Album Review: BillyBio – Leaders And Liars (AFM Records)

Billy Graziadei is best known as the vocalist/guitarist for Biohazard, the genre- defying band that rose to fame in the ’90s. Although they haven’t released an album since 2012 (Reborn In Defiance) the band still exists, but Graziadei hasn’t waited around for Biohazard to resurface. In 2018, he announced the birth of a new solo venture, BillyBio, releasing and touring for the debut album, Feed The Fire. It was Graziadei’s personal success story, so much so that while the world navigated the ongoing COVID pandemic, he dove into writing the second BillyBio album, ‘Leaders and Liars’.

Leaders and Liars will be released on March 25th, 2022 via AFM Records.

Carrying on where he left off with the excellent debut album, Feed the Fire, Billy Graziadei aka BillyBio brings us another huge album of hardcore fire, groove and heavy metal gold. A 15-track blast of abrasive, thought-provoking and impactful noise with Billy’s thoughts and opinions on certain world aspects shared in his inimitable style.

You’ll listen and listen hard. Not just because BillyBio is such a hefty and brash slice of metal but because the way in which things are expressed makes this a fascinating listen. You can spend time thinking and reflecting on what is sung but also head-bang, cheer and pit to the crunchy instrumentation. No matter how you choose to dress it up, the simplest way to describe Leaders and Liars is as a brutish and punchy hardcore head-banger.

It’s important to note as well, that while Leaders and Liars shares much in common with Feed the Fire, there’s some clear progression and clear differences here. Whereas the debut had Billy keeping this sound aligned somewhat with some of what he has done in Biohazard, Leaders and Liars has some clearer daylight between the two bands. This isn’t Biohazard, even if a lot of the elements sound like its cut from the same cloth, it’s BillyBio and we’re getting some damn fine music here.

In the first half we’re treated to the likes of Fallen Empires, with its thrashy, speed tones and grungy backing vocals in the chorus, an early highlight. Lost Horizon, which is pure punk and hardcore chaos, Sheepdog, a short slice of industrial-themed weirdness and Generation Kill’s massive chorus and pointed lyrical content. Just a handful of highlights that showcase variety.

Later, One Life to Live, Our Scene and Enough are three more massive anthems that have BillyBio spitting fire, delivering impactful messages and staring life down with a thrilling defiance. It’s this stuff that makes you feel ten feet tall and ready to take on the world.

Which is a great summation of the album… it makes you feel ready for whatever might be about to barrel down the road at you. It makes you feel angry, feel determined, feel ed and feel like what you do and say matters. BillyBio has your back and the anthem you need is right here. It’s called Leaders and Liars and it’s bloody great.

BillyBio – Leaders and Liars Full Track Listing:

1. Black Out
2. Fallen Empires
3. Leaders and Liars
4. Lost Horizon
5. Turn the Wounds
6. Sheepdog
7. Deception
8. Generation Kill
9. Looking Up
10. One Life To Live
11. Our Scene
12. Just The Sun
13. Enough
14. Remission
15. Cyanide

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