Andy Biersack AKA Andy Black Of Black Veil Brides Enjoys Rave Reviews As New Solo Album ‘The Shadow Side’ Ranks No. 2

Andy Biersack, aka Andy Six, has released an amazing new album under the name Andy Black. The new solo effort is called The Shadow Side, and reviews have been outstanding. The new album is at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, not only in the category of Top Rock Albums but also for Alternative Albums.

Black Veil Brides fans need not worry, though. The band has taken a short and much-needed break while Biersack recorded the album, but they have no intention of breaking up. Biersack is as passionate about the band as ever. He just had a few ideas that he needed to express, and he worked alone to avoid changing the overall direction of his band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JXGXpCEIEs&index=1&list=PL69eW96j9BXuRo9_dUoIg8q65wkBZZYcz

My Chemical Romance, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Fall Out Boy members collaborated on the album, assisting Andy Black in shifting into a new style. While the sound of this album is a bit more mainstream and pop than Black Veiled Bride’s typical sound, the music on this album stands apart as darker and far more creative than mainstream. The songs still rock, but they are just a bit less lyrically cryptic and the overall tone is more exploratory.

Andy Black is emerging as a different artist, at least in some ways. Rock Sound notes that Andy’s solo work is vastly different than his work with Black Veil Brides.

“Andy Biersack has rock star in his genes, and while his first foray into solo material may be a completely different beast to the fire and fury of Black Veil Brides, his charismatic presence surges through this album… ‘The Shadow Side’ contains some of the best material the man has been responsible for and proves Mr. Biersack is one of the most captivating figures in music today.”

Black Veil Brides fans will find the frontman’s new solo different than previous work with the band. National Rock Review says Biersack is showing off a new side of himself with this creative album.

“Andy Black spreads his wings both creatively and artistically with his new solo project… The Black Veil Brides frontman shows off a side of him which we didn’t know exists, he proves that he has a lot more to offer than what his have come to know and love over the years. There is a lot more to Andy Black than meets the eye.”

The Alternative Press also admires Andy Biersack’s work.

“Andy Black is deliciously subversive. ‘Homecoming King’ and ‘We Don’t Have To Dance’ demonstrate Biersack’s ability to deliver clever wit, borderline misanthropy and genuine disaffection inside grandiose pop-rock.”

The Black Veil Brides frontman says that music was his escape when he was younger and also his belief system. He told Upset Magazine it always made him feel like a winner.

“I came from a town of about 2,000 people with one stop light and I was told that nothing I ever wanted to do, I would succeed in. I was a little chubby kid that no girls ever talked to, I had little chance of becoming an internationally known rock star. Music was my escape and my belief system. Whether I’m trying to or not, I have this inherent feeling that music is uplifting, it makes you feel victorious, and that makes you feel like you can take on the world.”

Now, though, Andy Biersack’s music is bringing him back into focus, as he finds himself opening up more. He is growing as a musician, and the beautiful part is he’s not changing his band or his brand. He’s starting fresh in another style while hanging on to everything he has built. It is smart really, and the results are beautiful. Fans don’t have to prefer one or the other. They can enjoy both. The new music is open and free, both lyrically and musically. It is relatable.

“I think what’s interesting is that I played a few songs for my parents when I went home, and I didn’t talk to them about anything really. I just wanted them to hear it. One of the things that my mother said is, ‘Oh, you’re really opening up.’ I didn’t really think about that until she said it, and I suppose I am in many ways. I’m talking more directly about things involved in my life instead of shrouding them in metaphor.”

Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides has produced an album called The Shadow Side under the name Andy Black.

[Photo by Duane Prokop/Getty Images]