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Artist Spotlight - Protest the Hero

Written by Alex Therrian

Friday, 18 July 2008

Quick, name the best reviewed album of 2008, according to Metacritic.com? It’s not the overrated indie rock of Vampire Weekend nor is the Norwegian death metal band MeShuggah (they both scored 82, respectively). Scoring an average score of 90, Canadian metal upstarts Protest The Hero can claim the honor of best reviewed album of the year (so far), with their latest record Fortress.
After releasing the likable record Kezia two years ago, the band ups the stakes with Fortress, which is gaining a lot of new fans for the band from Ontario. The album is a blistering ten song record that works as a concept album about the worshipping of goddesses. With songs like “Goddess Bound” and “Goddess Gagged,” no one is going to confuse it as a record about war or anything else. The album also delves into the origins of Genghis Khan, as well as a dabbling of Irish mythology. But the band pulls off the material without sounding too dorky or cheesy in the process. Probably the most straight forward and accessible track is the opener “Bloodmeat,” which sounds like the band is giving the Dillinger Escape Plan a run for the crown of offbeat metal kings of the year. Other killer tracks include “Sequoia Throne” and the thrashing “Spoils,” in which lead singer Rody Walker wails at a deliciously off-kilter pace.
The band toured heavily behind Kezia, touring with such groups as Trivium and All That Remains. According to the band’s press release, “when this band ends, you will find us working at McDonald’s.” Hopefully, with more releases like Fortress, they can avoid taking your order anytime soon.
Protest The Hero’s Fortress is available now on Vagrant Records. They are playing today at the 2008 Warped Tour at Comerica Park in Detroit. Additional band dates can be found at www.protestthehero.com or warpedtour.com .

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