Review Summary: Billy Talent is a huge success in Canada, but how successful is III?
Billy Talent III starts off with a strong song “Devil On My Shoulder”. Ian D’sa is amazing through out this song and the album, he shows how much skill he really has, with solo’s in just about every song, and stunning guitar work. The album starts going down hill right when “Rusted From the Rain” starts, a particularly boring and bland song. The album has very few songs that stand out, such as “Tears Into Wine” and “White Sparrows”. The worst song on the album is “Sudden Movements”, a very slow, bland and boring song. I have no idea what went through their minds when they came up with it, but it must have been a boring and uneventful day at the recording studio.
The album seems to have a huge focus on the Bass, as it can be heard through out the whole album (sometimes louder then the guitar), and the bass acts like the back up guitar. Not that it’s a bad thing; it’s just different, as is the whole album. Ben Kowalewicz doesn’t sound very motivated, it’s like he didn’t want to have anything to do with this album. The lyrics are quite sub-par, especially when compared to “Standing in the Rain” or “This Suffering”, a major disappointment for me. Then there’s “Turn Your Back”, it doesn’t feature Anti-Flag, as the single did. Anti-Flag brought that song to life, the song is good, just not as good as when Anti-Flag was featured. “Diamond on a Landmine” has what could be the biggest surprise out of this whole album, Ian plays piano in this song, even if it was only little bits at a time, and it works well with the song.
The bonus tracks “Bloody Nails and Broken Hearts” and “Don’t Need to Pretend” are fantastic. Well written, and great musicianship, these 2 songs sound like they were originally made for Billy Talent. I’ll never understand why they weren’t on the album in the first place. All in all, Billy Talent III takes awhile to get use to (trust me I know), and sure it’s not as good as their first 2 albums, but it’s worth it in the end.
Pros:
- Ian D’sa is still an amazing guitarist
- “Tears Into Wine”
- Bonus tracks
Cons:
- Sub-par lyrics
- “Sudden Movements”
- If you didn’t like Billy Talent before, this won’t make you think differently
- Ben Kowalewicz’s vocals
