Top 5 Black Veil Brides Songs

Currently on the road in support of their most recent album, last October’s The Phantom Tomorrow, the Los Angeles-based hard rock band Black Veil Brides have teamed up with metalcore icons Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills to form the “Trinity of Terror” triple-headliner tour, which started on March 17 in Mesa, AZ, and ends on April 27 in Norfolk, VA. I’ll be seeing them on April 24 in Myrtle Beach, SC, and because these are three bands that I’ve been extremely fond of for several years now, to say I’m excited would be an understatement. Not only will this be my third time seeing Ice Nine Kills, but it’ll be my first time seeing both Motionless in White and Black Veil Brides. These are three bands that really shaped a certain period of my life and continue to bring nothing but euphoria and catharsis to this day, so to see the three of them in a live setting on the same night is a thrill that I can’t even begin to put into words.

For a band that gets a bad rap, I’ve come to find out over the years that a majority of the disdain that comes their way stems from people who have never even taken the time to listen to their music. Isn’t that the whole point of discussing a band? You know, the MUSIC? For some people, apparently not. Instead, the rock and metal elitists and posers alike decide to focus on their image and/or their fanbase, blaming those two factors in particular for why they feel the need to judge a group without hearing a single note from them. By no means am I saying their music’s for everyone, because it’s impossible to please everybody, but what I will say is they don’t deserve the amount of harsh and arrogant derision they’ve received over the years. Much like the other two bands on this tour, Black Veil Brides have shown through the course of their career that they’re musically competent, talented, and constantly improving with each release.

I hate hearing people say “there aren’t any good rock bands anymore” for many reasons, but mainly because of the ignorance behind a statement like that. If people would just do a quick Google search or open Spotify once in a while, they wouldn’t be saying that. There’s a plethora of great new bands today, it just takes a little bit of effort on the part of the complainant to actually seek it out instead of whining while spinning the same 40+ year-old albums over and over again. When I hear someone make that claim, Black Veil Brides is one of the first examples that pops into my head, because they’re a product of their influences. You probably think that’s a redundant thing to say, because of course a band is going to take some kind of creative liberty with something that came before them, but what I mean is this band really wears their influences on their sleeves. To focus on their image briefly here, you can tell just by looking at photos of them, especially from earlier in their careers, that they admired bands such as Kiss, Motley Crue, and Twisted Sister. However, their actual songs will reflect not only those previously mentioned bands, but also their influences from the punk and alternative scene, such as AFI and Alkaline Trio.

Black Veil Brides have shown that they’re more musically inclined and complex than their predecessors through their ability to carve their own audial identity by taking all of their musical inspirations, regardless of similarities or differences, and combining them into one cohesive sound that’s unique to them and only stepping up their game with every album they release. So, before you listen to the detractors, allow me to enlighten you by actually showing you some of their songs. Much like my first top 5 list for Ice Nine Kills, this isn’t meant to be a greatest hits list by only ranking their popular songs like every other music publication likes to do. Instead, this list will be composed of personal favorites and songs that I feel show different sides of the band, just so you can hear how prolific they can be.

But before we get to the main list, here are some honorable mentions, because you can never have too much music: ‘Sons of Night,’ ‘Smoke and Mirrors,’ ‘World of Sacrifice,’ ‘Born Again’

5. ‘Last Rites’ (Black Veil Brides, 2014)

This one’s for all the 80s rock fans reading this. Black Veil Brides’ self-titled fourth album saw them collaborate with the legendary Bob Rock, who produced such iconic albums as Motley Crue’s Dr. Feelgood and Metallica’s The Black Album, along with mixing and engineering Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Krokus’ The Blitz, and Loverboy’s Get Lucky, to name just a few. As expected, the collaboration with Black Veil Brides resulted in their most straightforward hard rock album to date, fitting right in with their hair metal idols thanks to singles ‘Heart of Fire’ and ‘Goodbye Agony.’ With an intro reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s ‘Hurricane Years’ and a laid-back chorus that would make ‘Hide Your Heart’-era Kiss proud, Last Rites is no exception. This was a song that snuck up on me the first time I listened through the album when it was released. I had other favorite songs in mind, but in the days and weeks that followed, I kept finding myself having the chorus to this song stuck in my head more than most of the other songs on the album. Hopefully you’ll be able to see why when you listen to it too, you’re welcome in advance.

4. ‘Vale (This is Where it Ends)’ (Vale, 2018)

The title track to their fifth album as well as the album’s closer, ‘Vale’ shows Black Veil Brides in a gentler light, one that signified the end of an era. Conceptually, the album puts the characters established in their 2013 album Wretched and Divine to rest, with this song being their final send-off. However, not only did this represent the end of that story, but it was almost the end of the band as well, likely due to certain disputes with a former member (I don’t know for sure and don’t want to spread anything that’s not true, that’s why I say “likely”). Thankfully, the band didn’t end after this album, but listening to this song now and knowing how close it was to being over gives it a more chilling feel. In an interview at the time the album was released, frontman and lyricist Andy Biersack said, “if it was the last song I ever made it would be a pleasing way to go out.” Personally, I can’t blame him for saying that because it’s a beautiful song, but at the same time, I’m happy it wasn’t the case and that Black Veil Brides is still out here doing what they’re doing.

3. ‘Shadows Die’ (Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, 2013)

The band’s first concept album follows an Orwellian storyline in which a group of young people, referred to as “The Wild Ones” and/or “The Legion of the Black” that rebels against a totalitarian church/government entity known as F.E.A.R (“For Every and All Religion”). The album contained lyrical themes of rebellion, being an outcast and embracing individuality, the collapse of power when tyrants fall, and so many other topics. Musically, this album showed the band expand their musicianship by giving guitarist Jinxx more opportunities to show his classical side and incorporate more orchestral arrangements into the songs, with some examples being in ‘New Years Day’ and ‘Overture.’

There are a ton of great songs on this album, like opener ‘I Am Bulletproof,’ closer ‘In the End,’ and the ultra-catchy title track, but when it comes to my favorite song off this release, it’s a constant back-and-forth between the title track and ‘Shadows Die.’ ‘Shadows Die’ sticks out to me a little more both musically and lyrically. It’s around the midpoint of the album and feels like the start of a shift in both the story and the album itself, and I love the musicianship exemplified in this song in particular. It’s a great hard rock song that also makes good use of choral background vocals as well as classical elements with the instrumental selections. There’s a different lyrical meaning when you think about it in the context of the narrative going on in the album, which I think is a great commentary on censorship and sheltering people from seeing or hearing certain things. Outside of the story, I like to take it to mean that in order to live your life, you have to move on and let the past go. Regardless, it’s a wonderful example of how the band is able to make the most of what their musicians are capable of.

2. ‘Sweet Blasphemy’ (We Stitch These Wounds, 2010)

Black Veil Brides’ debut album We Stitch These Wounds was about as successful as any, spawning the mainstream hits ‘Knives and Pens’ and ‘Perfect Weapon,’ as well as the cult classic ballad ‘The Mortician’s Daughter.’ Considering Andy Biersack was only 19 years old when this was recorded, it’s an impressive feat that can’t be downplayed by anyone. The band also re-recorded the album in the summer of 2020 for its 10th anniversary (cleverly titling it Re-Stitch These Wounds), which is definitely worthy of attention. Aside from the stellar title track, ‘Sweet Blasphemy’ had the strongest impression on me when I first heard it. Musically, I love how mellow it is, especially compared to most of the rest of the album, and the lyrics are incredible. Yes, I’m Catholic, but I’m also aware of how hypocritical and close-minded some religious people can be, which isn’t something I identify with. I like how this song criticizes that way of thinking, both inside and outside the context of institutional religion.

In promotion of the anniversary re-release, Biersack explained the meaning of the song on Instagram, saying it “is not anti-Jesus or anti-religious. It is anti-exclusionary thinking, it’s against the idea that your faith is a weapon against someone else who doesn’t share it…I hope you can find enjoyment in this song regardless of your religious or spiritual background as that’s the intention. Hope and joy isn’t for some, it’s for all and no one religion or way of thinking should be seen as the only light in the darkness.” So yes, while there are religious connections to the lyrics, it doesn’t necessarily need to be interpreted that way, because hypocrites and two-faced people are everywhere. At the end of the day, the meaning I take from the song is similar to that of ‘Shadows Die,’ where it’s about living your own life on your terms, being confident in yourself enough to find whatever meaning you’re searching for, and not caring about the influence of others. When I used to listen to this song several years ago, I would feel very melancholic for some reason, but nowadays I feel a renewed sense of exultation when it comes on.

1. ‘Coffin’ (Rebels EP, 2011)

To put this song in the #1 spot is a pretty biased thing of me to do, but I don’t care. This was one of the first Black Veil Brides songs I ever heard, and I was hooked from the jump. I love how energetic the song is, and how it’s so in-your-face from the very beginning with that opening guitar riff. The lyrics, again littered with religious symbolism, have always stuck out to me. According to Biersack, this song is him “reflecting on how some people seem to start taking advantage of you as you become more successful, and after a while you feel like these people are only taking from you. In the end, all you have left is that pine box you're buried in.” Now I obviously don’t know what it’s like to be super famous or successful like Biersack, but I’m sure we’ve all had people take advantage of us, and we know it’s not exactly a great feeling.

I like to interpret these lyrics to represent the feeling of taking matters back into your own hands, leaving the past behind instead of reverting to one’s “old self,” and not adhering to external expectations from others – preventing them from “stealing your coffin,” in a sense. It’s a message of surpassing negativity and staying true to oneself that’s been a common theme in the band’s music since the beginning of their careers, and it’s one that a lot of people are able to gravitate to, myself included. While they’ll always have my support when they change things up a little bit here and there in terms of musicality and I’ll embrace every new release that comes, this will always be the sound that comes to mind first when I think of Black Veil Brides.

If you like what you heard from this list, you can check out even more of the band's music wherever you listen (Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, YouTube, physical copies, etc.). You can also buy their merch here and keep up with their tour dates here.

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