour the most, Black Veil Brides. Their self titled album (Black Veil Brides), also know as Black Veil Brides IV, was released in October, and I hadn’t really gotten a chance to listen to it until now. This album is exactly what Black Veil Brides is all about, and definitely shows an evolution in their skills as a band. There’s less screaming, more ballads, and a lot of the elements that I loved about Black Veil Brides previous albums. While I wouldn’t be able to honestly say this is my favorite Black Veil Brides album since my favorite has always been Wretched & Divine, this is definitely a close second, and I absolutely love to listen to it when I’m in the mood for some Black Veil Brides. With slow songs like “Walk Away” and “Goodbye Agony” mixed with songs like “Faithless” and “Drag Me To The Grave”, this album tells a story about the members in it, and does so in a beautiful way. The lyrics are beautiful, the instruments are amazing, and this album is the perfect way to mark Black Veil Brides’ fourth album. Black Veil Brides will be on all of Warped Tour this summer in case you want to check them out, and in case there are any spotify listeners reading, they currently have a spoken word version of Black Veil Brides IV.

Track List & Comments

1. Heart of Fire- This song was the first single release from the album, and does not disappoint me as a fan. This song is the band’s way of saying they won’t give up, and they’re stronger than they were in previous albums. This song manages to get listeners excited for the rest of the album, while wanting to repeat this song over and over.
2. Faithless- This song is definitely one of the songs that sold me on this album. It has amazing guitar solos, beautiful lyrics like “even when I fall down on my knees, I never say a prayer I don’t believe”, and great drums. This song is about refusing to blindly follow something, and this theme is carried out perfectly through this song.
3. Devil In The Mirror- This song is about insecurities, and getting over them. Through the motif of a devil saying the person’s heart is flawed, it is shown that insecurities are a negative energy that take their toll on you, and the lyrics “I’m never gonna let you win” is a way of not letting those insecurities get to you.
4. Goodbye Agony- This song is a ballad that is just carried out perfectly. Since it is a slower song, it captures my attention due to its lyrics about tragedy and misery. To me, this song is about accepting the past as a part of you while letting go the past at the same time. I feel like this is the unofficial epilogue of Legion of the Black (The Wretched & Divine movie), and the music video for it definitely has some references to it, such as the use of Alicia Vigil, who played the main character of the movie, and shadows of the villains from the movie following her and her friend. This song is yet another song that tells a story, which is one thing I love about Black Veil Brides. Overall, this is yet another great song from Black Veil Brides.
5. World Of Sacrifice- For some reason this song reminds me of a fable, which adds a new twist to it, and it’s just a song of how the world works which I find very refreshing and nice. The beat of this song is very interesting, and I like it a lot, along with the different things they did with Andy’s vocals at around 2:48. Yet another great track.
6. Last Rites- Firstly, I have to say I absolutely love the drums in this track. This song to me is about feeling attacked by people who don’t think like you, and admitting to being different. Lyrics like “I can’t fight for a life I’ve never known” go back to the theme in Faithless, which is about refusing to blindly follow something. This kinds of reminds me of a dystopian society, and I really like this song. Also, the guitar solo in this is amazing.
7. Stolen Omens- This is one of those songs I find myself playing specifically because it’s always stuck in my head, and I definitely don’t mind hearing it more than once. This song is a song to all the people that criticize BVB with lyrics such as “another fool that’s blind to what’s real” and “let’s see you try, punk”. Again, beautiful guitar solo, and amazing instrumental overall.
8. Walk Away- This is another ballad, and is probably my favorite. I find the vocals in this so beautiful, along with the piano part in the beginning, and this song is just executed so well that I can’t help but play it over because I was too busy listening to the song that I forgot to write about it the first time. This song is about looking back about a past love that you’re still torn up about and (obviously) having to walk away. I still cannot get over how beautiful this song is. Definitely worth a listen if you’re a fan of love ballads.
9. Drag Me To The Grave- This song just has a great beat to it, and it’s a song about being a very lively person, and just being a fighter. This is a song I’d love to see live, and another one of the songs on this album that get stuck in my head quite a lot.
10. The Shattered God- This song is about someone who just has nothing left to live for and has just led a miserable life, and just basically telling this person that they are the reason their life is the way it is. Yet another strong track.
11. Crown of Thorns- This song is a very nice conclusion to the album, and to be honest the theme of this song is (like every song), up for interpretation, and I don’t know how to describe it. I love the guitar in this so much and I think the band made a beautiful song to end the album with. I just wish there were more songs!