With its full-throttle fusion of punk, emo, and hard rock, Billy Talent unleashed a torrent of anger and energy on its 2003 self-titled debut, swiftly becoming an arena-level act in Canada. Before releasing that first album with Atlantic, the band had a decade to hone its attack; it was formed in 1993 while its members were in high school in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. On early rockers like "Try Honesty" and "The Ex," singer Ben Kowalewicz's high-intensity howls and guitarist Ian D'Sa's lacerating riffs bolstered the music's impact. And while the group found ways to fine-tune its aggression on later releases such as 2019's "Forgiveness I + II," maintaining velocity has always been Billy Talent's first order of business.