Andy Black – ‘The Ghost of Ohio’

Andy Biersack, under the stage name Andy Black, recently released his highly-anticipated sophomore album The Ghost of Ohio on April 12, 2019 via Republic Records. Following the announcement of his comic book, fans patiently waited for this album to drop. Each song seemingly flows from the beginning to end without ever feeling out of place.

The album starts with “Introduction: Resurrection,” and from the beginning there is an influence of Christian theology, that is well-done and isn’t overly used, but isn’t too subtle for the listener not to notice.

“The Martyr,” one of the last songs on the album, is the idea of standing up for yourself in the face of adversity and being the martyr of your own story. The song’s instrumentals have an uplifting beat, starting off softly with Black’s deep vocals, but increases in volume and intensity as the song progresses. As each verse ends, the intensity grows. Once the chorus begins the instrumental compliments Black’s strong, bold vocals with an equally powerful guitar riff.

The song that resonated with me most was “Soul like Me.” When I first played through the album, without even knowing the title, the instrumentals stood out to me. The beginning, with the orchestral opening, instantly pulled me in with the rest of the subtle, yet powerful instrumentals keeping me intrigued.

Upon my second listen-through of the album, Black’s soft, yet demanding vocals throughout the song impacted me more than the lyrics. I’m always one to listen to the instrumentals first and how the vocal tones pair with them. The lyrics come last for me and only made me appreciate this song more. Finding someone that shares the same values or ideologies is hard and “Soul Like Me” depicts just how hard it is. Black characterizes his soul as lost and is trying to find one like his own. I connected with this song more than the others because I too am searching for people who are like me and are supportive, and recently I found a few people who do just that.

Each individual song is powerful but collectively tells a story of not knowing who you are, finding yourself and being free from the judgement of others. Additionally, this album is supporting material for The Ghost of Ohio comic book that just released April 16, while standing on its own as a creative work of art.

This album is for those who have an appreciation for concept albums, subtle themes or just beautifully-crafted instrumentals with deep lyrics that will leave you wanting more. Black puts everything on the table and proves how well this album flows, from beginning to end.

TAGS: Andy Black | Republic Records