FORTRESS

w00t! Protest the Hero arrives on the archives! May I be the first to implore you to check them out immediately? Thank You!

Check them out immediately!

With Fortress, Protest the Hero continue to execute their vision of progressive metal/hardcore/punk. This music is fast, technical, melodic, emotional, unpredictable and awesome! Those same adjectives can describe their debut, Kezia, but when comparing the two, for this new release, you can add the word more to the beginning of each of those adjectives (except for fast, where you will add an "er" directly to the end of the word). You can tell there's more emphasis on the tech-metal element of their music here. The heaviness and thrash-metal sound are given more free-reign on these tracks in addition to the increased technicality, but it never feels like too much to handle. Everything is just right.

Protest the Hero avoids formulaic structures without compromising coherence. Songs may have choruses, but they are amongst a barrage of other riffs and hooks in a seemingly random order. But it all flows ever so perfectly! It's all calculated and performed with precision matched by only a small group of their peers.

The pieces are short, but with songs like these, you don't need more time. As before, the album is divided up into three parts, separated with soft interludes (the only breaks you'll get). The band takes more advantage of their musical muscle as can be evidenced by the constant use of sweep progressions, tapped lines by the guitars and bass, and plenty of syncopated riffs. The vocals have improved as well; Rody's range and personality have been greatly expanded. It's amazing how much is happening here especially while there is a melody being sung. It never feels cluttered or pretentious. The band also gives us a taste of their quirkier side. Besides adding some simply fun riffs into the mix here and there, the end of the interlude occurring at the dead center of the record (in the middle of the second part, right after "Palms Read") can be described as "circus metal."

Along with such groups as Between the Buried and Me and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Protest the Hero reside on the upper echelon of tech/extreme progressive metal. They aren't as experimental, but their compositional skills are so beyond the typical band that it more than justifies their inclusion. In this genre, it's a difficult to make truly stunning and long-lasting music. Fortress provides such music which is immediately gratifying and only gets better over time. Wow, just wow.

I'm confused...

I really don't know what it was which I just heard. Now, that could be an interesting thing if that happened because I heard something terribly original and innovative. But when it happens because what I just listened to was a complete mess and chaotic, well, that can't be good.

PROTEST THE HERO was a new experience for me. I've never heard the band and had read some good comments so it was my duty to check them out. Sadly, the experience is really not that new, and this band's music is just a confusing mixture of elements taken from countless other bands.

The first problem I will mention with "Fortress" is the absolute lack of self-control this musicians display. I'm sure they can play, and with skills for that matter. But is it really necessary to play the entire album at about the same frantic, relentless, hyperactive speed? I have complained about music played only at slow tempos, and I think I've found just the opposite side of the same counterfeit coin. PROTEST THE HERO play all their songs at approximately the same speed or tempo, which is: neurotic, paranoid. They perform as if somebody was tailing them from behind with a knife and they just couldn't stop or their lives would be in danger. What's the point of this? I know there are genres that live on these principles (see grindcore) but as this music is hardly really extreme, we can't help but think the speed here is just a gimmick or the result of a desire to show-off skills. Sadly, skills don't create music. Skills enhance music performance but can ruin it if they become the focus.

The second problem I have is that, by any standards, PROTEST THE HERO doesn't belong in any genre, but not because they're original, but because they have a little bit of everything. The first thing you'll notice is the neurotic riffs. You'll think hardcore and extreme metal. But then you hear the vocal style, and you'll think on hardcore, hard-rock or even emo-punk. At moments the music borders on death-metal (there's even some growling going on here and there) and then suddenly we're just in the middle of a punk party. It's chaotic. The music wanders aimlessly without a clear sense of direction. Mixing genres is good. Not being an easy subject to categorize and fit in one single genre is good. Not knowing what the hell you're playing is bad.

The third problem I find with PROTEST THE HERO is that the lack of self-control and the lack of direction breed lack of coherence. Here we have music with no traditional structures (not a bad thing) but that at times seems to lack any structure at all! These songs are so difficult to grasp but not because they're deep or really intricate. It's the senseless riffing and irrational need for accentuating every single beat with double drums that create a noise where is quite a task to discern where things go. About the double drums remark: no, please, this is no MESHUGGAH. In that band, the drums are part of the musical machine, the constant double-drumming is a key element in the machine-like sound of the Swedish band: here in PROTEST THE HERO, it sounds just like the result of having taken too many energy drinks. And the whole album sounds like that: artificially invigorated, artificially energized.

My last and biggest problem with PROTEST THE HERO is how unoriginal the music is in the end. I can take music without self control, I can take music that doesn't define its essence, I can barely stand music without coherence. But when all of that is played with ideas and sounds that hardly seem original, then all goes downhill. The band sounds a little bit like COHEED AND CAMBRIA, a little bit like MUSE, a little bit like DREAM THEATER, a little bit like CYNIC, a little bit like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, a little bit like SYMPHONY X, a little bit like THE MARS VOLTA, like IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, etc. You name it, it may be here. It may take me a big effort but if I apply myself, I may find some N'SYNC in here (well, not really... but then again, who knows.) At least the band is honest and recognizes the fact in their booklet, where they thank all "the bands whose stolen riffs appear on this record"(taken from the cd's booklet.) I don't believe in terms like ripping-off, I think music in itself is the art of copying and developing. But this band takes this too far. The real issue is that after all this salad of influences, we can't say that there is an end result that can be called the PROTEST THE HERO sound. There's no such thing.

If I don't give this album one star is because the playing is quite skillful, there are some good ideas scattered around the record, the interludes between songs are good (actually, the best moment in the whole record are the tracks in between tracks, which last about one minute each and appear as a countdown timer once each song ends and the next is about to begin), and, finally, the fact that the band had the good taste to make this album only a 41 minute experience. They showed great restraint in not over-indulging in the size of the whole thing.

If you want something like this but better, try THE HUMAN ABSTRACT, not a perfect band but one with a particular, original sound.

This has room, and LOTS of room to improve. After all, the musicians are skilled. Now they have to learn to create their own sound. Until then, I protest this hero.

Protest the Hero - 'Fortress' 2.9 stars

The band clearly did not accelerate much at all after a debut with a little bit of promise.

The opener 'Bloodmeat' is the best thing they have ever done in my opinion. This is one of the only songs where the instrumentation is good and flowing throughout the track until they hit a chorus that managed to be catchy this time. Sadly, all the other songs are doing a terribly poor job in execution. The music once again sounds like a band just pasting together lines and riffs and then try to just throw in a catchy chorus that they believe can just merit all the faults in the entire work.

With the kind of promotion they can get, it makes it possible to do this on uninformed MTV watchers.

I was recommended this album by a Fall Of Troy fan, she said it was pretty progressive. I didn't expect much of it, coming from a fan of Fall Of Troy, and band which I don't particularly like. So I asked to borrow it instead of splashing out about 10 big ones on a CD I might not even like. The conclusion to this short parable is that I still haven't given the record back. I enjoy it so much, it is actually situated on the middle part of my CD shelf so as I can reach it easily, right next to all my Opeth CDs, Destroy Erase Improve, Chaosphere, Colors and various other classic metal albums.

At a glance, this seems like another Post-Hardcore album, a la Fall Of Troy. But by the second spin I realised just how incredible this band truly is. The virtuosity, the technicallity, the tasteful melody cuts and the riffs... They are all top notch. It's also worth mentioning that there is no strong/weak track at all on this album. It flows beautifully from track 1 to track 10. It's simply one of those albums. It has a concept album feel where all the songs seem to merge into each other - not absent to the help of special effects however.

Some may dispute about the vocals on this album. I do not. They are perfect actually, the singer reminds me a little of Cedric Bixler from The Mars Volta, one of my favourite vocalists. However, like Cedric, Protest The Hero are an acquired taste in the vox department. Like Guiness, Marmite and all other black foods and drinks, you either love them or hate them. I love them, and I'm sure most of the ProgArchives community will too. I have to say as well that the voices in Fortress fit the lyrics almost perfectly. Listen out for them: you will see what I mean. The semi-aggressive, semi-melodic style adopted by the vocalists is the perfect mould for the themes celebrated in this album.

That is about it for me. This is second best album of the year, next to Traced In Air at the top spot. If you are a fan of Extreme Metal, then you should go out and buy this album. If you are not, then you should give it some time. It will take you around 30 listens to get used to the vocals style and its heaviness, but you will not turn back. You have my word. Not a masterpiece, but let's face it: those are hard to come by nowadays. 4 stars from me.

'Bloodmeat' tears open this 5-pieces' second release with a hungry delivery from Luke Hoskins and Tim Millar's guitars, Rody Walker's impassioned vocals and relentlessly tight rhythm section of Mirabdolbagh & Carlson. Hoskins and Millar work their clever lines broken up by subtle jazz chords as it transitions into partner 'The Dissentience', both cuts excellent samples of the aggressive/melodic approach the group takes. Tech-ier than Opeth and angrier than Spiral Architect, Protest the Hero are clearly contenders and Fortress is a balanced and consistent record full of material that, if not terribly original, is of high quality.

Four of the five members sing, providing a wide range of vocal options that the band utilizes with drama, feeling and precision, and the whole album is strung together quite well. At 5&1/2 minutes 'Bone Marrow' is the longest piece here, building on the sound established with further progressions and massive crusades against enemies. The pressure is kept on for 'Sequoia Farm', splendidly invoking Rob Halford and the Priest with much love as well as slight whiffs of the Volta now and then. Senti-metal 'Palms Read' and progmetal masterwork 'Limb From Limb', a ravenous cut featuring more Preist-like affectations, real nice melodies and Vadim Pruzhinov's keys. Killer 80s-style thrash on 'Spoils' and the energy and ideas keep coming in 'Wretch', 'Goddess Bound' and 'Goddess Gagged'. One or two of these songs could have been cut but that's a small price to pay for a good record, and if given a few honest listens I can't see it disappointing too many progmetalheads. At least not the ones with a big tent.

'Fortress' - Protest The Hero (6/10)

I have to say; on my first listen of 'Fortress,' my mind was very much blown away. There aren't a great amount of albums in metal where every band member gives an exceptional performance. The songwriting, while having spots of brilliance here and there, never passed me as being consistently superb, but I was instantly enamoured by the onslaught of systematic chaos the band produced.

Protest The Hero come on strong and heavy from the very beginning; assaulting the listener with rapidfire guitar work, soaring melodies and hardcore-styled vocals. These are the first few seconds of the opener 'Bloodmeat,' which works out to be one of the more enjoyable tracks on the album.

After listening to the album over and over (I couldn't stop listening to the album for the first few days I owned it) and having the initial shock effect wear off, I realized that while the first four tracks are indeed fantastic, the album as a whole really does not have an immense load of emotional depth in it. 'Fortress' is enjoyable and a remarkable display of talent, but the moments of jaw-dropping beauty end up being too few and far in between.

While I am certainly aware that this is technical metal, and that some over-the-top musicianship is in order, my favourite parts of the album are the parts where Protest The Hero manage to channel their technicality and blend it with a soaring, hooky melody... It always comes as a very refreshing change of pace from the unrelenting virtuosic displays.

'Fortress' is first and foremost, a guitar album. Although having a relatively short career, the guitarist has developing himself a rather distinctive hammer-on/pull-off heavy style, which is very cool. While I really wish I could award the album with another star, there are alot of parts that I don't care for, that detract from the overall product (particularly on the latter half of the album.) While the first four songs together make an unrelenting feast of musical greatness, the album doesn't quite hold up all the way through. Still, if the price warrants it, I would definately recommend picking this one up. It's certainly worth it for those first few, jaw- dropping listens.

Most of my friends won't come near me while I'm listening to Protest The Hero and it's not because of the Tech-Metal genre. They just simply can't stand the vocals. I, on the other hand, feel that they concentrate too much on one particular element and miss out on all the greatness beneath the vocal layers!

I picked this album up after hearing about it here on Prog Archives and had it on my play-list for many month since then. Fortress was my main candidate for the favorite 2008-release until Intronaut's Prehistoricisms came out of nowhere and stole that position right at the last minute!

The compositions here might seem short when glancing over the track-list but they are literally packed with explosive in-your-face material that will make the listener sweat bullets! There is no doubt in my mind about the new exciting genre of tech-metal that is being in development here which is the result of the drastic changes which young lads in bands like Protest The Hero and Between The Buried And Me have implemented on the tech-metal genre!

I'm really looking forward to hearing what these guys are going to do next!

***** star songs: Bloodmeat (3:55) Wretch (4:11)

**** star songs: The Dissentience (4:22) Bone Marrow (5:30) Sequoia Throne (3:01) Palms Read (5:05) Limb From Limb (4:22) Spoils (3:41) Goddess Bound (3:35) Goddess Gagged (3:13)

What to say . . .

I knew absolutely nothing about Protest The Hero before I bought this album. The only thing I had heard was that they were really good and 'progressive'. Well, in some ways, I suppose they are. The vocals aren't rough or growly nearly as often as I expected (not that I mind growling anyway, because I certainly don't, if it's done well). The clean vocals that are present remind me a lot of The Mars Volta, actually (that is, the Mars Volta mateiral where Cedric actually sings well!), and they are pleasant enough, and the screaming (provided by more than one band member) is hit-and-miss, but for the most part, the vocal department is well-done.

The playing ability of the musicians stands out quite obviously, and of course they are fantastic at what they do, but i wonder . . . is this really that progressive of an album? Yes, there are experimental moments, here, but overall, it sounds a lot like typical Post- Hardcore that all the mall-goth kids rave about with their friends, and aside from a few specific moments, nothing else makes me find this all that original. Sure it's great for what it is, but I don't consider it anywhere near the caliber of bands like Cynic, Opeth, Death, Voivod or Meshuggah. It doesn't mean this isn't worth listening to. If you're a fan of all the different types of extreme Metal out there, I'm sure you'll enjoy Fortress, but not for its originality.

Perhaps I've just missed the point, but I have owned this album for a while now without giving my thoughts on it, because I was expecting it to grow on me a little more over time. It simply hasn't. It's fairly enjoyable, but only at certain moments does it really impress me. Of specific note are the two tracks ''Limb From Limb'' and ''Spoils'', which admittedly have some very interesting and creative musical moments buried within them. But these bouts of (dare I say) genius aren't frequent or recurring enough for me to believe this is an album worth holding up with same high esteem I hold its peers in this specific sub-genre. If you're into more modern-sounding Post-Hardcore metal music, you'll most likely have fun listening to this, but if you're expecting the next great masterpiece of Extreme Prog Metal, you may just be a little bit disappointed.

2.5 stars.

Great ideas that don't go very far.

Protest the Hero a relatively new mathcore/progressive metal band from Canada. They smashed onto the scene with their killer debut Kezia, which reached far bounds in their genre's sonic spectrum. The band comes back in 2008 with Fortress, an overall good album but a bit lacking. The band has very good ideas with their music but they fail to develop them very far. Overall, the band delivers a vicious punch of intense and technical metal, but they fall short of creating anything truly special.

Bloodmeat smashes open the album with a killer little riff that quickly breaks down into another riff that quickly breaks down into another riff that then switches to another riff... whew! With this song we see early on how the band has plenty of absolutely fantastic ideas, but they don't develop them into any cohesive track but just cram as much stuff into a 3 minute track as possible. Overall, the song is very strong and doesn't fall short of intensity, but has way too much going on to be considered an overall excellent song.

The Dissentience is a little better than the last track, with more concise ideas being further developed than just a rough cut guitar riff. Still, however, the song shows signs of way too much (or not enough) thought put into such a short time span. With some of the ideas present in the track, a lengthy metal epic could have been made. The track is strong, but lacks a unique spark that would make it a spectacular track.

Bone Marrow is one of the best tracks on the album, making an absolutely epic duology (with the next track). It contains some of the more creative ideas, albeit there are way too many of them shoved into the song. A little bit of funk is heard, with some fantastic mathcore riffs synchronizations heard. The whole experience of Bone Marrow could be seen as an almost surreal one, with bass boosts put in at the perfect spot and keyboard textures being sprinkled in here and there. The melodic transition at the end of the track marks the finishing of "part 1" of the album and the advent of part 2. The whole little section is beautiful, either adding or subtracting to the overall feel of the track.

Sequia Throne is my absolute favorite track on the album. Absolutely brilliant riffs, great soloing and harmonizations between the two guitars, and some absolutely fantastic bass and drums synchronizations. Overall, the track displays what Protest the Hero can do: rape your ears for all they're worth. The band dishes out an insane amount of mathcore madness, with hectic time signature changes, insanely fast soloing and synchronized breakdowns. Overall, this is easily the strongest track on the album, although I would love it if the ideas in the song were developed further.

Palms Read marks the slow decline of my interest in the album. After the relatively incredible tracks, little more can be done for the album. Of course, this song also contains some purely genius ideas, but still they are so all over the place that it makes it hard to consider this a serious song but more like an album teaser. Overall, the song is really good, but is nowhere the best of the album.

Limb from Limb is alright, but nothing special. Some really standard metalcore riffing and crazy instrumental prowess make this rather unspecial compared to the rest of the metalcore genre. The song can get a little "boring," with way too much craziness making it a combination of boring and harsh.

Spoils is a really nice, but a little odd, "fusion" song of power metal and alternative metal. Some great ideas again are a little hectic and underused in an insane song. The song, like so many of the songs before, contain way too many ideas shoved into a short time span. The really only exceptional part of the song is the beautiful transitional piano piece at the end of the song.

Wretch is so much like the other song. Some great riffs and ideas shoved into a short time span and made way too crazy. Some really awkward modulations to major also detract from this song a lot. Sometimes, there is a point where a musician needs to step and ask himself what is he putting into a song and why. It's pretty obvious they did not do this as they shoved riff after riff into an obese track. Overall, the song has some great ideas, but the song overall is way too hectic.

Goddess Bound is yet another way too overstuffed song. This time, throw in some odd and sometimes way too generic lyrics and mix in an overused concept and you get the Goddess Bound/Goddess Gagged duology. The song is good, but like essentially every other track on the album, has way too many great ideas shoved into it.

Goddess Gagged is an appropriate ender to the album. Using much more proggy riffs than just metalcore, and seem to have a much more structured song built this time. Finally, only a select few ideas were used, and tastefully. The song has some really great ideas too, some of the better ones of the album. Overall, the track is actually a rather strong ender, albeit it does end rather suddenly. It has some strong ideas that are a little more structured, although it still seems a little all over the place at times.

ALBUM OVERALL: From the tone of the review, one may assume that I hate this album, which is not true. First time through, I was blown away. But, I slowly began to realize that the band had just pumped the album full of great ideas meant to explode your mind while truly they were feeble and underdeveloped ideas. The instrumentation is spectacular, hammering in another great metalcore performance, but the music preformed is nothing special. As I said time and time again, the ideas used on this album are stunted and underdeveloped. Overall, the album has fantastic ideas, but they provide for nothing more than a tiring and exhausted ride. 3 stars.