Billy Talent

Billy Talent is a Canadian rock band that formed in 1993 under the name "Pezz". The band were called that until 1999, when there was an issue with an American band of the same name. After that they became known as Billy Talent, and a few years after that they achieved some mainstream success.

I personally wasn't a fan of Watoosh!, the only album they released as Pezz. The moment they changed their name seemed to make a huge difference on the music they wrote as well. Billy Talent ended up being in my top 10 favourite bands in middleschool and highschool, and I still listen to them to this day.

Their first album, Billy Talent, was an awesome introduction to them. Ben Kowalewicz' vocals in particular had a very unique sound. But the band did too. There is something very different about the way Ian D'sa plays the guitar. All of the band members brought something unique, which led to the sound of Billy Talent. Songs like "Try Honesty", "This Is How It Goes", "The Ex", and "Nothing To Lose" are some examples of the amazing song writing on this record.

Billy Talent II did not disappoint either. It is largely regarded as their best album with songs like "Devil In A Midnight Mass", "Red Flag", "Fallen Leaves", and "Surrender" in particular doing well. Every song on the album is instantly recognisable. Billy Talent III was also a great release, showing how consistent they are. "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Saint Veronika" are just a couple of examples of that.

I remember it felt like ages (although it was only 3 years) before they finally released a new album. But then 2012 came along and Dead Silence came out. I was blown away instantly. After years of listening to it, I've decided that it's the most complete Billy Talent record out there. A couple of years later they released Hits, which is a compilation of all their most popular songs plus two new ones: "Kingdom of Zod" and "Chasing the Sun". In 2016, they released Afraid of Heights, which in my opinion wasn't their strongest album. Still, a solid album with some great songs on it.

Billy Talent (2003)

1. This Is How It Goes
2. Living In The Shadows
3. Try Honesty
4. Line & Sinker
5. Lies
6. The Ex
7. River Below
8. Standing In The Rain
9. Cut The Curtains
10. Prisoner Of Today
11. Nothing To Lose
12. Voices of Violence

Billy Talent II (2006)

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

Billy Talent III (2009)

1. Devil On My Shoulder
2. Rusted From The Rain
3. Saint Veronika
4. Tears Into Wine
5. White Sparrows
6. Pocketful Of Dreams
7. The Dead Can't Testify
8. Diamond On A Landmine
9. Turn Your Back
10. Sudden Movements
11. Definition of Destiny

Dead Silence (2012)

1. Lonely Road To Absolution
2. Viking Death March
3. Surprise Surprise 
4. Runnin' Across The Tracks
5. Love Was Still Around
6. Stand Up And Run
7. Crooked Minds
8. Man Alive!
9. Hanging By A Thread
10. Cure For The Enemy
11. Don't Count On The Wicked
12. Show Me The Way
13. Swallowed Up By The Ocean
14. Dead Silence

Hits (2014)

1. Try Honesty
2. River Below
3. Nothing To Lose
4. Devil In A Midnight Mass
5. Red Flag
6. Fallen Leaves
7. Surrender
8. Devil On My Shoulder
9. Rusted From The Rain
10. Viking Death March
11. Surprise Surprise
12. Stand Up And Run
13. Kingdom Of Zod
14. Chasing The Sun

*Download only has the two previously unreleased songs "Kingdom of Zod" and "Chasing The Sun"

Afraid Of Heights (2016)

1. Big Red Gun
2. Afraid Of Heights
3. Ghost Ship Of Cannibal Rats
4. Louder Than The DJ
5. The Crutch
6. Rabbit Down The Hole
7. Time-Bomb Ticking Away
8. Leave Them All Behind
9. Horses & Chariots
10. This Is Our War
11. February Winds
12. Afraid Of Heights (Reprise)