CONSIDERED by some as punk rock godfathers, Billy Talent’s fifth album is solid, but not inspirational.
Opener Big Red Gun sets out the band’s stall with a heavy, angry chorus in a classic pop-punk style, while Ghost Ship Of Cannibal Rats is a shouty, riff-heavy piece, with vocals by Benjamin Kowalewicz almost acting as an extra bassline.
Among the strongest tracks are the title song and Leave Them all Behind, but one problem is that Billy Talent are very much in the vein of mid-Nineties Green Day or mid-Noughties My Chemical Romance.
That’s all well and good if you’re happy with vocals that veer between whining and raging and songs that are either aiming for the epic (Rabbit Down The Hole) or punk pearls, but frequently they just miss the mark.
Tellingly, the closing reprise of Afraid Of Heights is a different beast entirely, eschewing the guitar riff in favour of a piano lead to create a new chimera of pop-punk that’s more effective than the rest of the collection.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here