Black Veil Brides - Vindicate

Invocation To The Muse; Vindicate; Certainty; Bleeders; Hallelujah; Cut; Alive; Purgatory (Overture IV); Revenger; Sorrow; Grace (Interlude); Ava Maria; Woe and Pain; Eschaton

(Spinefarm)

Heavy rock masters Black Veil Brides have returned with their seventh album, and seemingly it is business as usual; melodic rock numbers with choruses that you can sing along to, all wrapped up in a dark and menacing arrangement.

Things kick off with what sounds like a sermon from frontman Andy Biersack about standing up to criticism and believing in yourself. What follows are some of the heaviest songs the band has recorded, as the pounding drums sound like a machine gun on full power, the guitars cut like a knife through butter and the vocals are like a rallying cry to arms.

The album takes a slightly lighter feel on Cut which features Biersack’s wife sharing the vocals – if the band were looking for a track to get them back on the radio airwaves, this is it.

Things get back to their normal fare on Alive where the group follows the theme of not being broken down with a chorus that features their trademark Woh-oh-oh singing, which also permeates many of the tracks on this fine return to form.

The cinematic interludes such as Purgatory (Overture IV) and Grace come in complete contrast to the full-on rock power that is on offer here.

Ava Maria is probably one of the best tracks on the album: memorable, majestic and menacing as Biersack growls like a bear with a sore paw before the chorus lifts any waning souls.

On a cohesive return Black Veil Brides show that with control and range, they can still deliver a strong punch.