Thank you to everyone from not only Canada, but from England, The UK, the Netherlands, and the States! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Political? Billy Idol, whose real name is William Broad, was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England. Political Views. Thank you to everybody who took the time to read this post! And to any Germans who stopped by: danke! Kowalewicz also has no problem weighing in on the current U.S. political landscape with tracks like “Big Red Gun” and “This Is Our War,” the latter of which features the singer asking, “Where’s the compassion in the world today?” before hitting the prescient chorus, “Once there was a nation here / Now there is no more / Once we fought to change our fears / But now this is our war.” It’s a musical reminder that the U.S. is in the middle of an especially poisonous election year, and considering the complacency of most acts on the Billboard charts these days, at least someone is speaking out, even if they’re from north of the border. 103 on Billboard’s Top 200. I can't believe it. The more interesting moments on Afraid Of Heights come when the band begins to face their own mortality. While there are no overt references to their bandmate’s declining condition on these songs, efforts like the title track and the six-minute “Rabbit Down The Hole” show off a matured sound and lyrics struggling with having to say goodbye to loved ones (and in the case of “Rabbit,” it’s due to drug abuse). Billy Talent is the debut studio album of Canadian band Billy Talent, after their first, Watoosh!, was released under their old name of Pezz in 1999. I also want to put together a “Best Of” think that might be fun! RSS feed, Cub Scouts at St. Mary’s Church – Things to Do, Jim Morrison’s Search for God – Michael J Bollinger, Billy Idol on Violence in Punk, and the true meaning of “Anarchy.”. Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed. Such is life as an established rock band: At some point, you’re making music for the fans you already have and stop trying to bring in new listeners. Mein Duetsch ist nicht gut, aber Ich sprechen ein wenig! The alt-rock quartet is undeniably massive in their homeland of Canada, with all four of their previous albums having been certified platinum or higher, and their past three LPs debuting at number one on the Canadian charts. Yet as soon as Billy Talent enters into the United States, their stock drops considerably, with the band slumming it in small-capacity club tours and peaking at No. Thanks! Billy Ray Cyrus has had connections with both Democrats and Republicans. I liked your point about the Afraid of Heights Reprise being not only a bookend to the album but a footnote for the future, could very well be since we hadn’t really seen them do anything like that before. Their fifth album, Afraid Of Heights, likely won’t help them make any huge inroads into the U.S. market—the 11 songs here (plus a reworked version of the title track tacked on at the end) are consistent with the band’s catalog to date, meaning if you already aren’t a fan of frontman Ben Kowalewicz’s powerful—some might say grating—tenor and guitarist Ian D’Sa’s treble-heavy tone and stabbing riffs, you probably won’t jump on the bandwagon now. If you want to discuss or dispute anything I said, you can do so here or via the blog and I’ll make responding a priority!! Saw so many people from so many countries stopped in, and it meant the world to me! So many aging rock groups have written songs about this topic, and none of them come off as anything more than whining about the natural shift of popular music away from their bank accounts and into that of Skrillex or whoever. Cool read I enjoyed it, I hope you review future singles and the album itself. Surprise Surprise is critical of capitalism and consumerism, Turn Your Back derides military intervention and environmental degradation, Devil In A Midnight Mass is critical of the Catholic Church, River Below is critical of the media and how they cover tragedies, etc. Not only are Billy Talent’s members hovering around the four-decade mark, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk—who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a decade ago—was forced to sit out recording sessions for this album due to his MS worsening. Cookies help us deliver our Services. He received the Bob Hope Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society from George Bush in 1995. He lived briefly on Long Island, U.S.A. as a child before his family moved back to England and settled in London. The alt-rock quartet is undeniably massive in their homeland of Canada, with all four of their previous albums having been certified platinum or higher, and their past three LPs debuting at number one on the Canadian charts. The 49th parallel might be the bane of Billy Talent’s existence. I know there's been a fair amount of discussion/debate as to what Billy Talent's genre(s) is/are, ranging from pop … The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at 2004 Juno Awards.The album was recorded at The Factory in Vancouver, British Columbia. Billy Talent was certified 3 times platinum in Canada in January 2007. (Alexisonfire drummer Jordan Hastings filled in and is included in the band’s official promo alongside Solowoniuk, in the ultimate showing of Canadian politeness.) By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Luckily, that’s the only real clunker on Afraid Of Heights (although “Horses & Chariots” is a little too close to Muse’s “Knights Of Cydonia” for comfort). I plan on reviewing them as much as possible!! The 49th parallel might be the bane of Billy Talent’s existence. Ich liebe dich! No more is this evident than in “Louder Than The DJ,” a cringeworthy track about how rock ’n’ roll will never die, maaan. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the BillyTalent community, Press J to jump to the feed. Idol is an anarchist. r/BillyTalent: Community for fans of Billy Talent. Hollywood heavyweights certainly haven't been shy in sharing their political opinions of late. Billy Talent? It has to be an odd feeling to know that an imaginary line has prevented your band from being all it can be, but that’s the boat in which Billy Talent has sat for 13 years. But Billy Bob Thornton believes it best to keep his views private.