Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 9.5
Production: 9.0
Originality: 9.0
Tracklisting
2. The Dissentience
3. Bone Marrow
4. Sequoia Throne
5. Palms Read
6. Limb From Limb
7. Spoils
8. Wretch
9. Goddess Bound
10. Goddess Gagged
When it comes to metal these days, I’m relatively indifferent. Some of it’s got incredibly tight chops and musicianship, but in the end it’s generally all forgettable and identical. Sure, some bands (mostly the old “classic” bands) do it right consistently (namely, Every Time I Die, Darkest Hour). But with a slew of what I like to call robot metal bands—that is, bands with “blood, death, stab, hate, kill, etc..” in their name and some pretty kick ass guitar work but terrible songcraft—it’s hard to sift through the shit, to be blunt.
Protest The Hero’s “Kezia” isn’t bad. Truly, I thought there were some amazing chops on it guitar wise, but overall the songs and production resulted in a messy and confusing album. In a way, that’s their deal—to be confusing. Pardon my irony, but it’s not until this latest effort that they confused me straight.
“Fortress” is so jam packed with explosive metal jams, bellowing shrieks, tempo changes, and of course annihilating guitar riffs that it’s hard to see through it all. It took me several listens, but now I’m more than hooked.
Protest The Hero are going for some weird math/metal/prog/arena sound here that might come across the first time, the second time, and even the fifth time as confusing as shit. But, alas, that sixth listen, your head will be spinning so hard you won’t be able to screw it back together. Dare I say this might be the next Botch, or the Radiohead of math-metal? I dare. Dare I say this album makes it into one of my favorite heavy albums of 2008? I dare. But when you stumble across any of the multitude of rubber-necking guitar riffs or sounds on this album, you’ll be blown away too. Here’s a few hints: The detrimental synth solo at about 3:15 on “Limb To Limb,” the piano solo at the end of “Bone Marrow,” or the blazing solo toward the end of “Goddess Bound.”
Vocally, this guy doesn’t miss the mark too often. Sometimes he sounds a bit whiny (“Bone Marrow”) but when he shrieks and screams, the intensity is there and sounds right as rain. That’s not to say the singing is unbearable by any means; see “Sequoia Throne.”
Oh, and, yes, these guys opened for Dragonforce on a few dates here in the U.S. Sold yet?