Note: I know you're probably thinking, "This band doesn't deserve a 4.5!" Don't worry, I will explain my reasoning soon enough.
In early 2004, I remember turning on my radio to hear a song that greatly intrigued me. That song was "
The Ex", by some band called
Billy Talent. My first thought was "who the heck is Billy Talent?" My second thought was, "Holy crap, that was sweet". Indeed, if I was to ask anyone in Canada today who Billy Talent is, they would laugh at me, and tell me about an awesome Canadian punk band who has gone on to win 3 Junos (Best New Group in 2004, and Group Of The Year and Album Of The Year in 2005), plus a slew of other awards.
This amazing punk quartet seemed to just pop out of nowhere with a whole new sound, and a brand new attitude towards music. They do not write songs about making out with girls, or skateboarding. They write songs about serious subjects like teen suicide, mental disorders, and chronic lying. They have almost single-handedly brought back real punk music.
One of the most definitive things about this band is frontman Ben Kowalewicz's voice. In fact, many might be turned off by his voice alone. You might be tempted to say he's tone deaft, but after listening to the album once or twice, you will clearly see that is not the case. He can alternate from soft singing to full out rock screaming, and he still sounds wicked.
Ian D'sa is also very talented, and unlike most punk bands nowadays, he doesn't just play 3 power chords per song. In each song, he incorperates beautiful riffs that flow perfectly with Ben's growly voice, and manages to keep this band from being the "generic" pop-punk band. Accompanying him on bass is Jon Gallant, and unlike many punk bands who have their bass player in the background playing one note over and over, Jon supports Ian with his own bass riffs that mess with Ian's guitar playing to create Billy Talent's trademark dark-punk style. Not much can be said about drummer Aaron Solowoniuk, except he does his job well.
Billy Talent's first self-titled offering proves to be a truely solid affair. Every song has something different, and can vary from soft, melodic ballads to fast, heavy head-bangers. Althought each track averages about 3 and a half minutes, the band manages to carm something special into each track, and nothing dissapoints.
Now, on to why this deserves a 4.5 star rating. Well, the reason is simple. I can't think of a single bad track on this album. Unlike some bands, who like to have albums full of filler material, BT manages to give an album in which every single song stands out. That's my definition of a near perfect album: one in which nothing is bad, and that you can listen to over and over without getting bored.
Now, onto the album itself. It starts off with the solid opener,
This Is How It Goes. The riff throughout is fairly simple, but nicely compliments Ben's voice. The song basically prepares you for everything that will happen in the album, including Ben's punk screams. The nice harmonic chords during the bridge really work well, and leaves Jon to play another version of the verse riff above the chords. 4.75/5
Living In The Shadows is next up, and has a similar feel to the last song, even thought they are very different music-wise. It's probably the closest the album ever comes to filler,but, thankfuuly, manages to be unique in many places, and saves the song. 3.75/5
The first single,
Try Honesty, is the closest thing to a ballad at this point in the album. It manages to be dark and light at the same time, a difficult balance that Billy Talent has managed to master. The layered vocals during the verse (and throughout the song) really helps make this song. This is also the first song where guitarist Ian's vocals are featured prominently (they appeared during the chorus of Living In The Shadows, but were not fully capitalized on). It turns out that his voice is just as unique as Ben's, and is truely a high point in the song. A great choice for first single. 5/5
Line And Sinker is one of the darkest songs on the album, and gets started fast and loud to Ben's screaming. Ben's vocals during the whole song seem very aggresive and enraged, and if he's trying to hold back a massive fury. By now you are probably starting to see an emerging pattern in the songs. Intro, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. While this is the main pattern of the songs, they don't seem repetitive at all, and are usually made more original with Ian's guitar work. 4.5/5
From the darkest song to the poppiest, we are brought to
Lies. Lies has a very familiar pop-punk sound, but without the repetitive power chords of conventional pop-punk. As well, the bridge has a definitavely dark twist to it, and helps add another layer to the song. A nice light break before the consuming sarkness of the songs to come. 4/5
The opening riff of
The Ex immediately draws you into the second single, and once again, Billy Talent show they know how to pick good singles. THis song's a lot of fun, and is a real toe-tapper. As the title implies, this song is about an ex-girlfriend, but unlike other songs about exes, this song is more angry than sad, and you can hear the raw anger in Ben's vocals. Overall, the song is fun, fast, and a great listen. 5/5
Now we enter the second half of the album, and immediately we are drawn in by
River Below. The raw crunch of this song is astounding, and the song despite the simplicity of the song, it manages to be a killer track. The real selling point of this song is the chorus, and the overlapping vocals, which are bed-wetting good. They manage to create a beautiful, seamless combination of raw energy and melodic vocals, which come together to create the best song on the album. 5/5
Next we have the fan favourite
Standing In The Rain. The lyrics are immensly well-written and catchy, and are the standout point of this track. There's something about this track that's just a lot of fun. It's catchy, it's fun, and it's the last really cheery song before the last four songs. 4.75/5
Cut The Curtains opens with some crunching power chords, and starts one of the heaviest songs on the album. It has a definitive dark theme, and the subject matter fits the theme. This is one of the only songs that has something close to a solo in it. The fadeout before the re-entry is a clever trick, and works well. Ian's vocal performance is extremely impressive in the song. Probably one of my favorite non-singles. 4.75/5
Another extremely well done non-single,
Prisoners Of Today. Ian gives another powerful vocal performance during the later choruses, especcially when supported by Ben. This song similar to Try Honesty, in that it is both very light and very dark. Billy Talent truely show they have mastered the art of finding balance in their songs. 4.75/5
The albums major ballad is
Nothing To Lose, a song about teen suicide and depression. The soft guitar in this song is very good, and keeps this song from falling into the category of "emo". This song starts off fairly light, but soon becomes a dark scream-fest for Ben, who really brings this song and its message to life. The song is almost haunting, and you end up coming off of it a different person. 5/5
The final track,
Voices Of Violence, is probably the fastest song to date.
Jon and Ian give nice vocal support to Ben during the second verse and the chorus. This is probably Ben at his angriest, and he really shows off his nice vocal style. The bridge shows some light Spanish influence in the sound. The song, and the album, end rather suddenly, and you are left thinking about what happened in the last 40 minutes. Porbably not the best way to end this stellar album, but as a standalone track, works very well. 4.5/5
Overall, this 12-track album does not dissapoint, and offers many different variations of a very different punk-style. Billy Talent sound like no other band, and while many bands try to replicate them, they can never be duplicated. they have a style that no other band can capture. This brilliant first release from a brilliant Canadian band is just the first step for this larger-than-life group. With a second album on the way, and their first new single scorching radio stations across the country, it's safe to say Billy Talent aren't going away anytime soon.
