I was never really into Biohazard, okay? Despite them being on heavy rotation during Headbanger’s Ball when my musical identity was being formed, I tended to glom onto some of the more melodic Brooklyn-based outfits at the time (Life Of Agony, Type O Negative). That’s not to say I didn’t respect what they were doing but the moment “Punishment” came on while I was waiting for something else Riki Rachtman had teased just meant it was bathroom break time. Sorry?
But I digress.
As I got older my tastes have tended to get inevitably more varied but mostly just louder and heavier. So maybe it’s no surprise that I dig what Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei has done with BIllyBio which, at its’ core, is kind of a more mature Biohazard. It’s equally dense and intricate but at the end of the day, heavy as a motherfucker. And that pretty much encapsulates BillyBio’s latest, Leaders And Liars, in a nutshell.
While opener “Black Out” offers some next level sonic destruction from Graziadei and crew followed by similarly crushing shredders like “Lost Horizon” and the title track, it’s cuts like “Fallen Empires” and “Turn The Wounds” that bring the depth and set BillyBio apart from his former outfit. “Turn The Wounds” in particular is a moody number bringing listeners to a veritable Metal church with its’ opening salvo before diving headfirst into a blistering yet bombastic beatdown.
Elsewhere, songs like “Generation Kill” are, ahem, killer new anthems in the BillyBio heavy arsenal with big riffs from Graziadei, Dan Palmer, and Robbie Davidson and even bigger choruses while “Deception” is akin to a Jekyll and Hyde situation as drummer Fred Aching Rios switches up the brutality for a spell to lay out some massive grooves. “Looking Up” is pure Heavy Metal PMA from start to finish and “Our Scene” follows the sentiment with one catchy ass ditty that’s sure to be a hit in the pit. Speaking of the pit, “Enough” is a banger with subtle nuances from the bass coming through within a wall of riffage and then closer “Cyanide” comes out of left field with a slow moving hard rawker filled with scorching guitar lines and Graziadei’s signature bark spewing words of encouragement.
Leaders And Liars will be unleashed on March 25th through AFM Records and you can pre-order yours now in a variety of formats by heading here or here. For the latest on BillyBio, stay tuned to all the socials by clicking here, here, or here.