Hail The Villain is a band with big ideas. They aren’t satisfied with writing songs, making an album and going out on tour. They want to create an entire Hail The Villain universe that includes not only the music, but a dynamic live show, animated videos, a comic book, a unique interactive website, and maybe even a movie someday. “Most people are going to aim for what’s attainable,” says Crouch. “For us, it’s aiming for what’s unattainable.”
Hail The Villain attack their career with the same hard-nosed approach you’d expect from growing up in Canada’s automobile manufacturing town of Oshawa, Ontario. From the moment they finished recording their debut album, they have been pain-stakingly involved in all creative elements that connect to fans in their vision.
The band came together in 2003 when Bryan Crouch quit school and used his parent’s student loan to record an album under the name Mr. Nobody Soon. Crouch played most of the instruments on the album, but needed to put a group together to perform live. He first turned to his childhood friend Chad Taylor to play bass. Guitarist Joseph Stamp made a musical connection with Crouch during a chance meeting at a local club. He had been working behind the scenes in a recording studio, and was dying to strap on his guitar again. Joseph reached out to his friend Drew Dockrill to play drums and the journey began.
“We were very much a hired support band,” says Chad. “But soon enough we started writing together.”
“Joe made it clear from the start that he’s a writer and that he’s not going to be pushed to the side”, recalls Crouch. “And I made it clear that if you’ve got a better song, bring it to the table. It’s been that way ever since in the band – best idea always wins.”
One day while jamming, Joe played a new riff on his guitar. The rest of the band fell in step and that riff became “My Reward”. That moment of epiphany helped the band find its path. “I always found that the “My Reward” sound was the direction we really liked,” explains Crouch. “Its got the march, its got the stomp, its got the four on the floor – all the things we love about hard rock.”
Over the next couple of years the Villains continued to work on their songs, but it wasn’t until they met producer Darryl Romphf and Engineer Alex “Condor” Aligizakis that they felt confident that their sound and energy could be captured on record. After flying in from Vancouver for pre-production, Darryl, Condor, and the band moved to a farm in Dashwood, Ontario where they set up a hi-tech studio in a barn.
As the music had gotten heavier and edgier, Crouch’s lyrics also became darker and far more personal. “When I was writing, I was under a lot of stress and was paranoid as fuck,” says the singer. I thought my health was not right, I thought I was in trouble. I made so many crazy mistakes instead of choosing the right path like my brother did. We all dropped out of school… I was just freaking out. This record was the be all and end all. If this didn’t work, I’d have to find a job and smarten up.”
Darryl pushed Bryan to embrace these feelings and express them in his lyrics. “For the first time in my life I actually said it. Everything from ‘Swan Dive’, which I will never talk about because it’s so incredibly personal, to ‘Take Back The Fear’, which was when I was coming out of my paranoia saying that I’m not going to be scared anymore. I’m going to find out what’s wrong.”
While designing the artwork, the band discovered that they had given birth to far more than the twelve songs on the record. “Normally I would do the graphic design for the band” says Taylor. “I tried different concepts but they all looked pretty generic. Joe came up with the idea of doing the CD artwork like a comic book, and it grew from there.
Drawing inspiration for the album’s songs, the band created a tale of hate, lust and deceit. They gave the characters life and then set out to give them form. Enter Rune Entertainment, an animation production house. With the band, they created the shocking animated video for the first single “Take Back The Fear”, a Hail The Villain comic book, and a groundbreaking interactive website (www.hailthevillain.com).
In the spring of 2009, Hail The Villain inked a record deal with Warner Music Canada, and by the summer Roadrunner Records had come on board to release the album in the United States. Population: Declining will be released in the summer of 2010 along with the rest of the Hail The Villain universe.
“I think the audience wants artists that are more than just a band that they’re going to forget about six months after their first hit single,” says Crouch, always insisting on the last word. “It even keeps me excited because I don’t even know what we’re going to do next. It’s going to be some stupid conversation with some stupid idea, and then ‘BOOM’.”
Hail The Villain is no longer together Bryan left the band do to vocal injuries, and is now with Six Side Die.
My Reward
Hail The Villain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hating the loving I gave
Oh terrified by the horrible lies
Lies the evil we've made
Wake up! I'm sweating, I'm burning, I'm dreading
Dreading the life that I hate
There was a time when at least I was winning
Living a life that's okay
(Pre-Chorus)
Here's my reward for your life
That you gave me
(Chorus)
Let me love you
Fear and blame you
Let me love you
Scar and burn you
Started defending, was seeing the ending
Started defending, was seeing the ending
Finished before it began
Came in deceiving, left here believing
I am a terrible man
Wake up! I'm sweating, I'm burning, I'm dreading
Dreading this horrible trend
Now that I see that your heart is for loving
Why did I break it again?
(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)
The lyrics of Hail The Villain's song My Reward tell a story of regret and self-hatred. The singer gave up on the idea of love, and now hates the love that he once gave. He is haunted by the horrible lies that he has made, and his life is now a reflection of the evil that he has created. He wakes up every day sweating and burning, dreading the life that he has created for himself. There was a time when he was winning, but now he is living a life that he hates. The singer offers his reward for the life that he has been given as a sacrifice for his past actions.
The pre-chorus and chorus of the song emphasize the singer's feelings of sorrow, desperation, and self-loathing. He begs his lover to let him love her, fear, blame, scar, and burn her. He sees himself as a terrible person who has been defending and believing in his own lies. He regrets everything that he has done, and now he understands that her heart is for loving, but he has broken it again.
Overall, My Reward is a gut-wrenching song that explores a range of negative emotions. The lyrics reflect the singer's inner turmoil, his self-hatred for the life that he has created, and his regret for causing pain to someone that he loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Gave up my loving for all that I'm hating
I sacrificed my love and happiness for things that I now despise and regret.
Hating the loving I gave
I now hate the love I gave because it was wasted on something that has turned out to be negative and harmful.
Oh terrified by the horrible lies
I am scared and anxious about the terrible lies that have been told and spread.
Lies the evil we've made
The evil we've created is rooted in lies and deceit, which has caused harm and destruction.
Wake up! I'm sweating, I'm burning, I'm dreading
I am waking up with intense anxiety, fear, and discomfort, as I dread the life I have created for myself.
Dreading the life that I hate
I am filled with dread and fear when it comes to the life that I have grown to hate and resent.
There was a time when at least I was winning
At one point in my life, I thought I was succeeding and winning, but that feeling has now disappeared.
Living a life that's okay
I was content with living a life that was just okay, but now I see that I could have had something much better.
Here's my reward for your life
This is what I get in return for the life you gave me.
Let me love you
I want to love you and show you how much I care.
Fear and blame you
I am scared of the consequences of my actions and want to shift the blame onto you.
Scar and burn you
I want to hurt you emotionally and leave lasting scars, despite my love for you.
Started defending, was seeing the ending
I began defending myself but soon realized that the end was near and unavoidable.
Finished before it began
The situation ended before it even had a chance to begin or properly develop.
Came in deceiving, left here believing
I came in to this situation with deceit and lies, but I am now leaving with a new belief or realization.
I am a terrible man
I have done terrible things and carry the guilt and shame of my actions.
Now that I see that your heart is for loving
After all this time, I see that you genuinely want to love and care for me.
Why did I break it again?
Despite knowing that you want to love and care for me, why did I once again ruin the chance at happiness?
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joe Torres
The closest we'll get to that are the unreleased demos that Bryan has been posting.
There are two here on YouTube (You Give Yourself Away & 80's Metal)!
The other tracks are on ReverbNation!
Just search HTVFans & you'll find them!
They're also FREE to DOWNLOAD!!
Spread the word..
Adrian Quintana
one of the most underrated bands from this decade, sadly with no signs of life.
Th1Doose
Vocalist left the band xD
kevinerickson84
Extremely underated. I keep hoping to see a new album 😔
gfrp
the band had future..........................
Black Paradyze
2018 AND I'M STILL SCREAMING: "LET ME LOVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!!"
MISS THIS BAND
Th1Doose
Still here 2022 06/10 :)
Bad Puppet
2022! CHeck oUt our (Bad Puppet) song "Life?"! let me know what u think!
Mad Man
2022
Emergency Alert System
2022
DARKNESSFULL
@Darkmage1293 2021