Billy Talent – “Afraid of Heights” [Album Review]

Ermahgerd, Billy Talent’s new album is finally being released?! You heard that right, folks. After all the teasers they’ve been leaving on their social media channels, the greatness that is Afraid of Heights (via The End/Warner) is ready to be revealed.

Drummer Aaron Solowoniuk announced early this year that he would not be playing on Billy Talent’s new album due to his multiple sclerosis, which he’s been battling since the late ’90s. It’s the first album in which the band’s lineup has changed in over 20 years, and having been best friends since childhood, it was a devastating moment for the entire group. They didn’t want just anyone to be their replacement drummer, and so Jordan Hastings of fellow Ontario-based hardcore band Alexisonfire was invited to join.

“Every time we put out a record, a lot of older fans are like, ‘I wish they would make another record that sounds like the first one!’ But we’re more in the headspace of not recreating what we’ve done already,” says Ian D’Sa, “There’s a lot of things on this record I’ve never tried before: I programmed synths, there’s a lot of piano stuff, there’s acoustic guitar. It’s our most experimental record yet.”

Although Afraid of Heights is different than any album Billy Talent has put out before, it still sticks to its punk roots. Every single track on this album is absolutely frigging amazing, and the record as a whole is a definite reminder of why Billy Talent are so admired and revered. There’s nothing bad you can say about this album and you’ll certainly not regret listening to it.

Afraid of Heights Track Listing:

01. Big Red Gun
02. Afraid of Heights
03. Ghost Ship Of Cannibal Rats
04. Louder Than the DJ
05. The Crutch
06. Rabbit Down The Hole
07. Time Bomb Ticking Away
08. Leave Them All Behind
09. Horses & Chariots
10. This Is Our War
11. February Winds
12. Afraid of Heights (Reprise)

Run Time: 48:59
Release Date: July 29, 2016

Check out the track “Afraid of Heights”