ALBUM: Billy Talent 'Hits' - GigslutzGigslutz

Rating:

With a band such as Billy Talent, who has been on the scene for well over twenty years, a greatest hits is well overdue. Usually I tend to criticise artists for an album such as this, but when you provide a backlog of quality tracks for so long it works well, especially when a group has kept true to the same sound for so long.

The album itself is chronologically ordered, giving the listener a feel of consistency throughout. We begin with ‘Try Honesty’, ‘River Below’ and ‘Nothing To Lose’, three of my personal favourites from the first album (Billy Talent I). The trio are a true representation of their sound – hard, fast paced punk rock, tastefully mixed with slower elements. The aggressive element of ‘River Below’ reflects Billy Talent’s ability to deliver unrelenting bouncing riffs from start to finish with no indication of a let up, not too dissimilar to older Sum 41 hits. Tracks such as ‘Try Honesty’ and ‘Nothing To Lose’ tend to begin slower, allowing for a build-up and a therefore a greater emphasis on the chorus. All these tracks of course accompanied by the unmistakable vocalist, Ben Kowalewicz.

As we enter the second album (Billy Talent II), the first two tracks both continue with the Canadian punkers’ traditional style, combining fast paced rock, with enough intricacy in their instruments and lyrical content to stop them from being simply blunt instruments. ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’ reflects this well, with the track referring to cases of serious abuse in organised religion. Unlike many rock groups, Billy Talent are talented songwriters, opting to avoid the “angry for no reason” lyrical content style. ‘Red Flag’ is one of the more punk oriented tracks of the album, seemingly taking influence from bands such as Black Flag and The Ramones. ‘Fallen Leaves’ is another representation of strong lyric writing, with the track dealing with the concept of addiction. This is one of the more sombre tracks on the album, along with ‘Surrender’ which follows it.

I was slightly disappointed that ‘Saint Veronika’ wasn’t featured on The Hits as I feel it was the best track on the third album (Billy Talent III). This being said, ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ and ‘Rusted From The Rain’ are quality tracks in their own rights, although it’s obvious that the album fell short of the usual quality of the band, considering only two tracks featured on the greatest hits.

Dead Silence (Not Billy Talent IV, surprisingly) saw a more mature side of the band, looking to evolve their sound which by the third album had begun to sound slightly stale. This begins with the anthemic ‘Viking Death March’ which will have even many of a mosher drooling at the prospect of a rumble. ‘Surprise Surprise’ follows suit in terms of heavy riffs although this time opting for a more modern rock sound. This being said, the band still assuredly kept punk in their heart, this time still lyrically criticising the inequality in the global economy. Old habits die hard, eh? ‘Stand Up And Run’ does show change, seemingly like more like a pop punk love song. It’s not quite Billy Talent, but still, you have to love them.

This more anarchic theme continues into the first of Billy Talent’s two new singles ‘Kingdom Of Zod’ which is another goliath track attacking the political figures in charge and potentially leading us to a dystopian future. ‘Chasing The Sun’ couldn’t be further from this, with an unplugged track that was dedicated to the memory of a close friend of their who passed away.

For those not too aware of Billy Talent before this review, this album is a perfect sample of what the band have produced over the years, and a real showcase of one of the best punk rock bands around.

Hits is released on 23rd February via Warner Music Canada Co.