Billy Talent – Billy Talent

Wrote this quite lengthy review back in 2003 for my website punkupdates.com:

This is the major label debut for Toronto’s Billy Talent, a 4 piece band of which you will hear a lot in the immediate future, you can take my word for that.

Quite by coincidence I decided to the label and band after listening to the media-player they had set up on the net to promote them. I had it playing “Try Honesty” in the background something like 10 times in a row while I was working on the site. At first I wasn’t impressed at all, but in the end I found it breath-taking.

You’ll probably be as sceptic as I first was about Benjamin Kowalewicz’s voice which sounds like coming from a gnome, but I can assure you that these destinctive vocals in the end will turn out nothing less than spectacular. The screaming which seems inevitable in today’s punkrock is abundantly there, but this time around I liked that, although they sometimes have the impression of sounding a bit like coming from a metal band. These 13 songs show accessible melodies, tempo changes from here to Tokyo and back, pumping bass-lines and well-targeted guitarchords that get you hooked immediately. You’d expect superb production from a band on a major label and that’s exactly what producer Gavin Brown took care of. Amazing quality, maybe a bit too amazingly for some of you out there.

There’s not really a bad track on the album, but here’s some standout tracks: “This Is How It Goes” (a song about Multiple Sclerosis) will get you by the balls immediately with a display of the sing/screamy vocals in the chorus. “Living In The Shadows” has parts of amazing lowtune guitarplay and yet another amazing feet-tapping chorus with nice backing vocals. “Try Honesty” is an easier to swallow song and their first hitsong that you might have heard on the radio already. In fact it reminded me of Faith No More, one of the few not-punk bands I kinda digged in the early 90’s. “Line & Sinker” is impressive in the chorus again where the screaming leads and backing vocals take on eachother. “Lies” has more of that Faith No More sound, but here the chorus is an amazing melodic piece of dual singing. (Hmmm… did you notice I still didn’t skip any of the songs yet?) “The Ex” is a more narrative song with a streetpunk chorus. “Standing in the Rain” cuts down the pace to a midtempo song, but again the chorus is so damn mindsticking that for once I forgive a slowing down band. “Cut The Curtains” couldn’t pump more and “Prisoners Of Today” again has all the energy of the vocals bundled in the chorus, while the guitars are playing a nice catchy tune. “Nothing To Lose” is the slowest song on the CD and not the best, but the emtion is no fake which makes it good anyway. Final track “Voices Of Violence” is another tremendous driving song and an amazing closing song.

Now I’m not sure how this release will be received by people in the punkcommunity: first off the sound is major-label typical and secondly it has a lot of that rock-influenced sound and has not an entirely punkrock undertone, but I really look at a release without prejudices and I can’t but conclude that this music is getting to me and is in my cd-player constantly these days. If you want to check out a band that is full of ear-splitting screams, has hard rock and punk influences tightly melted together and won’t leave your head check out this album. I for one will be on the lookout for their performance on this year’s Pukkelpop.

Not your ordinary punkrelease because of the high dosage of rock and vocals that at times sound more like coming from a hardrock band, but the tunes are so mindsticking and catchy you might as well fall in love with this band.
Best Song: Line & Sinker

This Is How It Goes = <3
Living In The Shadows = <3
Try Honesty = Good.
Line & Sinker = Not my favorite
Lies = Good.
The Ex = Not my favorite.
River Below = <3
Standing In The Rain = <3
Cut The Curtains = Not my favorite.
Prisoners Of Today = Very good.
Nothing To Lose = Very good.
Voices Of Violence = Good.

The subject of the lyrics are ordinary, for this album the visuals are basic.

Favourite album of all time. This hits strong notes all over, very clean track progression with a great angst-fuelled beginning with "how it goes" - Love this album.