Band : Protest The Hero

Album Title : Fortress

Label : Vagrant Records

Distribution : PIAS

Release date : April 2008

Review : CD

“Fortress” is the sophomore studio album from the Canadian metal band Protest The Hero (sometimes abbreviated as PTH ), a five-piece band that was formed in 2001 in Whitby , Ontario. The follow-up for the debut album “ Kezia ” (2005) counts 10 tracks which are divided in three song-movements. The theme of the album has to do with goddess worship. All of the band members are still in their early twenties, but they already possess quite some musical skills.

Protest The Hero play something that could more or less be described as technical metal, fluently going from melodic to brutal, incorporating elements of mathcore and prog metal, but nevertheless still difficult to classify. Their schizophrenic music contains unconventional song structures with many different elements in one song (perhaps a bit too much from time to time?) and solo's and rhythms that go against the grain while they remain listenable, though you have to listen to it more than once.

Fans of for instance At The Drive-In , The Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria should check out this impressive band. The album contains 10 tracks (42 minutes playing time), including the following highlights: the opening track “ Bloodmeat ” , “Bone Marrow” , “Sequoia Throne” , “Palms Read” , “Limb From Limb” (with a keyboard solo from Vadim Pruzhanov of DragonForce ), “Goddess Bound” and “Goddess Gagged” . Protest The Hero is extensively touring in Canada and the USA , but I hope they will also cross the ocean later this year.

85/100

Erik.