Billy Talent III

Billy Talent III
Billy Talent III
Studio album by Billy Talent
Released	July 10, 2009
Recorded	November 2008 – April 2009
Studio	Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) ; Southern Tracks (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	Post-punk, post-hardcore, punk rock
Length	43:30; 47:15 (German edition); 51:14 (iTunes edition); 1:41:48 (Guitar Villain edition)
Label	Warner Music Canada, Roadrunner
Producer	Brendan O'Brien
Billy Talent chronology
Singles from Billy Talent III
	"Turn Your Back"; Released: September 16, 2008; "Rusted from the Rain"; Released: May 19, 2009; "Devil on My Shoulder"; Released: August 26, 2009; "Saint Veronika"; Released: February 1, 2010; "Diamond on a Landmine"; Released: June 21, 2010;

Billy Talent III is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Billy Talent. It was released on July 10, 2009, in Europe, July 13 in the United Kingdom, July 14 in Canada, and September 22 in the US. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling over 40,000 copies in its first week.^[13] It also peaked at No. 107 on the Billboard 200, making it Billy Talent's highest-charting album to date. A demo version of one of the album's songs, "Turn Your Back", was released as a single in September 2008 and featured the band members of Anti-Flag, with the first legitimate single spawned by Billy Talent III is "Rusted from the Rain", which premiered May 17, 2009, on Triple J. The album version of "Turn Your Back" does not include Anti-Flag's vocals, as the single version does.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
BBC	(favourable)^[3]
Chart	^[4]
Drowned in Sound	^[5]
The Fly	^[6]
NME	^[7]
Now	^[8]
Q	^[9]
Rock Sound	^[10]
Sputnikmusic	^[11]
Uncut	^[12]

The second single from the album, "Devil on My Shoulder" was released on August 26, 2009.

A promotional website located at billytalent3.com^[14] was launched to showcase the making of the album. Part of the promotion also included the Billy Talent Widget which allowed listeners to become the "Ultimate Billy Talent Fan". The widget rewarded users with rare tracks, videos, pictures and interviews as fans "level up" their widgets.

On June 8, 2009, the band announced on their website, the release of a special deluxe edition of the album, entitled Billy Talent III: Guitar Villain Edition.^[15] The special edition includes a second disc of the album, with the guitar tracks removed so fans can play along. This edition includes also 4 additional demo songs, as well as guitar tabs for the whole album transcribed on 2 full size posters.

The band embarked on a supporting tour on February 21, 2009, starting with an Australian first leg.

In April 2010, the album won a Juno Award for best rock album of the year. Despite the commercial success, Billy Talent III received mixed to negative reviews. On Metacritic, the album earned a score of 45/100, which means "Mixed or average reviews" based on 7 critics; one review being negative and the other six being mixed.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Devil on My Shoulder"	3:49
2.	"Rusted from the Rain"	4:13
3.	"Saint Veronika"	4:09
4.	"Tears into Wine"	4:12
5.	"White Sparrows"	3:14
6.	"Pocketful of Dreams"	3:21
7.	"The Dead Can't Testify"	4:27
8.	"Diamond on a Landmine"	4:30
9.	"Turn Your Back"	3:22
10.	"Sudden Movements"	3:39
11.	"Definition of Destiny"	4:03

US digital special edition
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Bloody Nails + Broken Hearts" (B-Side)	3:37
13.	"Don't Need to Pretend" (B-Side)	3:45
14.	"Devil on My Shoulder" (Demo)	4:06

German edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Don't Need to Pretend" (Musicload.de exclusive)	3:45

Special Guitar Villain edition second CD

In addition to having the entire album featured without guitars (referred to as "Guitar Villain Demos") plus a Guitar Tab of the whole album, the Guitar Villain second disc also features four demo tracks:

Guitar Villain bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Tears into Wine" (Demo)	3:51
13.	"White Sparrows" (Demo)	3:58
14.	"Pocketful of Dreams" (Demo)	3:42
15.	"Turn Your Back" (Demo)	3:22

Personnel

Billy Talent

Benjamin Kowalewicz – lead vocals
Ian D'Sa – guitar, backing vocals
Jonathan Gallant – bass, backing vocals
Aaron Solowoniuk – drums

Additional Personnel

Brendan O'Brien – producer, additional percussion, tambourine, hammerchord, piano, Mellotron

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Billy Talent III*
Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[16]	44
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[17]	2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[18]	1
European Top 100 Albums (Billboard)^[19]	6
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[20]	3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[21]	2
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[22]	98
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[23]	28
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[24]	54
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[25]	3
UK Albums (OCC)^[26]	35
UK Album Downloads (OCC)^[27]	17
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)^[28]	1
US Billboard 200^[29]	107
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[30]	43

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Billy Talent III*
Chart (2009)	Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[31]	36
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[32]	23
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[33]	32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[34]	93

Certifications

Certifications for *Billy Talent III*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[35]	3× Platinum	240,000^‡
Germany (BVMI)^[36]	2× Platinum	400,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Date	Region
July 10, 2009	Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands
July 13, 2009	France, Norway, Denmark, South Africa, UK and Ireland
July 14, 2009	Canada, Finland, Spain and Sweden
July 17, 2009	Australia and New Zealand
September 22, 2009	US
November 11, 2009	Japan

References

^ "Billy Talent Gets US Release Date – News Article". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Billy Talent III: Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Bruce, Sophie (July 8, 2009). "BBC – Music – Review of Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". BBC. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Harper, Kate (July 14, 2009). "Billy Talent — Billy Talent III". Chart. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Wink, Richard (July 15, 2009). "Billy Talent – III :Releases: Releases: Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 20, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Johnny K. "Billy Talent/Billy Talent III". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
^ Patashnik, Ben (July 9, 2009). "Canadian Punks keep it real". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Keller, Jason. "NOW Magazine: Music: Billy Talent". NOW. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Q: 101. August 2009. It may not be an unpleasant listen, but it's a strangely soulless one. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ Durham, Victoria. "Billy Talent – 'Billy Talent III'". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ Knott, Adam. "Billy Talent Billy Talent III". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
^ Uncut: 79. September 2009. Maybe they should have bigger ambitions. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Billy Talent debuts at No. 1". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ "www.billytalent3.com". www.billytalent3.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
^ Ambrose, Anthony. "inTuneMusic Online: Billy Talent Announced Guitar Villain". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III" (in German). Hung Medien.
^ "Billy Talent Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
^ "Billy Talent Chart History (European Top 100 Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
^ "Billy Talent: Billy Talent III" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Billy Talent". Hung Medien.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
^ "Billy Talent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
^ "Billy Talent Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2009". austriancharts.at. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Music Canada. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Talent; 'Billy Talent III')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

[1] "Billy Talent Gets US Release Date – News Article". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved January 16, 2012.

[2] Lymangrover, Jason. "Billy Talent III: Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[3] Bruce, Sophie (July 8, 2009). "BBC – Music – Review of Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". BBC. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[4] Harper, Kate (July 14, 2009). "Billy Talent — Billy Talent III". Chart. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[5] Wink, Richard (July 15, 2009). "Billy Talent – III :Releases: Releases: Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 20, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[6] Johnny K. "Billy Talent/Billy Talent III". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2011.

[7] Patashnik, Ben (July 9, 2009). "Canadian Punks keep it real". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[8] Keller, Jason. "NOW Magazine: Music: Billy Talent". NOW. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[Q-9] Q: 101. August 2009. It may not be an unpleasant listen, but it's a strangely soulless one. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[10] Durham, Victoria. "Billy Talent – 'Billy Talent III'". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

[11] Knott, Adam. "Billy Talent Billy Talent III". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 1, 2014.

[Uncut-12] Uncut: 79. September 2009. Maybe they should have bigger ambitions. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[13] "Billy Talent debuts at No. 1". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[14] "www.billytalent3.com". www.billytalent3.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

[15] Ambrose, Anthony. "inTuneMusic Online: Billy Talent Announced Guitar Villain". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2009.

[ac_Australia_Billy_Talent-16] "Australiancharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.

[ac_Austria_Billy_Talent-17] "Austriancharts.at – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III" (in German). Hung Medien.

[ac_BillboardCanada_Billy_Talent-18] "Billy Talent Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.

[19] "Billy Talent Chart History (European Top 100 Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.

[ac_Finland_Billy_Talent-20] "Billy Talent: Billy Talent III" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[ac_Germany4_Billy_Talent-21] "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

[ac_Ireland2_Billy_Talent-22] "Irish-charts.com – Discography Billy Talent". Hung Medien.

[ac_Norway_Billy_Talent-23] "Norwegiancharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.

[ac_Scotland_-24] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

[ac_Switzerland_Billy_Talent-25] "Swisscharts.com – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Hung Medien.

[ac_UK2_-26] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

[ac_UKDigital_-27] "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

[ac_UKRock_-28] "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_Billy_Talent-29] "Billy Talent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.

[ac_BillboardRock_Billy_Talent-30] "Billy Talent Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.

[31] "Jahreshitparade Alben 2009". austriancharts.at. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[32] "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2021.

[33] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[34] "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[CanadaBilly_TalentBilly_Talent_IIIalbumCertRef-35] "Canadian album certifications – Billy Talent – Billy Talent III". Music Canada. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

[GermanyBilly_TalentBilly_Talent_IIIalbumCertRef-36] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Talent; 'Billy Talent III')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

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