Dead Silence is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Billy Talent. It was released on September 11, 2012, and was produced by the band's guitarist Ian D'Sa.
The album's first single, "Viking Death March", was released on May 26, 2012. The second single, "Surprise Surprise", was released on August 7, 2012, and reached number 1 on the Canadian rock/alternative chart. Songs featured on the album were nominated at the 2013 Canadian Juno Awards, such as "Viking Death March" for single of the year.
Contents
Background
Billy Talent started recording material for Dead Silence on November 25, 2011, and finished in July 2012. The title and artwork of the album were revealed on the band's Twitter, Facebook and official website on July 11, 2012. The artwork was created by poster artist Ken Taylor.
The band released the album on their SoundCloud account on September 4, 2012.
Singles and music videos
"Viking Death March"
"Surprise Surprise"
"Stand Up and Run"
"Show Me the Way"
"Runnin' Across the Tracks"
"Love Was Still Around"
Online videos were released for both "Runnin' Across the Tracks" and "Love Was Still Around".
The teaser video for "Runnin' Across the Tracks" was revealed on October 2, 2013. A few weeks later, the full video was released online October 30, 2013.
A live online video for "Love Was Still Around" was released on May 26, 2015. The video was directed by touring photography and friend, Dustin Rabin.
Reception
Dead Silence has received positive reviews upon release, most critics praising the change of style from its predecessor, Billy Talent III.
Personnel
Personnel taken from Dead Silence liner notes.
Billy Talent
Benjamin Kowalewicz – lead vocals
Ian D'Sa – guitar, backing vocals, piano, additional percussion, producer
Jonathan Gallant – bass guitar, backing vocals
Aaron Solowoniuk – drums
Additional musician
Jeffrey Beecher – double bass on "Lonely Road to Absolution"
Technical personnel
Eric Ratz – engineer
Kenny Luong – digital engineer
Paul Dutil – assistant engineer (The Armoury)
Kevin O'Leary – assistant engineer (Noble Street)
Brittany Huszczo – assistant engineer (Noble Street)
Hiren Mistry – assistant engineer (Vespa)
Ken Eisennagel – assistant engineer (Steakhouse)
Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
Keith Armstrong – assistant mix engineer
Nik Karpen – assistant mix engineer
Brad Townshend – additional assistant mix engineer