Hail The Villain

Hailing from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Record label: Roadrunnner Records

Bryan Crouch - Vocals
Joseph Stamp - Guitar
Chad Taylor - Bass
Flavio Cirillo - Drums

I'm so excited to review these guys, its been a long time coming. I actually saw them at HeavyMTL 2010, I had no idea who these guys were, they were one of the early bands, so there was hardly a crowd, maybe 50 people at their stage. My friend and I had just arrived at the festival, and we heard these guys, Hail The Villain, had no idea who they were but instinctively begun headbanging, and simultaneously said "They're good!". We only got to hear the last 2 songs of their set, Runaway and Take Back The Fear, needless to say I wasn't done with them. As soon as I got back home I went on youtube and looked for their songs and I was not disappointed.

Hail the Villain, they are heavy metal, they sort of feel like a mix of Bullet For my Valentine, reminiscent of Matt Tuck with the power in his voice, but a style and maniacal energy of Billy Talent, on stage and in sound. Their riffs are fast yet melodic. They are a band I expect to blow up very soon. Their debut LP, Population: Declining, is definitely one of my favourite metal albums ever. It is consistent, startin with the 1st song "Take back the fear" up to the last "Social graces". My favourite track on the album would have to be "Runaway", it is one that would get anyone going. A fast paced track, filled with insane riffs, thrilling lyrics, and a concept that gets you moving(I actually feel the urge to run).
Apart from their sound, another great thing about this band is their lyrical content, they actually speak on societal problems, as much as I enjoy heartbreak and depression lyrically, a more "grab the bull by the horn" attitude is a breath of fresh air.
They also have comic books which share the same theme as some of their songs, those can be found here along with the albums. They are a dynamic band, more than just music and none of the other stuff overshadows the music as the music in itself is fantastic. Here is there interactive website.


This is the video for my favourite pick "Runaway"