Muffin The Hero

For those of you unfamiliar with Protest the Hero, your life is poorer for it. Allow me to enlighten you. Protest the Hero is a five-piece progressive metal act out of Ontario, Canada. That’s right. Canada. Didn’t think anything metal could come out of Canada? You were wrong. Anyway, with three full-lengths, two EPs, and a live album under their belts, PtH is on quite a roll. Scurrilous is the follow up to 2008’s Fortress. In my opinion, their debut Kezia was, and still is their strongest release, and Fortress is most definitely the weakest. Their third release falls nicely in between the two giving an accessible, yet well written feel.

“C’est La Vie” kicks things off with a familiar method, but institutes a small change: the lyricism is a very different style. The Canada quintet has finally stepped away from the concept album and into a much wittier and more satirical method. I really have nothing against concept albums – as I said, Kezia, which is definitely a concept album, is still my favorite. That being said, Scurrilous is giving it some serious competition. “Hair-Trigger” follows up with strange time signatures galore while Luke Hoskin’s and Tim Millar’s guitar prowess hasn’t diminished at all in the three years since their last studio album. At this point, you may also notice that Rody Walker’s vocals have matured significantly. He has a much firmer grasp on his style than he did on their previous release. Protest keeps things moving right along at breakneck speed with “Tandem”. As always, the guitars are perfect, but the drum work of Mr. Moe Carlson really shines through here.

Like I mentioned earlier, the lyrical style for this album is very different. This is due to the fact that Rody took over writing duties, rather than Arif Mirabdolbaghi (with a couple of exceptions), who had written both of their previous albums. I had nothing against his style, but I definitely love the way Rody’s written this release. If you were still skeptical about this band’s talent, all you need to do is listen to the intro for “Moonlight”. This may be my favorite track on the album, because it really shows you what Protest the Hero can do: immensely technical guitars that complement each other perfectly, a stellar bass line, thunderous drums, and soaring vocals. “Tapestry” did something I really enjoyed. They started out basic with just one guitar and the hi-hat cymbal and added in the other instruments gradually without losing the sound of any of them. It blends together to give a great sound.

“Dunsel” starts out a little slower with some synth keys and fading guitars before switching into a double guitar harmonization. Time changes are plentiful in this track, but they don’t feel awkward as they do with many bands. Hoskin really gets to let loose on track seven, “The Reign of Unending Terror”. The lead part runs through the majority of the song. “Termites” sets a more atmospheric tone, but not in the traditional sense. It’s not haunting or ethereal, but simply sets a mildly frantic mood, but in a good way. “Tongue-Splitter” almost feels like a continuation of the previous track – like the logical progression from one to the other. This musical masterpiece closes out with “Sex Tapes”. The lead part absolutely tears up and down the fret board with some insane tapping, and Rody definitely goes all out for this closer.

This third release by Protest the Hero shows that the band can, in fact, write something other than concept albums, and I love it. It’s catchy, witty, and absolutely oozing talent. Definitely be sure to pick up Scurrilous. You won’t regret it.