Customer Reviews

Billy Talent V.2

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Billy Talent return with their second effort and exceed expectations. My Expectations were that I thought the band's slight succsess would spoil them and they'd change their sound and style, when in fact, they carved their style out a little more and made a sound that's distinctly their own. Waving the punk flag of originality, songs like "Red Flag" and "Devil In a midnight Mass" come off as well written, but yet still gritty punk songs. The band shows off some of it's more melodic side with songs like "Fallen Leaves", "Where's the Line"(this song has a great chorus and sing along), "The Navy Song" and "Surredner". This is a great band and I'm glad they decided to put out another cd, I loved the first record and this one is just as good and memorable. I'm giving this a 5.

Billy Talent II
The second (and highly anticipated) album from Billy Talent (well, aniticipated by me).
The review is up late, because I actually had a chance to listen to it a few times before I posted a review on it, instead of writing about it the same time as I listen to it the first time.

Members Aaron Solowoniuk
Ben Kowalewicz
Ian D'Sa
Jon Gallant


Released on June 27, 2006
Track Listing:
1) Devil In A Midnight Mass
2) Red Flag
3) This Suffering
4) Worker Bees
5) Pins And Needles
6) Fallen Leaves
7) Where Is The Line?
8) Covered In Cowardice
9) Surrender
10) The Navy Song
11) Perfect World
12) Sympathy
13) Burn The Evidence

Track Review:
1) Devil In A Midnight Mass
First track off this album, and first single as well. Excellent choice, the single itself shows they have matured. Good riffs, good chorus, and Ben's vocals are as good as ever. Noticably more bass than in their previous album. And more studio-style sound, than the raw sound they had before. The video for this song is also very well done. I wouldn't be suprised if the video gets nominated for various awards this season.

2) Red Flag
My personal favorite from this album. Very strong, and has the reggae-ish type elements from their previous band Pezz on it, which was lacking on the previous album. Reflects a little on Prisioners Of Today from their previous album, mentioning "the kids of tomorrow don't need today when they live in the sins of yesterday"... the kids of tomorrow being the reference. I hope this song is the next single, as its awesome! It was also released about 6 months earlier online, as they got a huge response live for this song, so they decided to release it as a demo

3) This Suffering
Very similar to their first album. Similar style, lyrics, and sound as most of their debut album. Good song, still good to see they still got it. Carries on a bit longer than most of their debut cd songs, and it's noticable.. they should have cut it off earlier.

4) Worker Bees
One of the songs that the artist of the album cover found very inspirational. Again, BT takes us into a different direction with their music, with actually having a steady rhythm going for the whole song, a la Seven Nation Army (White Stripes). Excellent song, definately in contention for a single in the near future.. at least in my books. It may be a little different than what Much Music is looking for, though.

5) Pins And Needles
Opening chord is very good, and leads into Ben's vocals very well. Another break-up song (like The Ex). Almost like the aftermath.. This song is also a nice slow down to the album, which isn't a bad thing. It's actually good to see versatility in the music, that not all of it is fast punk. Song is talking about an ex-girlfriend that the protagonist has let go.. and how he feels about it (general subject, but guitar chords are well done, even if it's a little basic)

6) Fallen Leaves
A popular favorite with fans online, and with good reason. It's familiar territory for Billy Talent, kinda like This Suffering. But it stretches the distance between familiar and new.. and I guess a lot of fans enjoy it. Personally, its a mediocre song for me, but worth a listen to. Not my favorite on the album, but a good addition.

7) Where Is The Line?
Half way through the album, and everything is looking good so far. Song starts out kinda slow, but within 20 seconds it speeds up a little bit, though not to their familiar speed.. a little slow. Sounds like a radio single to me.. a generic punk-rock-made-for-radio song.. unfortunately. But you have to please the record executives, don't ya? I think Ian D'Sa's lyrics are totally unnecessary. It just gives you more to point out, and it takes you away from the song. Also the solo at roughly 2:15 is sorta out of place.. its almost too loud for the song. Definately not one of the top 5 songs for this album for me..I guess they all can't be excellent, can they?

8) Covered In Cowardice
Nice song, very reminiscent of their style. They got Ben screaming again, and Ian doing backup vocals which are really good. Not much to say about this song, not gonna be a single, but great song. Another long one, which is different for Billy Talent, but this song pulls it off pretty well. Nice friendly chord, and the drumming is really nice too. Goes really well together. Very nice solo at around the 3 minute mark as well. "Voice Without A Face". And weirdly enough, an actual fade ending! Strange!

9) Surrender
Wow. A very good song.. quite possibly a second favorite. Another slower one, about a guy and a girl (suprise). Very well done. I don't know what else I can say.. Ian's backup vocals are amazingly well done, and it speeds up a little around the 2 minute mark. Very well done.

10) The Navy Song
Starts off with a little intricate guitar work. Then Ben comes in with a poppy-punk rock lyrics.. very radio friendly. I never thought I would actually say this.. but this song is a little too Simple Plan/Sum 41 like for me.. at least at the beginnning. During the chorus, it rises above the stereotypes, but then goes back after the chorus and a little bit more intricate guitar work. Very good guitar, though drums seem a little basic, especially at the calibre he's shown on previous songs. Not the best song on the album by a long run.. kind of like a filler to me. The guitarwork saves the song for me. Plus the lyrics are very well done.

11) Perfect World
Before even listening to this, I was a little stereotyped. It seems like every radio band has a song named Perfect World (or close to it) that ends up on the radio... hmm.. Anyways.. Harder than their last two songs, and again with the screaming Thank Goodness! I love the screaming! Good song, maybe could be a single. It would make a decent one in my opinion. Very good, hard guitars. Short, too, clocking in at just over 3 minutes, with another quick ending.

12) Sympathy
Good ol' Billy Talent! Just after a few songs of a new style, they go back to their familiar roots! you can hear the Pezz elements, like before, along with some Billy Talent style as well. Good song, and Ian and Ben sound good singing together. In the top 5

13) Burn The Evidence
Starts off a little different, with Ben singing solo for a few seconds, then within 30 seconds you got the familiar hard guitars coming in. Good lyrics. Good chorus. Good Song. Good Closer.

Overall, an excellent cd. 8.5/10.. coulda done without the radio friendly songs, but oh well, what are you gonna do? I loved the cd, and it was worth the wait. Not as good as their debut (but it's hard to improve upon perfection) but probably one of the best albums I've heard in awhile.


Best Songs: Red Flag, Devil In A Midnight Mass, Surrender, Worker Bees, Covered In Cowardice
Not The Best Songs: The Navy Song, Where Is The Line

I have this CD and it is awesome. First heard "Red Flag" on a video game (Burnout Revenge) and loved it. Bought the CD and now that song is not even in the top 5 on the CD. I like every song on the CD. Can't loose with this one.

A friend introduced me to Billy Talent and I loved it right away. This Cd is great, with a lot of gritty punk songs. Some of my favorites are A Devil in a Midnight Mass, Red flag but the whole album is great. Billy Talent is a very talented band and some friends of mine even went to their concert. I personally enjoy it very much and would like to listen to their first debut too. This is a great Cd for pretty much anyone who likes loud music or punk and I would defintely recommend it.

Ya' know I really hate it when people ask me what Billy Talent sounds like, because they don't sound like any of the bands that pass for punk nowadays. Their songs aren't only about ex-girlfriends, they have no trendy image to speak of, no overly long look-how-clever-I-am song titles, and they don't try to shove a political agenda down your throat. Billy Talent plays vitriolic, heartfelt, anthemic punk rock while still distinguishing themselves from the rest of the Warped Tour crowd.

The songs on this, their second release, are damn near flawless. Essentially, they just expanded upon their debut, which was fantastic itself. Any fan of the first album should dig "Perfect World" and "Worker Bees" among others, well as the first two singles "Devil in a Midnight Mass" and "Red Flag." They do slow it down a bit at times on II, as they do on "Pins and Needles," which should please anyone who liked "Nothing to Lose." But "Surrender" is a full on ballad that, in the hands of a lesser band, would sound incredibly cheesy. Billy Talent pulls it off with notable aplomb, however.

To sum it up, Billy Talent has delivered on the promise of their first album. They're firing on all cylinders, and expanding the boundaries of what punk can be.

P.S. Their live show is unmatched, so catch them opening for Rise Against and Thursday in November.

Billy Talent deserves a grammy nomination for this album, maybe even an album of the year nomination. Thus far, there is no album that is as good as this album, any genre. Every track is solid and a potential hit. Best Songs: Covered in Cowardice, The Navy Song
( I Like it ), Surrender, Worker Bees, (Not to mention Devil and Midnight Mass because pretty much everyone has heard these already)
Support Billy Talent, Buy this Album, They Deserve it. Even if you already downloaded them all, you get some cool artwork inside the CD case, along with the lyrics.

i picked up a leaked verson of this album and got exactly what i expected. doesn't exceed, doesn't disappoint.

first off, this album is much lighter than their first.
the guitar playing is amazing, and the chords are fresh and original. but the vocals previously screamed by Ben, are usually much softer. Apart from a few harder songs.

the songs all have a nice melody, and originality that is lacking is most new mainstream pop/rock acts.

overall it's absolutly worth picking up if you liked their first effort. if youre new to billy talent i would recommend getting their debut album first, because it is their best.

8.5/10.

Billy Talent is some of the most significant talent to come out of Canada since Neil Young, Rush, sHEAVY, Loverboy and Pamela Anderson. Okay, I included those last two merely for $h!+s 'n' giggles. But in all seriousness, this band and this album are just fantastic. In fact, in 2007 Billy Talent was awarded the title of 'Group of the Year', and 'Billy Talent II' was awarded 'Rock Album of the Year' at the Juno Awards; which is the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Grammy Awards. Now, although awards (especially U.S. awards) play little to no part in what music I purchase, this bit of deserved recognition should at the very least inform you that this band and this album are worthy of exploration. I highly recommend this album. The lyrics are well written with good use of metaphors, and the music is very good (and catchy), with guitar riffs that will get deeply implanted in your cabeza. Furthermore, even though all of the songs have an upbeat tempo, don't let that fool you, these songs have depth and significant meaning. Give this CD more than a casual listen, it certainly deserves it. And I believe that if you are a Rock/Hard Rock fan you will undoubtedly find yourself listening to this album with great frequency, and consider it a valuable addition to your music collection.

Billy Talent's second album, aptly named 'Billy Talent II' is probably best described as hard-hitting Rock 'N' Roll with a good bit of Punk Rock influence. Now, I should tell you, even though I've always considered certain aspects of Punk Rock to be enjoyable and admirable, I've just never enjoyed it enough to be able to fully jump on that bandwagon. Consequently, this is currently the only album in my fairly large collection that contains anything even approaching the Punk Rock genre, as again, I've just never been a confirmed fan. However, this album is so well done that the Punk influence in no way inhibits my ability to appreciate and thoroughly enjoy this album. Furthermore, with this album Billy Talent has crafted a distinctive sound that is completely their own, and they reveal no obvious inspiration from any other band, Rock, Punk or otherwise.

Billy Talent, who copped their name from a character in the novel 'Hard Core Logo', and the Canadian mock-documentary film of the same name, have been playing together under different monikers and paying their dues since the early 90's. And this time spent together, as only time will, manifests itself in adept songwriting and musicianship. In turn, if you put in the time to carefully examine this album you will likely come to the same conclusion that or neighbors in The Great White North came to; Billy Talent and 'Billy Talent II' are accolade worthy, and ultimately, worthy of your consideration.

If you are a BT fan then you must see them live, they put on such an amazing show.You will get so into it.They dont have a bad song that they could play. Also get Floor seats, you'll love it my garuntee! and if you dont like swearing dont go to see them :P

Billy Talent finally swings the bat again, and if this disc isn't a home run, then it's a stand-up triple. These guys have a knack for writing catchy, original punk music with hooks that snag you twenty seconds into the song. Production quality is top-notch, musicianship is good, and the most has been made of lead singer Ben Kowalewicz's voice. "Devil In a Midnight Mass" and "Red Flag" stand out immediately, but mostly because they're the tracks that have received airplay, and have also been tapped by several video game manufacturers. Even if you put these two tracks aside, though, the deeper one gets into this CD the better appreciation you have for it.

While I do like this disc, I did find the songwriting somewhat formulaic - that doesn't make it bad, though. In fact, the group has capably built on the sound and success of their first disc. What will remain to be seen is if the quartet can come out with a third disc that will be fresh, yet still be faithful to their punk sound. The one thing they don't want to do is to fall into the Nickelback trap, and have everyone become sick of their material because it all sounds the same.