There’s nothing like a new release from a progressive metal band to get fans beating the shit out of each other on social media. Protest The Hero‘s new full-length Volition (Spinefarm) might not have divided them like Karnivool fans were this year, but all the expected debates can be found over what direction they should have gone in. While the songs are still heavy and technical, they are not as spasmodic and mathy as those of their 2008 release Fortress, nor is their guitar quite as frenetic,with the shredding displaying a little less of that twiddly sound that has taken root in UK post-rock bands. But really you’re going to be a pretty strong lover of the form to see a huge difference in style from anything else they’ve done or with music of the progressive mathcore bands like Sikth and a fair bit of The Safety Fire and Animals As Leaders, although of course the vocals styles differ between these bands.
The back-story of the album has at its core the huge success of the band’s crowd-funding which netted almost three times the $125,000 sought. More and more bands are showing that fans buy music. It’s just a bit easier to get it out of them before the record’s made – anything dangled in from of someone’s face for free is hard to compete with, but the prospect of there not being another record from a band you love is showing to be a must stronger incentive.
The album delivers on a number of levels, allowing the listener to find more and more every time you give it a spin. The melodies are linear anti-pop, enhanced by the story-telling lyrics and that huge voice of Rody Walker that channels the spirit of the ’80s. I know some people only like poetic, abstract lyrics and find prose somehow not musical enough but the style really suits the matter-of-fact approach of the music.
The drums, played by stand-in Chris Adler from Lamb Of God, are generally fast and will thought out; it’s not that common to hear such densely packed, highly technical music with this sort of restraint. Luke Hoskin on lead guitar, Tim Millar on rhythm guitar and Arif Mirabdolbaghi on bass lay down a largely relentless bed of technical noise that on first glance can seem more repetitive and samey than it is. Together the instruments carry the fast pace below while vocals slide along without so much fuss over the top, like a swimming duck. That formula does break up on a regular basis though, mainly through the breakdowns or the closing stages of songs, as in ‘Yellow Teeth’, ‘Plato’s Tripartite’ and ‘The Mist’. Although Walker’s vocals are mostly clear and clean he still gets growling a few times over the length of the record.
There’s a lot to enjoy in the skills and playing, but in the end what works better than anything is the way Protest The Hero have managed to overcome the problem of making fast progressive metal that gets stuck in a rut, by giving enough relief through variety without losing that essential lightning-fast identity. This isn’t an overly organic or emotional style but the guys have managed to avoid the sterility of a lot of technical progressive metal.
8.5/10
Gilbert Potts