The Black Halos, a punk quintet from Vancouver, want you to think that they are angry. They are trying desperately to convince you that they are pissed at the world and ready to mess it up. Fortunately, they are not. The title of this, their first major release since 1999, The Violent Years – which mixes pop, rock, and punk beats – is about as violent as this band gets.
The untrained ear might think that this is actually angry rock, but the catchy lyrics – set to fast and furious tunes – is unmistakeably fun. Radio-ready songs like “Sell-Out Love”, and “The Violent Years” give you a kick in the shorts and send you on your merry way. Lead singer, Billy Hopeless (how punk is that?) has the perfect gravely hardcore voice for this kind of music.
He belts out song after naughty song about love, drugs, sex…and never looks back.
You can picture the band running down the halls of the local high school ripping posters off the wall in a Judd Nelson kind of way. Or, maybe working at the local fast food chain, spitting in the burgers…they are rebels, they sound angry, but really? Ultimately, they are fun.
If you are looking for kid punk, maybe you should try Green Day or Blink182. If hardcore is more to your taste, you may go for some Slipkot. But, if you’ve been searching for that all-around good time, with good lyrics and even better melody, give The Black Halos a try.