Billy Talent

From what I recall, Billy Talent broke out in a huge way. I was twelve, on the cusp of high-school, very much into alternative rock and punk music at the time, and all of a sudden, my friends and classmates who didn't appear to be as into music as I was were all raving about them. I enjoyed a few of the band's singles but for some reason or another, I never really dove into the rest of their debut. Perhaps it was because they were always on MuchMusic, their song's appeared in teen movies, they were featured on video game soundtracks, I always seemed to have my fill of the band. It wasn't until many years later that I would revisit the debut, listening to it in its entirety for perhaps the first time, with a fresh perspective.

For a spell, I might have thought Billy Talent were overrated, but presently, I would say the band's debut is actually quite strong. Most of the magic, in my opinion, comes from Ian D'Sa's great guitar work. He has such a unique style that teeters on delivering lead melodies and rhythm almost simultaneously, maybe out of necessity given the band only has one guitar player. Furthermore, the sound and tone of the guitar is instantly recognizable and singular, something that many rock bands have trouble establishing. There's quite a few great examples I can point to like the chorus riff of This Is How It Goes, the verses of Line and Sinker, and perhaps my favourite riff on the record, the chorus of Lies.

The vocals are also quite distinct, further separating themselves from other alternative rock bands. We have Ben Kowalewicz leading the charge, who's high-pitched, animated, manic delivery is very engaging. When he screams, he delivers it almost like a desperate yelp with loads of fried distortion on top. D'Sa's voice hovers in the same range but is distinct enough to provide an interesting, but not competing harmony. However, when D'Sa teams up with bassist Jonathan Gallant, the two can muster some pretty beefy hollers to counteract the trebly space dominated by Kowalewicz.

The record gets off to an incredibly strong start, not missing a beat in the first half. However, the record falters a little bit in the second half, starting with Standing In the Rain. I find this song to be a little stiff on the drumming and the chorus is also one of the weakest on the record. The following track, Cut the Curtains, gets off to a rough start with a painfully bland guitar riff that reminds me unfortunately of sleazy, over-sexualized male rock even if the song has absolutely nothing to do with that. And that takes us to Prisoner of Today, my least favourite track. I'm not too crazy for the main guitar riff here which resurfaces quite frequently over the course of the song. Also, Kowalewicz's vocals in the bridge are unflatteringly dramatic. Thankfully, the album finishes strong with Nothing to Lose a gloomy tale of teen suicide as a result of incessant bullying, and Voices of Violence, a speedy rager packed full of revolutionary energy that feels appropriate in current times.

As it turns out, Billy Talent are a great band, at least from what I gather on this record. The only other thing that I wish was different is the production. It is very clean, almost too clean for an alternative rock record with hardcore tendencies. It was produced by Gavin Brown, almost a mythological legend that I heard many stories about as I was studying music production. One of which being that he would have the drummer perform his drum parts one drum at a time in isolation. Not sure if that was the case on this record, but just goes to show the lengths Brown would go to for a clean recording. To me, it doesn't quite match up with the tone of the band's songs, angsty, unhinged, again, manic. I feel like if things were a little messier, it would unlock more of that chaotic energy the band is trying to release. In any case, I do really enjoy this record and I'm finally starting to see what all the hullabaloo was about that I subconsciously tried to avoid at the height of the band's popularity.