Billybio: Feed the Fire

Don’t let the band name fool you into thinking this isn’t anything other than an intense new release. Billybio is a solo album from Billy Graziadei, best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Biohazard, backing vocals and rhythm guitarist of Powerflo, and a former member of Suicide City. On this album, Billy gives fans a blend of music that’s (mostly) steeped in a solid blend of punk and metal. Some of the tracks are fast and intense while others are deceptively calmer. I write “deceptively� because the lyrics never slow down even if the music changes tempos from time to time.

The nice thing about this album is that Billy doesn’t appear to have anything particular to prove. He describes the album as “100% me,� suggesting that he is just doing what he wants to do, without appealing to market forces or current trends. For the most part, the album succeeds at finding its own voice. The best songs highlight Billy’s overall intensity. He’s a staple in the underground punk scene and he understands just how powerful punk rock can be. He also knows how to capture the voices of those determined to see change in the world. The best songs on this album have a groove and a crunch that is routinely convincing. I’m thinking mostly of tracks like “Freedom’s Never Free,� “Sodality,� or “Disaffected World,� but there are plenty of other good ones here. If the album stayed at this level of intensity it would be a terrific punk / thrash album.

Occasionally, however, the music wavers into mid-tempo works that don’t quite work within the album as a whole. I’m guessing Billy is trying out some new voices and ideas here and there. That’s fine, but some listeners will grow weary of the spaces between the thrash tracks. Fortunately, most of these songs come early and quickly give way to solid punk / thrash anthems.

Track Listing:
1. Freedom’s Never Free
2. Feed the Fire
3. No Apologies, No Regrets
4. Generation Z
5. Sick and Tired
6. Remedy Interlude
7. Sodality
8. Rise and Slay
9. STFU
10. Trepidation (Interlude)
11. Untruth
12. Enemy
13. Disaffected World

Added: November 19th 2018
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Webpage
Hits: 889
Language: english

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