Archive for the ‘Protest The Hero’ Category
Best Of 2008 (Aaron Long)
It’s late December, there’s a nip in the air, and everyone is panicking while trying to figure out what to do for New Years eve, and on top of all of that, we’re all having year end, top ten lists shoved down our throats. The whole format sickens me. Say I was doing the list for the top ten post-hardcore albums of the year. Honestly, I can only come up with two or three. Does that mean that I should fill in an album that disappointed me like Senses Fail’s Waiting Room, just so I can have a nice round number. No. No I shouldn’t. It is with that hatred of top ten’s in mind that I present my best of the year review. It’s broken down into several categories, and crammed full of goodness, so pay attention and you may learn something, or learn to hate me.
Best Albums
1. Protest The Hero – Fortress
It’s rare when the album that you had pegged as the best of the year before the year has even began turns out to prove you right, but then, Protest the Hero are a rare band. The follow-up to 2005’s prog-metal opera, Kezia, Fortress finds the boys in Protest ratcheting up the noodeling, bringing more effects to the table and deeper more violent imagery to the lyrics. And it’s hard to beat front man Rody Walkers uniquely falsetto growl, especial on lines like “….Be thankful you died by Irish steal.”
2. The Matches – A Band In Hope
I love The Matches and I love this album. They were all over the place on their last album Decomposer, working with a plethora of producers, including Mark Hoppus, but A Band In hope delivers on the promise made by some of Decomposers better tracks. It’s at times solemn and reflective, and then equally catchy and poppy. The Matches are just realizing who they are as a band and just coming into their own.
3. Underoath – Lost In The Sound Of Separation
It’s technically superior to anything else that came out this year, and Underoath just keep brining it, time and time again, album after album. Spencer Chamberlin’s scream is continuously getting better, and they’ve relegated drummer Aaron Gillespie nasal voice to a more secondary role on all but one song. If you’ve never listened to Underoath before, I’m sorry to say, that you don’t deserve the gift of hearing.
4.Finch – Finch EP
Finch re-defined post hardcore, had a bevy of bands line up to steal their sound, and then re-created themselves and had all the same bands steal their sound again. They split up in 2006 and took some time off before getting back together and releasing four songs of purest gold. The Finch EP finds the boys doing what they do best coming straight at you hard and melodic, and once again, putting a new spin on post hardcore.
Honorable Mention
Norma Jean – The Anti Mother
The Sound Of animals Fighting – The Ocean and the Sun
Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger
Best Side Projects
1. Anthony Green – Avalon
Anthony Green fronted Saosin before they sucked sweaty goat balls. His current band Circa Survive are going to reach new hights in the coming year, as their last album, On Letting Go was phenomenal, and they’re only getting better and he easily has the best voice in music. Avalon is sincere and showcases Green’s voice, the way it is meant to be heard.
Dear Child (I\'ve Been Trying To Reach You)
2. Cinematic Sunrise – A Coloring Storybook And Long-Playing Record
What a year for the hardest working man in rock. Craig Owens toured the country with Chiodos, released Cinematic Sunrise’s debut EP, joined the band Glaciers?, began plans for the release of his solo album, and ended the year with a handful of solo dates. Oh, and he tried to commit suicide too. Either way his voice is incredible, and his intelligence and passion for literature shine through his lyrics whether they’re found on a Chiodos disc or on this mellow, piano driven gem.
3. The Sound Of Animals Fighting – The Ocean And The Sun
TSOAF came back this year with another offering from your favorite animals. The Nightingale (RX Bandits – Rich Balling(who also produced)), The Walrus (RX Bandits – Matt Embree), The Lynx (RX Bandits – Chris Tsagakis) and The Skunk (Anthony Green – Circa Survive), compose the slimmed down roster this time around. The sound is slimmed down too from Lover Thy Lord Has Left Us, and focuses on Green and Ballings intertwining vocals, and atmospheric rock backing them up. Definitely worth checking out.
Honorable Mention
LoveYouMoon (Matt Embree) – Wax Wane
Best Live Show
1. Protest the Hero w/ Chiodos
@ The Sound Academy, Toronto
Chiodos is all energy and play like they’re on fire and to follow that up with Protest, who play so hard and loud, they could make your eyes bleed, and as it was the end of the tour and there hometown show they brought it extra hard.
2. Fall of Troy w/ The Dear Hunter, Foxy Shazam and Tera Melos
@ The Mod Club, Toronto
Go see Fall Of Troy Live. Nough said.
Honorable Mention
Minus The Bear
@ The Opera House, Toronto
Songs Not on Any Of The Above Albums
1. Yesterday’s Rising – The Alarm
2004’s We Speak We Breathe EP, promised a lot from Yesterday’s Rising, and after 2005’s far too Incubus-y full length Lightworker, that promise had still gone unfulfilled. The Alarm is the first step back to proving that they may very well be the best band most people have never heard of. Currently labelless, but constantly recording new music, it won’t be long before Yesterday rising gets another kick at the can, and likely launch that mother fucker into deep space.
2. Say Anything – I Got Your Money
from: Punk Goes Crunk
Say Anything’s Max Bemis a genius. A Bi-Polar genius, but if anything, that’s just icing on the cake. For this years release in the Punk Goes….. series, Crunk, as it were, Bemis tackled the 1999 ODB smash, I Got Your Money. As many of the tracks in that disc proved, hip-hop lyrics are pretty shit, but somehow he makes it work, without seeming to even make fun of it. Nothing I say can do Bem-Dawg credit, so just go and listen to the song, and for god sakes, someone give Bemis his money.
Anticipated in ‘09
’09 could potentially kick ass musically, or it could be so disappointing that I won’t want to make it twenty-ten. Releases from Chiodos, Circa Survive, Taking Back Sunday, The Ataris, Killswitch Engage, Finch, and hopefully Yesterdays Rising, are but a few, and God help us all, ’09 could also finally bring a new Glassjaw disc. If that’s not enough of a reason to look forward to 2009 with a finger in the air, yelling “fuck the recession”, than I don’t even want to talk to you.
Protest the Hero: Fortress Review
Protest the Hero is a fairly popular Canadian hardcore/progressive/metalcore/mathcore metal band from Whitby, Ontario. ‘Fortress’ is their second album and the first album I’ve heard from them. The first time I listened to the album, I didn’t like it. That is probably because I don’t listen to that kind of metal.
I don’t like Protest’s vocals. It consists of a lot of screaming and growling accompanied by whiny unmelodic singing. The growling I don’t mind as much but it’s the bad singing that really gets me. They do have a fair bit of good guitar shredding though. “Sequoia Throne” and “Palms Read” both started off pretty good and then quickly fell flat, kind of like a soufflé made by an amateur chef that deflates before it gets to your table. “Spoils” and “Bone Marrow” both end in instrumental, which are really the only parts of this album I liked.
I’ve now listened to this album three times. I still don’t like it. Nothing really stands out for me and every song sounds alike. I should really listen to their first album before deciding if this is just a bad album or a bad band. There are quite a few Protest fans out there. Obviously we all have different tastes and I guess I just appreciate good metal music. I’m afraid this is an album I’m gonna have to protest (HIYO!).
Buy this album at:
Amazon.ca
CD Universe
InSound
