Album review: Billy Talent - 'III'

Refusing to bow to the punk-band-on-a-major archetype (write hit, get
signed, smoke corporate pole) by, well, sounding just like they did when
‘Try Honesty’ landed in 2003, Toronto’s Billy Talent have always peddled as decent a line in melody as screechiness. Their third is business as usual - ‘The Dead Can’t Testify’ and ‘Rusted From The Rain’ are serrated, moralising pop-rock, and ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ and ‘Diamond On A Landmine’ have a chunky hookiness - but a change of pace would’ve worked wonders, as the nasal vocals and ever-chiming guitar become as familiar as a mild hangover. ‘III’ is unspectacular, yet it’s laudable that Billy Talent’s chins to remain unencumbered by the ballbags of big business.

Ben Patashnik

5 out of 10