Protest The Hero - Fortress

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 30 / 1 / 2008

Label: Vagrant Records
Format: CD

intro

Essential hardcore on excellent second album from youthful Canadian quintet, Protest the Hero

This is the second album from Canadian youngsters, Protest the Hero. After making huge waves with their debut offering ‘Kezia’ the thrashers have wasted no time in getting more stuff ready and out in order to terrorize the public once again. ‘Fortress’ makes you feel like you’re in a hurricane. It is a tiring listen. It picks you up from the moment the first stupidly fast guitar lick kicks in on ‘Bloodmeat’ and it does not let you breathe again until the very last chords of ‘Goddess Gagged’. It is fantastic. You feel shattered after listening to this album, but it really is superb. I have no idea how one band manages to cram so much energy, passion, great ideas and mind blowing time changes into one album, even into one song as they do on the likes of ‘Bone Marrow’ and ‘Sequoia Throne’. One track which particularly stuck out for me was ‘Palms Read’. At about three minutes you think its slowing down and you’ve heard enough guitar widdling and cheeky bass solos for one life time then BOOM! Protest the Hero kick back in with an absolutely earth shattering riff that seems to come out of nowhere. These guys are phenomenal. They make you excited to listen to what is ahead because you really cannot tell what is going to be thrown at you next. ‘Kezia’ was a concept album of sorts, weaving a complex tale throughout. On 'Fortress' they have attempted to make an album where all the songs mingle together, and, like some of the greatest albums of all time, you feel the need to hear them all together for it all to make sense. Vocalist Rody Walker has a stunning voice with a lot of character and which really drives the music and the feel of the band's songs. Like Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, he has a very high and powerful singing voice that really grabs your attention. All the band, bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi, guitarists Tim Millar and Luke Hoskin and drummer Moe Carlson, lend skills beyond their years. With enough off kilter timing and riffs to make your head twirl, but not too complex as to baffle you, all of which is held together by pummeling drumming, this is as tight as a band get. If you’re a fan of Dillinger Escape Plan, Thrice, Finch, Biffy Clyro or anyone who pushes what they do to its absolute limit then Protest the Hero are essential.

Track Listing:-