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.
Runaway
Hail The Villain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of everything that haunts me
Somehow I pretend
All was meant to be
I am not the saint here
Never the good son
Hell has taken over and I know
Where do I belong?
So sick of being shadows
Scared to walk alone
Now it's time to roam
I have always wanted
All that I could own
My wish was never granted till now
The opening lines of Hail The Villain's Runaway deliver a raw and potent punch straight to the gut of the listener. “Welcome to the end of everything that haunts me / Somehow I pretend all was meant to be” sets the tone for a confessional outpouring of emotions as the singer grapples with the personal demons that have plagued him for so long. He acknowledges his imperfections, admitting to not being the saint or the good son, indicating past wrongdoings that have led him down a path of self-doubt and regret. However, despite the gravity of his situation, the character recognizes that it is time for him to take control, hence the words, “When I say go, runaway, runaway”.
As the song progresses, we see the character grappling with feelings of displacement, unsure of where he truly belongs. He is tired of living in shadows, always afraid to act independently, and now craves the freedom to roam unfettered. The lyrics carry an undertone of rebellion, with the character making peace with the fact that he has always wanted more and has grown weary of waiting for his wishes to be granted. Runaway provides catharsis and liberation, as the character steps away from his previous self, paving the way for a more empowered and resilient future.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to the end
We have reached the point of no return
Of everything that haunts me
All my past mistakes and regrets
Somehow I pretend
I try to convince myself that everything is okay
All was meant to be
My struggles and suffering are part of a greater plan
I am not the saint here
I am far from perfect, I have my own demons
Never the good son
I have disappointed and let down those who believed in me
Hell has taken over and I know
My internal struggles have consumed me and I am aware of it
When I say "Go", runaway, runaway
I need to leave my troubles behind and start fresh
Where do I belong?
I feel lost and unsure about my place in the world
So sick of being shadows
I am tired of living in the shadow of others, of not being recognized for who I am
Scared to walk alone
I am afraid of facing life's challenges on my own
Now it's time to roam
I need to explore the world and find my own path
I have always wanted
I have had dreams and aspirations
All that I could own
I wanted success and material possessions
My wish was never granted till now
But I have never achieved them, until this moment where I can finally start anew
Contributed by Reagan G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@donholbert7986
Welcome to the end of everything that haunts me
Somehow I pretend all was meant to be
I am not the saint here, never the good son
Hell has taken over and I know
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away, run away
Where do I belong? So sick of being shadows
Scared to walk alone, now it's time to roam
I have always wanted all that I could own
My wish was never granted 'til now
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away, run away
Welcome to the end of everything that haunts me
Somehow I pretend all was meant to be
I am not the saint here, never the good son
Hell has taken over and won
When I say go
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... run away, run away
When I say go... go, go, go, go, go
When I say go... go, go, go, go, go
@derrisEbynum7182
WWE Survivor Series 2010 theme song brought me here, I'll never forget that free or fired match with Wade Barrett vs Randy Orton for the WWE champion with John Cena as special guest referee. Good times, when WWE had good rock music for a PPV.
@iamderevo
true that!
@derrisEbynum7182
@@iamderevoyeah, 2010 in WWE was a great year back in the day when I was in high school.
@JasonTigno
Wade Barrett should have won!
@derrisEbynum7182
@@JasonTigno Why you say that?
@ChrisBeach007
2010: it was a banger then
2023: it's still a banger now
@LibertarianMinded
Yes ❤
@KrazyEngima
accidentally clicked on this...glad i did this is badass
@hardmawsoncoregamer
Same
@youngchachidadon5613
I miss this type of Rock music.