They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk.

The members met and played in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001.

It was then that Kowalewicz's connection with an employee of Warner Music Canada's A&R department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success.

[2] Since then, Billy Talent has made three multi-platinum records in Canada[3] and continues to expand their success overseas; this included touring for 20 months supporting their second album.

Just before entering the studio, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk decided to sit out the recording sessions while he continued his longstanding battle with multiple sclerosis.

Fellow Canadian Jordan Hastings was quickly recruited to play as Solowoniuk's studio stand-in, and, in early 2016, the group completed work on Afraid of Heights, which was released in July of that year.

Pezz began writing, performing songs, and gaining attention and credibility at first locally, and soon in Toronto's broader indie music scene.

Soon after, in January 1995, they all put in money to record another demo of better quality with engineer/producer Dave Tedesco at the "Signal to Noise" studio which they called Dudebox.

Although it was a struggle for Solowoniuk to come to terms with the reality of the disease, going to numerous doctor appointments and touring with a mini-fridge in their van has become a normal routine.

[citation needed] Billy Talent's second album was mostly recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia,[9] which was produced by Gavin Brown again with Ian D'Sa co-producing for the first time, and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge.

That seemed to fuel the record.The band ventured off on another UK tour in support of Billy Talent II, but this one would include more shows in countries they had not performed in before.

They temporarily came back in mid June to play shows at the MuchMusic Video Awards, the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto with good friends Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, and Attack in Black.

[17] As of September 11, 2007, the band has indicated that their 18-month tour has officially ended, and they are "home for a while to catch [their] breath a little before [they] start writing the next record.

"[18] In the meantime, a live DVD album called 666 was released on November 27, 2007, featuring footage and audio from the band's performances at London's Brixton Academy, Düsseldorf's Philipshalle, and Germany's Rock am Ring festival (at the Nürburgring).

Vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz stated on July 1, on Billy Talent's official forum, that they are staying put in Canada until the album is finished, and that their promotional tour for II has come to an end.

The band entered the studio in November with Brendan O'Brien, who has previously worked with Rage Against the Machine, Incubus, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The band embarked on a supporting tour for the fourth album, starting in Australia in the Soundwave Festival in February.

In August 2010, Billy Talent played three tour dates in South Africa, one in Cape Town, Durban and at Oppikoppi along with other local bands such as Taxi Violence, Zebra and Giraffe and Jack Parow.

The album was produced by Ian D'Sa and engineered by Eric Ratz and Kenny Luong who worked on Billy Talent II.

[34] On January 15, 2016, Aaron announced via the Billy Talent YouTube channel that he would be taking a hiatus from the band due to an MS relapse.

[38] The following week, the band released the third and final single from Afraid of Heights, titled "Ghost Ship Of Cannibal Rats."

Solowoniuk joined the group at their February 27, 2017, show at Toronto's Air Canada Centre to perform "Pins And Needles" and "Surrender".

[39] The band was also joined by Jeremy Widerman from Monster Truck to perform a cover of The Tragically Hip song "Nautical Disaster" in dedication to Gord Downie.

[41] The song was a stylistic change for the band, showcasing elements of progressive rock, along with the use of synthesizers and a saxophone solo.

[44] Not originally intended to be a single, the band released it as a hopeful, yet bittersweet response to the delay and cancellation of many scheduled tour dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[45] The band also posted a list of crisis hotlines for fans in need of moral support, using this song as a motif.

[48] On November 13, 2021, "End of Me" reached number one on the Canadian Rock chart, making every promotional single for Crisis of Faith a number-one hit.

saw the band mixing multiple genres and making diverse songs on the same album, stretching from hip hop to indie and ska punk.

[56] On Billy Talent II, the band altered their sound yet again, based on more mid-tempo and emotional compositions; a bit more collected than their previous work.

[57] The band also experimented with elements of post-punk and uses of pianos, loops, and half-stepped guitar tunings on Billy Talent III and Dead Silence.