The album was produced by John Feldmann and marked a departure of Black's hard rock musical style as the frontman of Black Veil Brides in exchange for more pop influences.

It features guest performances from Quinn Allman, Rian Dawson, Ashton Irwin, Juliet Simms, Matt Skiba, and Gerard and Mikey Way.

[6] Black began to record the album in August 2015 alongside producer John Feldmann.

[7] The Shadow Side has received highly favorable reviews from music critics.

Alternative Press writer Ryan Downey commented that Black "chases his dark muse against a cinematic backdrop of impressive pop 'n' roll on The Shadow Side", also writing that Black sounded "confidently in charge" despite the large number of collaborations with known rock artists on the album.