Black Veil Brides, 'Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones' -- Album Review

Black Veil Brides are back with their new album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. The concept album is nothing short of epic. The album is 19 tracks long, some of which are spoken word cuts that help the story of a revolution against a totalitarian government along. The entire album is very dystopian - and that's right up my alley (Aldous Huxley is my favorite fiction author, after all!)

The album is full of rock anthems, meaning the band better ready a massive stage show because an album this good deserves nothing less. Sonically, Wretched and Divine is massive. Musically, the album borrows from contemporaries like Avenged Sevenfold and shows growth beyond BVB heroes Motley Crue. The vocals are more mature than previous efforts and the guitar work is stellar.

"I Am Bulletproof," "New Year's Day" and "In the End" are all winners. My favorite track is "Lost It All." I also love the "Overture" which is the album's theme reprised in strings. I like to think the guys in Black Veil Brides listened to Operation: Mindcrime (Queensryche), Tommy (The Who) and The Wall (Pink Floyd) over and over when planning their own rock-opera-concept masterpiece.

Wretched and Divine is so good, there's no doubt in my mind that the album will absolutely catapult BVB to a whole other level of fame. I hope they are ready, because their lives are going to change dramatically. Wretched is that rare album that has tons of commercial (radio) appeal but will still be accepted by die hard fans and rock lovers in general.

Be wary of someone who tells you they don't like Wretched and Divine. If they do, it's because 1) they are trying to seem cooler than they are or 2) it's because they are a hipster and hate everything fun. It is true we all have different tastes, but greatness should be universally appreciated. It is exceptionally rare for me to buy an album on its release day and listen from beginning to end without stopping. Even more rare is listening to the album more than once in a given day. Yesterday, I listened to Wretched and Divine 15 times, front to back. I didn't have the urge to listen to anything else while working, while driving, while writing, while cleaning. After my run, I found myself humming one of the album's tracks in the shower. I am not a hummer. This album is rare and special. I can't think of a better way to spend ten bucks than buying a copy of this record. You'll be glad you did. Trust me.

Comments

[Bob]

Aaaaaaah, what would a BBG thread be without one of Metalboy!'s famous, "Everybody who agrees with me is right, and everybody who disagrees with me is wrong" posts? All is right with the world now, and now MB can be happy because, although I have been banished from his oh-so-coveted territory, at least I remembered his precious exclamation point this time. :)

[MIke]

I'll say, their first two albums did nothing for me. The 3rd one I could get into a bit, but this 4th one, probably better musically then their previous ones combined. I'm glad they've gone away from the "popular" metalcore sound and gone more pure hard rock with glam elements. Maybe they can start a new wave of glam becoming big.

[bkallday]

"Musically, shows growth beyond Motley Crue." Ahh another dig at the Crue by Allyson. Not surprising, but someone get back to me when BVB(who I like btw) have sold over 40 million albums & we are still talking about them 30 yrs from now. Lol

[Allyson]

If you think I'm constantly bashing Motley Crue, you clearly don't know anything about me or this website. Go back through the 6000+ articles and count how many are devoted to Motley. Hint: it's a huge percentage.

- Allyson

[dj]

she isnt bashing motley half the site is about them, damn. Metalboy! love hearin from ya, agree on the rock n roll part of black veil brides, they are one of the few bands left thats pure rock n roll, and with a concept album too. im not fond of their first album but set the world on fire, rebels, and this new one, is all pure rock n roll and i love it.
HIM i loved the autograph reference

[Metalboy!]

I'll work backwards cuz I'm on the second page here...

DJ! Appreciate the kind words. I can tell you are definitely a REAL Rock and Roller! It's true, I may disagree from time to time, but no matter what, just remember I will always regard you as a REAL Rock and Roller!

BKaliday! Greatness should not be measured by the number of albums sold. It should be determined by how awesome a band's music is. That said, Crüe is one of those few exceptions that's been successful on both fronts.

Mike! Agreed. Glad to see they dialed down the whole Screamo/Metalcore thing. And I support your desire to see them start a New Wave to Bring Back Glam!

Touché, Bob, hahaha!!! But let's also realize you and I are quite often aligned in our opinions. Aw, what the h*ll, I'll let ya back in!

More to come...

[Metalboy!]

GNR! You and me are cool now. Kinda agree with ya about Facebook, which exactly why I'm not on it. That said, it is pretty cool they have it so you can listen to it for free on there though.

Shawn! Right on! I'd be interested to know how your daughter thinks "Wretched and Divine" stacks up against their older stuff since she's so into 'em.

Red6ixx! Allyson will probably kill me for saying this, but, honestly, you may have a point there about the dude's voice. Upon the 10th listen, I started to realize it is indeed a bit grating. Still, overall, it is a helluva Rock and Roll album and he's obviously integral to that fact.

[Metalboy!]

Well, cool to a point, GNR. I see we still disagree on the definitions of "talent" and "greatness". But, let's give each other a chance.

[BatLizard]

Metalboy! I hearby suspend usage of your screen name until you listen to "Number of the Beast" and "Piece of Mind" from start to finish, at least 5 times each. You can no longer be Metalboy! until you acknowledge the GREATNESS of the almighty Iron Maiden. Get back to me after your epiphany and I'll reinstate your moniker, exclamation point included. Of course, I'm just poking a little fun. But, I was somewhat shocked to read that you are not a Maiden fan.

[bkallday]

Actually bat lizard, there are a lot of Americans like MB & myself that don't see Maiden as some great, legendary band. I know they're huge in Europe but in America, they're just nothing special. That's why they rarely play in the states.

[Bob]

count me as another person who isn't a huge Maiden fan. Number of the Beast has some great songs, but for me, that's really about it.

And, to the mighty Metalboy!, I do realize that our musical paths intersect more often than they don't. I'm sure you get this, but I'm not sure that other people do that, any jabs I take at you in my comments are done so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Now let's all have a rock 'n' roll weekend!

[Metalboy!]

Bob are you alright? What is this "Tongue firmly planted in cheek."? Should I call an ambulance? Did you have an accident and need surgery to remove your tongue from your cheek? How did this happen?

Hear! Hear! BKallday!

Bat Lizard, I do like a couple of Iron Maidenform songs. One, "Can I Play With Madness", is an absolute masterpiece. In fact, I LOVE that song. The rest of the stuff pretty much blows.

[Christian]

I've seen maiden, and reviewed them here, on their last two us tours. They do the us as often as anywhere else, and they get more of a turn out than, say, poison.

And what is it with Americans and ketchup ? In the rest of the known world, only children eat that way. And don't get me started on cheese pizza....

[Metalboy!]

Huh-uh-lo-oh!, Christian! That ketchup comment was a test! You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?! Are you familiar with the term, "facetious"? I eat "Surf & Turf" on a regular basis with Beelzebub in restaurants where the cheapest bottle of wine is 150.00 and there is NO ketchup on the premises.

Again, you are measuring the success of a band on album sales and attendance figures. You just simply cannot either accept, nor comprehend, the true concept of success in art. It is not about sales volume, it is about having the ability to determine what is REAL Rock & ROLL and what isn't.

Iron Maidinh*ll is not Rock & Roll! It's Greaser Metal, hookless and meandering, one step away from Prog. Total snore job. Your hack midget clown false idol Steve Harris is a blight on Metal, foisting the dumbest lyrics ever penned on an unsuspecting rabble of impressionable Metaloids, lowering the lowest common denominator humanity even further instead of doing anything to elevating it. Why? Because he's not mentally capable himself.

I'm surprised someone of your intelligence pays any attention to these overpayed, undeserving and uninspired clowns who's stock and trade is to dump as much Metal Scrap Iron on an already blighted planet before they leave it.

And I still cannot for the life of me figure out why you choose to comment at all on this site, since, once again, you have revealed to us your disdain for POISON, one of THE bedrock bands on which this site was built, and thus revealing once more that you are indeed not, in fact, a true fan of Glam Metal in the least. Please be mindful that BBG! is THE premier site devoted to Glam Metal like Poison. Not the Greaser Metal or Generock of Iron Maidoff you so misguidedly worship and insist on plaguing us with by endlessly posting and commenting on them.

There really is no place here for one of THE dumbest bands to ever get their logo chromed, Iron Maidmebarf. Still, I'm glad you do now comment more regularly so we can witness together the ever so occasional modern miracle that so rarely occurs, when we actually agree on something (i.e. Accept, Black Veil Brides, etc.).

It's still not to late for you to get wise and figure out what REAL Rock and Roll is. The fact that you have mistakenly devoted a life time to collecting and analyzing the music of awful UNROCK bands was not in vain.

Now you have a comprehensive working knowledge of what crappy Metal sounds like. It has finally come time for you to explore and appreciate what's actually good. It's time for you to finally go to Rock School, boy!

[Christian]

My comment was more to do with the comment bkallday made about them not playing often. One direction plays often, they still suck. But, what he said is just not true.

I've eaten in high end steak houses across the us, not just Mortons and Ruths Chris. I've never seen one that didn't put ketchup on the table.

[Christian]

And I don't dislike poison, i was deliberately making a comparison that made sense here. Poison was my first ever us show, and they honestly blew my mind. I've seen them since and I am probably a bit jaded due to over exposure, but I still like the band. Been focused on learning their songs on guitar of late, funny enough. I love both glam and heavy metal. Maiden is the latter, perhaps that's why you don't like them ?

[BatLizard]

Metalboy!, you can't possibly think that Steve Harris writes the "dumbest lyrics ever penned." Have you lost your mind? Maiden songs are full of intellect, most of them quite literary and poetic. You may not appreciate their typical structure (galloping bass lines, dual guitar leads and progressive arrangements), but c'mon, the lyrical quality cannot be denied. It amazes me that anyone who frequents BBG can criticize ANY band's lyrics. The groups we all admire have written and continue to write, even in middle-age or older, some of the stupidest lines ever conceived. For example, bands like Kiss, Poison, Mötley and Def Lep (all of which I absolutely love) are guilty of monumental, laugh-out-loud, cringe-worthy compositions. I really appreciate your insight and enjoy most of your comments, but you are dead wrong about Steve Harris.

[Metalboy!]

Yeah, but those guys write stupid lyrics on purpose, almost tongue in cheek. Steve Harris writes dumb lyrics without realizing they are...

Let me lay it out for ya here, boys, once and for all...

I AM, first and foremost a Metalhead and then a Glam Metalhead second. But I don't care what the h*ll kind of Metal it is, if it s*cks, it s*cks...

It has to be ROCK & ROLL, first and foremost, in my book...

If it fails to ROCK, it's no damn good, plain and simple...

Here's how it breaks down...

BAD METAL:

Iron Maiden
Metallica
Anthrax
Testament
Slayer
Pantera (post Glam-era)
Van Hagar
Ugly Kid Joe
Suicidal Tendencies
Soundgarden
Jackyl
Nickelback

------------

GOOD METAL:

Black Sabbath
Judas Priest
AC/DC
KISS
Aerosmith
Motley Crüe
Alice Cooper
Van Halen
Scorpions
Ozzy Osbourne
Accept
Dokken
Deep Purple
RATT
Cinderella
Poison
Guns n' Roses
Def Leppard
KIX
Wildside
Lizzy Borden
Whitesnake
Britny Fox
Dio
Quiet Riot
Rainbow
MSG
W.A.S.P.
Stryper
Motörhead
Megadeth
Pretty Boy Floyd
Pantera (Glam Metal era)
Buckcherry

This is just a sampling of 80's & 90's era bands shown to illustrate the difference between Good and Bad Heavy Metal.

[Metalboy!]

Doh! Forgot another HUGE inhabitor of the "GOOD METAL" category:

SAXON