Like many of the band's albums, Vindicate appears to be a concept album - although I am not sure what story it is telling. It is their second album with their current line-up, too, although the core of the band, apart from bassist Lonny Eagleton, has remained the same since album number two. As is typical of the band's approach, too, this is quite a theatrical album in terms of sequencing. There are 14 tracks here, but quite a few are on the short side - with some being instrumental interludes or other such linking pieces. It is only just over 45 minutes long, then, so none of the songs stick around for any real length of time. The opening track Invocation to the Muse is one of the smaller pieces - opening with dense church organ, before Biersack delivers a spoken word monologue to set the scene. Aside from the initial organ and some swirling atmospherics behind Biersack there is little to note musically here - and it is largely just a spoken word piece. The album really gets going with its title track, then, when the band kick in. Some dancing strings open the track, but some stabbing guitars back Biersack's opening vocal lines - before a chaotic thrashy riff and drum pattern take over. This initial intensity is likely the heaviest the band has ever sounded, but much of the song remains typical of their core sound. Parts of the verse feel thrashy, with buzzsaw riffing and Christian Coma's fast double bass drumming, but the chorus has that melancholic, anthemic sound that Black Veil Brides are known for - with some hooky vocal melodies that are easy to latch onto. It is one of a few big choruses on this album and it draws the listener in from the off - and it is contrasted by a later bridge section that features some Pantera-esque groovy riffing and harsh vocals, before Jake Pitts launches into a big guitar solo. Certainty follows, which also opens with some strings, but following this low key intro a mid-paced groovy riff kicks in - and that heaviness which characterises much of the album is showcased here. There is a bit of a modern tech metal feel about some of the riffing during this song, whilst Coma's drumming underneath the stabbing and groovy guitars changing the tone as his patterns shift. The verses often make use of harsh vocals, so there is a bit of a metalcore feel to parts of this song, especially thanks to some interlocking guitar riffing between Pitts and fellow guitarist Jinxx, but the chorus is another slightly more anthemic moment - with HIM-like vocal hooks and more of a dense atmosphere. I like how this album often shifts back and forth between more metallic and more hard rock modes - and there is a good balance between intensity and melody. Bleeders, a song which has been kicking around online since 2024, opens with dense piano notes and Biersack singing in a deeper manner against this backing - whilst some programmed drum beats are slowly added into the mix. The track is one that builds fairly slowly, then, so when the main riffing kicks in its power is felt. Even when the band kick in proper, though, later verses still feel quite low key - with more percussive drumming and a synth backing adding a depth that allows the guitar riffing that kicks in later to feel more powerful. Wordless, anthemic backing vocals really add to the chorus - whilst a heavier later bridge section includes some brief moments of harsh vocals.
Hallelujah is another pretty heavy song overall, with some fast-paced drumming early on and a riff that mixes thrash and metalcore vibes providing some headbanging grooves. This mix of intense riffing with the band's more melodic vocal approach is a bit of a theme of this album, and this song is a real feast of groovy and thrashy riffing - with the band speeding up and slowing down as the song moves along, whilst Biersack liberally makes use of harsh vocals during the toughest moments. The chorus is quite poppy, though, with the contrast perhaps being more stark than usual - but the melodies are hooky, even if the melodies remind me a little of Paramore's song of the same name. Cut sees the band slow things down quite considerably and deliver more of a melodic, mid-paced rock track with ballad-like tendencies. Singer-songwriter, and Biersack's wife, Lilith Czar sings with Biersack throughout - although the track opens with Biersack singing alone, against a more atmospheric backing including some violin from Jinxx. Despite the slower vibe, the song never feels like a true ballad due to the big band arrangement throughout - and the fact that the chorus is hard-hitting with busy Coma drumming, snappy guitar riffing, and a dense overall arrangement. There is still quite a bit of energy in the song, then, despite some slower moments - but there is still quite a bit of guitar crunch, and no-one seemed to tell Coma he could pull back a bit. Czar adds a lot to the song from the second verse onwards with her melodic vocals - and later chorus renditions benefit from the two singers singing together. Pitts' later guitar solo is a soaring one, too, adding to the song's overall melodic pull. Alive gets back to a much heavier sound from the off, with a fast-paced riff kicking in and harsh vocal-led verses a key feature of the song. All of the subtlety of the previous song has been stripped out here, and instead the band just deliver a powerful metalcore-adjacent anthem with heavy verses and a more melodic chorus - very typical of that mid-2000s sound. Biersack's harsh vocals are probably the best they have ever sounded on this album, and it is good that he uses them so liberally here - with the verses, alongside a later breakdown section, sounding pretty venomous. The chorus is another pretty soaring one, too, especially as it speeds up towards the end and adds in some hooky wordless vocal melodies. Purgatory (Overture IIII) is an instrumental interlude, and it acts as something of a break following the fast-paced and heavier previous number - with slow-moving strings and delicate piano melodies providing a couple of minutes of respite before the band crash back in. Black Veil Brides have often utilised good string arrangements, and this album is no different, and the interlude sets things up nicely for Revenger. Robb Flynn (Forbidden; Vio-lence; Machine Head) contributes vocals to the song - and he possibly shows up elsewhere on the album, too, despite this being the only song he is credited as appearing on. A big growl opens things up, but the main lead guitar melody early on is very memorable - and it certainly recalls the band's 1980s influences nicely. The song as a whole is not very 1980s-coded, though, despite a hooky chorus kicking in later, as the verses are essentially harsh vocal battles between Biersack and Flynn. Biersack really shows his diversity as a harsh vocalist during the first verse, delivering some pretty interesting screams, whilst Flynn later bellows his way in his trademark style through the second verse. The latter's 1990s groove metal approach works well given the heaviness of the piece and some of the riffs that have featured on the album - even if the later chorus is packed with the band's classic melancholic hooks.
Sorrow reins in some of the intensity somewhat, opening with some distant melodic vocals, before the song morphs into much more of a mid-paced, crunching track. The chugging guitar riffing here is a bit more typical of the band's other more recent albums, and the metallic intensity of the rest of this album is largely absent here. The sense of groove is retained, though, thanks to some excellent and fairly prominent bass playing during the verses, whilst Biersack sticks to his clean vocals throughout - which especially shine during a poppier chorus that ends with some effects-heavy vocal hooks. Grace (Interlude), as the name suggests, is another brief instrumental piece - this time focusing on Jinxx's violin playing against a sombre piano backing. It feels like the intro to the last three songs which feel something like one longer suite - with Ava Maria kicking off the home straight. Given the violin-based intro, one might expect the song to feel a bit more grand - but Ava Maria is another fast-paced and quite thrashy song. The intensity of the album's core sound is back here after being somewhat left out of the previous song - with the interlocking guitar riffing and busy drumming that has often characterised this album returning. Biersack largely sticks to his clean vocals, though, despite the heaviness - although there are some heavier, mid-verse sections that feature harsh vocals for a brief period. These sections allow the song to have more of a dynamic overall feeling, which works nicely, whilst Pitts' later guitar solo is one of the album's best and longest in my opinion - thanks to some great neo-classical melodies. Woe & Pain follows, which slows the pace - transitioning from the riffing of the previous song to focus more on a piano-based sound. Ringing piano melodies and a muted, industrial drum groove back Biersack's vocals early on - whilst occasional guitar stabs add colour. The early parts of this song are quite atmospheric and low key, then, but things do get heavier as the song progresses - with riffs later kicking in and a dramatic spoken word section taking over. At times it sounds like Flynn is doing this monologue - but I am not 100% sure. The liner notes only credit him with appearing on Revenger, but some online sources suggest he appears on quite a few of the album's later songs. Occasional growls could be him, or him backing Biersack, as could this spoken word section - but overall it is not that clear and the liner notes are quite sparse sadly. Either way, though, the spoken word feels quite dramatic, more intense than how the album opened, before another pretty lengthy guitar solo from Pitts is thrown in. This song is a bit different structure-wise, then, but it works well in my opinion - especially as the closing four tracks feel like something of a suite. It is the last song that goes for riffing and heaviness, too, but it never reaches the heaviness heights of many of the other tracks here - with more of a dramatic overall feel thanks to the strings and the monologuing. Eschaton is the closing track, then, but it is a short piece that essentially acts as a coda. Again, it is based around piano and strings for the most part - with Biersack singing in a mournful manner. It is under two minutes long so it does not stick around - and it essentially feels like an extension of the previous song, to bring the album to a calm and more emotive close. Overall, then, Vindicate does feel quite a bit different from the band's other more recent efforts. The focus on a heavier sound is welcome and, whilst it never approaches extreme metal, the energy throughout does help to set the album apart. As such, the album feels a bit more vital than other more recent albums from the band - and it could well be my favourite since Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones thanks to this heavier overall approach.
The album was released on 8th May 2026 via Spinefarm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Certainty.
