Billy Talent offer punk rock hope to fight ‘COVID cloud’ with great new album Crisis of Faith

billy-talent-crisis-of-faith-punk-rock-theory

Billy Talent:

Crisis of Faith

Genre: Hard Rock

Sounds like: An aggressive hard rock fuelled by electric guitars and raw vocals, balanced with an orchestra and sax solo
If you like: Rise Against, Anti-Flag, Rush
Why you should listen: Canadian rockers Billy Talent make their long-awaited return with an album that bottles the many high-intensity emotions of the last few years and provides an outlet for those that need to scream about it. Tackling social injustice, mental health crises and the human desire to feel understood, the band shares messages that are universally relatable. With some of their most ambitious, must-listen songwriting, there’s a long, prog-rock-inspired track and a guest appearance from Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo.
Best track: Forgiveness I + II

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I’m standing in the snow in Toronto’s east end, looking up at a house painted entirely black except for a bright red door. A place befitting of a haunted walking tour in Salem, it’s made even more special when you learn about the magic that happens inside. Formerly a wardrobe house stacked with rows of film and television costumes, this home has been headquarters to Mississauga, ON, rock band Billy Talent since 2009. The group is graciously giving me a tour of their studio — and sometimes amateur poker hall.

Billy Talent sitting down against a backdrop.

Inside are two levels that complement each other perfectly. The lower level boasts a cozy, crowded recording and rehearsal space with warm wood accents, mismatched rugs and heaps of equipment desperate for a tour bus to whisk it away. In contrast, the upstairs is bright and polished, white walls plastered with framed band memories and milestones. It’s among these accolades that singer Ben Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D’Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk sit in a circle six feet apart and tell me about their newest album, Crisis of Faith.

The 10-track record delivers an ambitious, elevated sound from the band. Always open to experimentation, Billy Talent continually find ways to play around with the hard rock and punk genres. Crisis of Faith includes some classic fast-paced, hard-hitting tracks, like Reckless Paradise and Judged — the kind of songs that need to be blasted in the car, windows down as you’re drumming along on the steering wheel. Yet there’s also some new direction from the group, like the almost seven-minute-long album opener Forgiveness I + II, notably influenced by progressive rock legends Rush and Pink Floyd.

Throughout the album there’s a saxophone solo, an orchestra section conducted by Beck’s dad and a feature from Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo — the band’s first-ever collaboration in a nearly 30-year-long career. It was during a playback that Kowalewicz suggested they reach out to Cuomo, the song’s Weezer-esque guitars simply begging for the guest vocals.

Billy Talent in lab coats against a painted wall.

“We had never collaborated with anybody. We’re not that kind of band,” Kowalewicz explains. “It happened so organically, and it just worked. His vocals are the perfect addition — he’s one silky smooth motherfucker!”

It’s been six years since the band’s last full-length release. Like all musicians, they were forced to pivot during the pandemic. As their personal and professional lives changed, so did their approach to songwriting.

“When all of this happened, I stopped caring about the idea of a deadline and what this band has to be,” D’Sa explains. “You just get to the honest truth and feeling. My mum passed away in the middle of the pandemic, and getting back into working after that, I had a whole different mindset. I felt things needed to be more immediate, more in the moment.”

“With Ian being our lead songwriter, guitar player and producer, we were tempted to try something new,” Kowalewicz adds. “We were also mindful of how the world consumes and processes music now. We didn’t want to be these jaded old rocker dudes saying, ‘Well we always used to do it this way!’ So we had the idea of writing a song and simply putting it out, just releasing singles. And we came to discover that’s just way too much work!”

As a band that’s never shied away from social commentary and political issues, Billy Talent were inundated with inspiration and source material these last few years. Their lyrics continue to advocate for mental health awareness and resources, condemn hateful rhetoric around race and gender identity and playfully investigate how corrupt individuals come into power.

“I suggested we subtitle the album An Oral History Since 2016,” Gallant laughs.

“It’s difficult, because you want to approach subjects but don’t want to be too divisive at the same time,” D’Sa adds.
“All of our catalogue, including the core of the new record, is really, truthfully a message of hope and love and compassion,” Kowalewicz gets to the heart of the matter. “There’s so much divisiveness in every facet of the world now, that to talk about the counter of that seems to be challenging. But that should be the natural thing. Everyone wants to feel loved, everyone wants to be understood. It’s easy to say, ‘This fucking sucks’; It’s harder to say, ‘This sucks, but we’re gonna be okay’.”

Like a “cloud of grief” as Kowalewicz calls it, COVID weaves its way into the conversation every now and then. How can it not? It seeped into lyrical themes, slowed down recording processes and, most recently, forced Billy Talent to postpone the western leg of their Canadian tour. But the guys are optimistic about returning to the stage, already talking about the need to practice, build up calluses and plan setlists.

“Because of the strange release on this record, we’ve staggered these singles, and they’ve already gotten a lot of support,” Gallant shares. “I think it’ll be nice to bring new songs into our set that everybody already knows.”

The band only played two shows in 2021, one of which was Newfoundland’s Iceberg Alley Festival.

“It was mind-blowingly fun and terrifying and strange just to be in front of people,” Kowalewicz says fondly. “We were on the second day of a 12-day festival, and that night, a hurricane destroyed the tent. If it’s not pandemics, it’s hurricanes! Even when we played the JUNOs in Newfoundland, there was volcanic ash coming over and we had to evacuate!”

Billy Talent standing against a painted wall.

As the band reminisces about old shows, I’m reminded that this is a group of best friends who have known each other since high school. Banter comes easily and they joke that their next tour postponement should be due to an alien invasion. Kowalewicz mentions getting to the point in their career where they have to be wheeled onto the stage.

Do they want to be performing for that long? Absolutely!

“Seeing bands like Iron Maiden and Deep Purple, they’re still playing really hard music decades later. It gives you hope that we’ll still be doing it too,” says D’Sa.
“When you’re standing on a stage in South Africa or Japan, you’re like how the fuck did this happen? We just have so much gratitude for all the fans, the crew. Moving forward, when we can play shows safely, that will be the feeling every time we step on stage. We are just so lucky,” Kowalewicz’s gratefulness is echoed around the circle.

Billy Talent have unsurprisingly and deservedly accomplished a lot in their three decades as a band. Adjusting with the times, they’ve mailed cassettes to record labels, played MySpace parties and made a TikTok account. Their international fans have formed online communities and grown up together, now starting careers and bringing their own children to shows. What’s refreshing and almost modest is that, despite all of this history, the Billy Talent still don’t see themselves as a legendary act.

“Because of this two-year pause, it’s given us a chance to sit around and look back on where we were and what we’ve done. We always keep the momentum and inertia to go forward. So I don’t think of us as an old band — but I guess we are!” laughs Kowalewicz.

“I always felt that being in a band, you’re only as good as your latest release. So I don’t look back. I know our early records mean a lot to people, which is great. But I’m always looking ahead, thinking about new music.” D’Sa adds.

Since no one can accurately predict what’s next, Billy Talent are simply excited to share their much-appreciated, meaningful art with the world and see what the future holds.

“Maybe that alien invasion!”

The whole room laughs.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

TORONTO
Co-headlining with Rise Against
Wed., Apr. 6
Scotiabank Arena
40 Bay St., Toronto

CALGARY
With special guests Anti-Flag
Mon., May 2
Grey Eagle Event Centre
3777 Grey Eagle Dr., Calgary

VANCOUVER
With special guests Anti-Flag
Fri., May 6
Pacific Coliseum
100 N Renfrew St, Vancouver

Watch the End Of Me music video

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