Band: Billy The Kill
Album title: Billy I Kill You
Label: (Private release)
Distributor: (Private distribution) – Concrete Web Promotion Office
Release date: 05/03/2009
Release: CD

‘t Was the Winter of 2006 when the Belsele (near St-Niklaas) based trio of Yannick Boets (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Stijn Smets (bass, backing vocals), and Jan Bracke (drums) finally found the missing link of their musical outfit in the person of lead guitarist Thibaud Jacquemin in the “pits of hell” of Vilvoorde, some 46 kms by road removed from their homestead…and started writing instrumental tracks in attendance of finding a suitable frontman singer. It would take this quartet until May 2007 to find Niels Van Cauteren, who grew from good friend to a motivated band member, to talented lead singer.

From then on, things moved swiftly for the band: they started writing kick-ass songs with the different musical influences of all members mixed in, and eventually recorded 4 songs to make their 4-track on-line EP From The Ceiling To The Floor, which they put out on the Internet in June 2008 as a free download (to this day, that’s already happened some 4,000 times now)! In between, the guys improve on their skills by taking vocal lessons from Nailpin’s Sean Dhondt, and guitar and drum tutoring from Gorki’s Erik Van Biesen and Janez Detd.’s Bram Steemans respectively. Along the way, the quintet gain respect and support not only from their tutors, but also from other people in the music business. During 2008, the band participated to the De Lawijtstrijd contest, where they were spotted by the organizors of the Villa Pace festival, who then gave the band a spot on their Rock Stage (where among others, also El Guapo Stuntteam and Peter Pan Speedrock were to perform). They were also among the 25 finalists (starting from 300 participants) of the Axion Banner Concerts contest (an event organized by banking concern Dexia, where the band worked witth producer Peter Crosbie). They became one of the top 10 finalists in the first Road2Fame contest organized by TMF (Belgian music TV-channel). On MySpace, Billy The Kill is posted in the top 20 list of Most Popular Belgian Bands. The band has been gaining fans steadily, playing over 150 shows since their conception. And mind you, they’ve spent éach week-end from September 2008 until end January at their studio in Tielrode, shoving everything aside in favor for the recording sessions of this full-length (which includes re-recordings of all EP tracks)!

Listening to the album opening “Intro”, with its atmospherics and spoken word lyrics, you may well be put onto the wrong idea that Billy I Kill You could be the soundtrack to a very intriguing Western movie! The ensuing “Flying Fire” immediately puts you back on the right track: this is an exhilerating mix of heartfelt Emocore and razorsharp Metal on a steady Rock basis! Thibaud’s lead guitar is of the  splattering kind, taking the listener on a swirling tour of the band’s tracks that has him/her gasping for air when the record is done! All songs have a high sing-along factor, even in those passages where things are taken on a bit more aggressive! Right, because the guys dó have calmer songs (where the Punk and Rock influence are slightly higher) as well. Just listen to “RE: We Need to Talk” and “Sayonara” (the first with some added atmospheric synth, the second even with a piano bit and even a short childrens’ choir…yeah, you might call it ballads of some sort!). The band obviously likes the occasional wacky freakout, just listen to the intro of album closer “Discofever” (starting off with electronics mixed with guitar, then growing out to one of the most Metal-geared Hardcore singalong tracks on the album)…and what to think about the inclusion of that “Yes, we can!” speech of Senator Barak Obama towards the end of the album’s title track (I mean, hów does that really fit in, I wonder)?
With the album first made available on March 5 at the sold-out release party in their hometown, the band immediately sold 450 copies, withholding the remaining 50 for further promotional means…and it’s at Groezrock (where BTK was playing to replace the cancelled Static Radio), that our editor-in-chief was handed over a couple of copies just to that end. As you may know, our Chief is also active in an international record label, and I’m certain he’s been trying to warm up his executive bosses into signing the band. The band can already count on several people in the music business world (some concert organizers, some record label co-workers) for advice…and quite frankly, I personally have the strong conviction that BTK currently has some freedom of choice right now. Time also to put off their choise of label until they find something they feel comforatble with!

Get can get a whiff of all the frenzy by going out and see the band at one of the upcoming Summer festivals. Check out the dates at myspace.com/billythekillofficial, where the guys also posted a sampler teaser of the album and full-length versions of “Discofever”, the album title track, and the ballad “Sayonara”! As far as I’m concerned, and whether the boys get to release their debut album officially (through a label) this year or not, I’m already to be counted among their fans! And I’m already nominating Billy I Kill You into my year-lists in the category “Best Demos Of 2009”-list!!!

98/100

Tony.