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.
Take Back The Fear
Hail The Villain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take it away, I'm only a man
Back from the dead and now it appears
I'll be the one to take back the fear
Kill or be killed, that isn't me
Maybe it's you dying to be
Somebody else. Man of the year
(chorus)
Don't want anything taken away
(Someone, anyone)
Taken away from me
It's all that I believe
Message of hate, fading away
My love and my failures "one in the same"
Now that I'm back, painfully clear
But I'll be the one to take back the fear
(Chorus x2)
When it seems that everything was all a dream
Everything's not what it seems
Even I cannot believe in me easily
The lyrics of Hail The Villain's song "Take Back The Fear" are introspective and powerful. The opening line, "What I believe is all that I am," implies that the singer's beliefs define their existence. The following line, "Take it away, I'm only a man," suggests that without their beliefs, they are nothing. This vulnerability gives way to determination as the singer declares their intent to take back the fear. The line "Back from the dead and now it appears" denotes a rebirth of sorts, perhaps indicating that the singer has overcome a difficult period in their life.
The following lines, "Kill or be killed, that isn't me. Maybe it's you dying to be somebody else. Man of the year, but I am the one to take back the fear," depicts the singer's refusal to conform to societal expectations. They acknowledge that they may not be the one to win accolades or awards, but they are the one who will fight and conquer their fears. The choruses reiterate the importance of the singer's beliefs and their unwillingness to compromise on them.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on their past mistakes and failures. They assert that their love and failures are "one in the same," indicating that their failures have led them to understand the true meaning of love. The singer's self-belief is tested as they struggle to believe in themselves easily. The song ends with a reminder that appearances can be deceiving, and that even the singer struggles with self-doubt.
Overall, "Take Back The Fear" is a powerful song about self-belief, resilience, and the importance of staying true to oneself. The lyrics are both personal and relatable, making it a universally appealing song.
Line by Line Meaning
What I believe is all that I am
My beliefs define who I am
Take it away, I'm only a man
Without my beliefs, I am nothing but a mortal man
Back from the dead and now it appears
I have returned from a difficult experience and now it is clear
I'll be the one to take back the fear
I will be the one to conquer my fears and take control
Kill or be killed, that isn't me
I am not a person who believes in the idea of kill or be killed
Maybe it's you dying to be
Perhaps it is you who wants to die in order to be noticed or remembered
Somebody else. Man of the year
You want to be someone else, hailed as the best
But I am the one to take back the fear
Despite your desire, I will be the one to conquer my fears and take control
Don't want anything taken away
I do not want any of my beliefs taken away
(Someone, anyone)
This part does not have a clear meaning
Taken away from me
I fear losing my beliefs and sense of self
It's all that I believe
My beliefs are everything to me
Message of hate, fading away
I no longer believe in spreading hate
My love and my failures "one in the same"
My love and failures are intertwined
Now that I'm back, painfully clear
Now that I have returned, the truth is painfully obvious
But I'll be the one to take back the fear
Despite the pain, I will be the one to conquer my fears and take control
When it seems that everything was all a dream
When everything appears to be unreal
Everything's not what it seems
Things are not always as they appear to be
Even I cannot believe in me easily
Even I have trouble believing in myself
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joeytocd
I'm still gutted by the fact that they cancelled all of these huge plans they had in store. :(
I can't even find the comics in any place I search.
The story and the tone alone would've been perfect in either Dark Horse or Image Comics!
I really wish they'd get back together and at least finish all of that up.
They owe it to themselves.
We need closure.
They may not be dead, but are they actually writing?...
@ronniechawariya8057
Who's listing this song in 2023
@uttasyda97
This guy!!!
Music is shit now in 2023!!!
@everybodysfavoritenobody
I just barely remembered these guys lol
Now I get to listen to em with my fancy headphones 😂
@acid_bear
2024
@xavier.solidor
Rog....
@cassiemoyles4177
2024 lmao
@bryancrouch9595
hey everyone! I thought I would share the meaning of the video since so many comments infer there is a lot of confusion!
First of all the lead character Drake is living 2 lives. One as a family man and the other as the man he really always was. There are also 2 worlds in play: a dead world and the living. All the characters in this video are from the living world except the 4 villains in the coffee shop who have been sent to keep an eye on Drake and keep him alive until the dead world is ready for him. Thea (the girl who runs Drake over) is the daughter of the dead world and is responsible for getting pregnant with Drakes child. When she "kills" him at the end, she believes he will will enter the dead world where she can be with him after the child is born. Problem for her is the Drake can bounce between both worlds and the ending of this video was only the set up for the story. "Runaway" runs parallel to this video and shows what happen in the diner after Drake left. "My Reward" was supposed pick up right after the car scene but a live action video was chosen to save money instead and abandon the story. I believe a comic book exists for it somewhere but I've yet to ever own a copy of it!
Hope you all enjoyed the video and 4.5 years later I'm glad to see many more just discovering the band.... Even if it ended so quickly! Cheers, Bryan
@nathanmillenschimmel8096
Bryan Crouch yes, there is a comic book showing what happened after this. It is called "My Reward", but I dunno if a copy is being sold.
@INTEL965GAMES
I been watched the video like 200 times. AND NEVER FOUND THIS COMMENT. GOOOD
@Porterhouse80
Bryan Crouch great song and video! I'm a high school football Coach and we blast this song pre-game every Friday night during the season to get Jacked up before kick off. My guys love it!