Review Summary: Great piece of work, with minor flaws that don't seriously hinder the flow.
Billy Talent started out as Pezz, a Canadian band project that introduced a new rock style that was a melting pot for punk, alternative, and hardcore. Then came Billy Talent, the band and their self-titled album, the first one people really cared about. Filled with pizzazz, crunch, and confidence, Billy Talent made sure that that was one album we'd never forget. With hits like the powerful "Try Honesty" and the sadistic "River Below", its a wonder that such a new band could be both fresh and fly. In 2006 the band followed up with their second album - appropriately titled "Billy Talent II".
Surprisingly, they haven't lost their sound or gotten soft. The opening track is cold, hard proof of this; "Devil in a Midnight Mass" throws the listener into an abyss of what almost sounds like metal, and beautifully turns to a dark alternative rock combination. Emitting an aura of murder and sexual abuse, its lyrics are painfully effective in stupefying whoever touches the album: "A devil in a midnight mass killed the boy inside the man/The holy water in his hands can never wash away his sins". It ends abruptly, and is almost forced into the anthemic "Red Flag", in which Ben Kowalewicz shouts for rebellion. It's a great number, and pulls the reader into the music almost instantly, with its instantly recognizable drum beat.
The energy dies down a bit in "This Suffering" - but the song is no less powerful. Relationships songs, such as this, "Pins & Needles", and "Perfect World" do not have the best lyrics, but still stay away from being cliched. Then comes "Worker Bees" - a criticism of war (in this case, Iraq) is made anthropomorphic in the form of bees - mindless automatons who follow the queen. The lyric "Supply of honey flowing bottomless/Play by our rules or you'll be powerless" is the perfect attitude of the invasion - an attempt to spread the system. Coercion is another recurring theme here, and the upbeat "Where Is the Line?" talks about the possible dangers of conformity, and the need for individuality. It is somewhat outshined by the previous track, "Fallen Leaves", which examines the life of a drug addict. With crunchy guitar and dark vocals that almost seem to... tease? it is another memorable single.
"Covered in Cowardice" is a rant against the media, and one of the more powerful songs on the album, particularly because of the reckless drums and screamed vocals. "Surrender" follows, a love song about regrets, and while it is rather well constructed, it fails in the sense that it is nothing we haven't heard before - Billy Talent is a band that didn't conform, but we've all heard the old story of "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy feels sad". Continuing the theme of loss, "The Navy Song" assumes the perspective of a marine who really does not want to be in the position he is in - the poignant moment is the moment when he looks down at "a black and white print of a face/I'll never see again". The theme of love on this album doesn't tire itself out, however; the deadly "Perfect World" is filled with hateful sentiments intended to sardonically destroy love, and combined with the intro, which rounds the listener up quickly, it could have been the album's finale. However, it leads directly into "Sympathy", which is nowhere nearly as good. It's not as bad as it is just pointless - something out of the previous album that should be there, not here. The last track is "Burn the Evidence", which, like its lyrics, settles a sound that discards the band's previous work and closes the album neatly.
Billy Talent II, in short, is a great album. While some parts might seem out of place or clunky, it has the mechanics to move, and it moves with vitality, grace, and aggressiveness, just like any rock album should. And although there are some areas of improvement, it definitely built up on their earlier work, and works masterfully.
4/5
Definitely listen to:
"Devil in a Midnight Mass"
"Red Flag"
"Worker Bees"
"Covered in Cowardice"
"Perfect World"
