Billy Talent - 'Billy Talent II' (Atlantic) Released 26/06/06

Screeching vocals, relentless riffs and killer choruses can only mean one thing …. Billy Talent are back, and you punks better believe it! The Toronto quartet have mustered up quite a following in the U.K thanks to a string of storming shows, backed up by a refreshingly original debut album that had punk gems bursting from its seams.  The inventively titled second album – 'Billy Talent II' doesn’t disappoint. Any worries about the band’s form slipping from the soaring heights of their debut are slapped out of you by the sheer energy and trademark mammoth choruses of the first couple of songs.

Opening track and first single, ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’ is the perfect start. Crunching riffs matched by Ben Kowalewicz’s distinctive vocals build up to a chorus that will require extensive surgery to remove from your head. The lyrics “Whisper, whisper don’t make a sound” mean BT don’t exactly practise what they preach as they rip into the raucous sound that make them such an invigorating listen.

The Canadian rockers can be compared to political punksters Anti-Flag and the vocals have the gritty sound of None More Black which instantly makes them worth a listen. The anti-war theme is evident in ‘Covered In Cowardice’ as poignant lyrics like “loose lips may sink ships but honesty is forever”, show the thoughts and beliefs of the band who avoid the over-used, hollow lyrics many of their peers resort to.

There were traces of the softer, quieter side of BT on their debut album and this theme is even more apparent on their second offering. The pitfalls are gaping and hard to avoid when attempting to make a slow emotive song still sound punk enough for the hardest of rockers to resist the overwhelming urge to press skip. But somehow Billy Talent have pulled it off on not only one but three tracks that don’t have the normal rabies-ridden bite you expect. Instead, the lyrics and not the riffs take centre stage to great effect on ‘Surrender’. Of course the riotous tunes are the main appeal of the band but the more reflective offerings still command a listen.
 
The fact the album was recorded at Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studios in Vancouver conjures up a strange image. We bet the needles have never bounced so hard on the recording deck (They have digital equipment nowadays Mr Richardson - Ed.). The disinfectant and air fresheners must have been out in force to rid the studio of any lingering smell of dirty punk in time for Nelly Furtado to ruin another perfectly good blank CD. Billy Talent produce so many fists-in-the-air anthems, that you long for them to perform live for you every time you press play. But unless you have a bottomless pit of money or a team of kidnappers, the album is certainly a close second best.