Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones
Black Veil Brides
Lava/Universal Republic
Rock opera albums are quickly becoming a lost art in the music world. The strength of these albums, originating from glam and progressive rock bands such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd, resonates with society and have become cultural icons. Everyone with some taste in music has at least heard of Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Green Day’s American Idiot, both powerful cultural icons of their time.
It is not surprising then that the latest album from the Black Veil Brides, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones follows in this style. The ambitious KISS-meets-Metallica glam metal band, fronted by the talented Andy Biersack, tells the tale of a group of rebels called the Wild Ones taking on the Orwellian organization only known as F.E.A.R. While the concept is fairly basic, the approach that the Black Veil Brides use to deliver it is unorthodox to say the least.
The band alternates between telling the story from the perspective of the Wild Ones, most heard through the sweeping and powerful anthems of the album, “I am Bulletproof,” “New Year’s Day,” “Nobody’s Hero,” “In the End,” and “F.E.A.R.,” which is delivered through the spoken word transmissions delivered by guest artist Wil Francis of the band Aiden, as well as the ballads “Done for You,” and “Lost it All,” which add a subtly beautiful compliment to the album.
The album is grounded by the familiar sound of the band’s anthemic performances from its previous effort, Set the World on Fire, but branches off to experiment with new sounds as well as with sweeping violin and keyboard pieces played by guitarist Jinxx in other songs, as seen during the ominous guitar riffs leading into the epic track of “Shadows Die.” Guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx deliver powerful and complex riffs and chord progressions that are the hallmarks of the iconic Black Veil Brides sound, joining bassist Ashley Purdy and drummer Christian Coma who solidly ground the band throughout the album.
At the centre of the performance is Biersack, who delivers a breathtaking and diverse performance, from his familiar and powerful vocalization on “Devil’s Choir,” “Resurrect the Sun,” and “Days are Numbered,” to a new, soft, and vulnerable delivery on “Lost it All,” and “We Don’t Belong.” Though Biersack tackles familiar themes seen in the band’s earlier works such as inner strength, he also addresses the broader themes of illumination and light over darkness. This can be seen in the maturity of the lyrics on “We Don’t Belong,” wherein Biersack croons “The gates of heaven were all locked up/ The pits of hell were all filled up/ and I fear that I don’t belong here”.
The band plays on the symbolic nature of fear, both the eponymous organization and the emotion, using it to deliver a powerful and classic rock opera album that will most likely help to define the glam metal and punk genre of this decade.
Notable highlights of the album are “In the End,” “Shadows Die,” and “Lost it All.”
