Andy Biersack just released his second solo studio album The Ghost of Ohio. Considering how the release of The Shadow Side was very successful, I was skeptical as to how he could follow it up. The Ghost of Ohio was released on April 12th, 2019, and I listened to it the day it came out from beginning to end, because there is not always a guarantee you will like an artist’s every release. However, this album completely knocked it out of the park for me. I love concept records and I know from a past concept album that Biersack is absolutely fantastic at putting them together and carrying a story throughout a record.
The album starts with “Introduction: Resurrection” and it is very much a “call to action” for the rest of the album. Biersack has always been a highly theatrical performer and artist, even referencing back to Black Veil Brides and their album The Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. That entire album was full of theatrics (it was another concept record after all) and knowing that Andy is the reason behind those theatrics, it was not surprising to find an introduction track in the beginning to set the mood of the album.
The second song on the album is “The Promise” which I feel addresses the early days in Andy’s career. It feels like a look back into what his life has been up until this point, even addressing his hometown a few times. The song could even make more sense if you read Alternative Press’ cover story that completely tells the story of Biersack’s life before Black Veil Brides when he talks about how and where he grew up. The sound of this song feels very much, again, like a call to action, as mentioned for the first song. It connects the past to where he is now, almost like the writer of this song is lost and remembering the fragments of his past and how it all connects.
“Westwood Road” is the anthem for the entire album. It is the first single released off the album and was the first taste fans got of the new era. This song also does a great job of carrying on the story from “The Promise,” as it’s about going back to where he was before, probably to make sense of the conflict he’s feeling inside. The lyrics in the chorus, “I kneel and pray all these wasted days away,” are pretty self-explanatory: the song’s lyrical content states that writer feels he has to go back before he can move forward, dealing with unfinished turmoil.
“Know One” is my favorite song off the album because it demonstrates some sort of self-reflection and looking inward at yourself and how others perceive the writer. It almost seems like some unsaid conflict between the writer and people’s opinions of him, but also coming to terms with the fact that he is what others perceive him as, whether positive or negative. (Although, it is most likely negative.) The instrumentals and melody of the song I feel is the best on the album; it’s super catchy and I never get tired of it.
“Soul Like Me” demonstrates inner turmoil and asking for help, though we are not sure if that is verbalized or not outside of the writer’s mind. It addresses darkness inside the writer’s mind and trying to figure out what to do with it, even if it means reaching out to try and find someone similar to the writer. Empathy is something that gets plenty of people through hardship. “Soul Like Me” carries the story wonderfully as it showcases mental conflict to try and push through, and this can be extremely relatable to many people, myself included.
The piece of the story that comes after “Soul Like Me” is “The Wind & Spark.” It presents an issue: not wanting to go back to the darkness the writer used to be immersed in. This is a song of success and presents evidence as to how he’s grown and changed from the person he used to be, and how he’s surpassed the hardships presented. He doesn’t want to go back to how he felt (described in “Soul Like Me”) and is a rather relatable track to me as I’m sure it is for many others. There are many people in recovery from their demons or getting over a rough patch in life. This song could be that safe place that you need, because finding yourself after coming out of a dark place is an underrated accomplishment.
“Ghost of Ohio” follows “The Wind & Spark” and is about being lost again despite having changed so much. This song connects back to the graphic novel that Biersack has released in pairing with this album, and truthfully the song lyrically does not add much to the story but hell, it’s catchy, and it was a good single to release when he released it. It’s just about his hometown and how well he knows and remembers it, and the order of actions that he took before he left.
I was maybe ten seconds into “Heroes We Were” and my first thought that the sound was adorable, I thought it was seriously so cute! The acoustic sound of it gives it more of a comforting feel, like I want to curl up on the couch, watch a movie, and drink hot chocolate. Basically any fuzzy, warm thing you do in the fall is what this song feels like. Though, as cute as it sounds, it couldn’t be further from the truth; it brings to light that while we are young and careless, we often grow up to become dull and jaded. This song is more about regrets- what we should have done when we had the chance. For younger fans, it could be a cautionary tale.
Upon a first listen, “Feast or Famine” was definitely not one of my favorite songs off the record when referring to the melody, but it’s beginning to grow on be a bit, especially because of the lyrical content. The song refers to the phrase “it’s now or never” and that there’s never an in between when it comes to life. While we grew up, the youth as a whole was more daring and we just forget our mistakes, we can’t dwell on them. We have to keep moving forward, and that is definitely a sentiment that I can hold close.
“Heaven” is really the first song that we get a glimpse into the writer’s love life, and it seems that it is the central point of this song. So many negative crutches in the writer’s past are brought up, and in spite of it all, this person stayed with him. All of his past demons had not mattered to the love interest mentioned, and he is expressing his gratitude to them. Altogether, in reference to the sound and melody, it’s not one of my favorite songs on the album. It is solid and helps to carry the story along, but it isn’t super catchy.
Lyrically, I think “The Martyr” is the strongest, most hard-hitting song on the album. The writer is addressing someone that has perhaps wronged him or was a negative force in his life and his past. The mentioned adversary is addressed as a liar and a hateful being, and the writer is both insulting the opponent and urging them to get help or change themselves; they don’t have to be hateful or negative toward others.
The end of the album is wrapped up with “Fire In My Mind,” and understandably so, it leaves an open-to-interpretation ending. I can’t really form one solid opinion on what this means for the story of the ghost of Ohio, because I’m drawing a few conclusions. In a few lines of the song, it almost seems like the writer as come to terms with his past, but in other lines it leaves it open to add onto the story, like he is still wrestling with something. Perhaps his past or something else.
Overall, this was a solid album. There is not one throwaway song on the album as every song has a purpose as the story carries along through the album. Andy’s dive into more poppy-sounding music is definitely fresh and new; we usually hear his voice through hard-hitting rock music. While those albums are also fantastic, it’s fun to see him dial it back and experiment with something else.
The Ghost of Ohio is available on all streaming platforms.
