Album Review — Black Veil Brides
Black Veil Brides — The Phantom Tomorrow
It’s hard to believe it has been almost four years since Black Veil Brides released their last record, “Vale”. The new album, “The Phantom Tomorrow”, was announced in November of 2020 for a June 2021 release date but that was pushed back to its final release date of October 29, 2021.
The album starts with a mostly orchestral instrumental that, as you would expect, is quite over the top.
“Scarlet Cross” is also what you would probably expect with a heavy riff and a melodic chorus. The band sticks to what they do best. A great start to the record.
“Born Again” continues in the same vein and may even take it up a notch. Even with all the dark, religiously over-toned lyrics and make up, the band’s music is very accessible and even catchy. This particular track might be my favorite that I’ve heard from them.
“Blackbird” continues a string a fantastic tracks to start the record. Again, heavy riffing but very melodic. Another excellent track.
I’m not sure the album needs an interlude here, but we get a short orchestral piece titled “Spectres” that serves as an introduction of sorts to the next track.
“Torch” is a little less aggressive but still has a lot of the same elements of the previous tracks. It’s a step below the previous two full length tracks but still a very good song.
“The Wicked One” is back to the heavy riffing with plenty of melody in the chorus. The band has a good formula and they stick to it. This one has a little more of a modern feel to it at times that gives it a slightly different sound.
“Shadows Rise” has a short intro that leads into the heaviest riffs on the record. The longest track on the record at nearly five minutes has some intricate parts but still fits right in.
I’m not sure if there’s a clear concept here other than the religious overtones and questioning, but “Fields of Bone” continues with that theme. The verses are where this one stands out from much of the record as they are noticeably less riff-y.
“Crimson Skies” is very Metallica-y at the start with the heavy riffs and double bass drums that turn into gang vocals, guitar solos and a catchy chorus. I like all the tracks but a few stand out to me and this is one of them.
“Kill The Hero” continues with the same formula that has worked so well. A solid track but no among the album’s best.
“Fall Eternal” closes out the record and it’s definitely the track that stands out the most on the record. It’s starts with some strings and although not really a ballad, it definitely is markedly slower overall. It’s still a powerful track but in a different way. A strong end to the record.
I’m not a huge fan of all the pomp and circumstance with BVB but if you take all of that away, they are a very good hard rock band. They have all the elements I like and it all comes together on “The Phantom Tomorrow”.
The best tracks on the record push this album to the top end of what I’ve heard this year and there are no clunkers here. High quality rock from start to finish.
95 out of 100
Track Listing
1. THE PHANTOM TOMORROW (INTRODUCTION)
2. SCARLET CROSS *
3. BORN AGAIN *
4. BLACKBIRD *
5. SPECTRES (INTERLUDE)
6. TORCH
7. THE WICKED ONE
8. SHADOWS RISE
9. FIELDS OF BONE
10. CRIMSON SKIES *
11. KILL THE HERO
12. FALL ETERNAL *
*Best Songs