6: Fortress, Innit?

Fortress (2008)

Protest the Hero

Vagrant Records

If you listened to Protest the Hero's first album, A Calculated Use of Sound, you'd expect them to be going nowhere beyond the local hardcore circuit. Quite frankly, it was unremarkable pop-punk with a-dime-a-dozen political attitudes. If you were then to move on to their 'proper' debut, Kezia you'd think to yourself "Holy fuck". It was described as Metalcore by some and it was described as Emo by others, but jesus christ that album was musically complex. Personally, I hate the aesthetic on that album, but I love the music and that's really saying something.

When Protest the Hero announced that their latest album, Fortress, would be a departure from their previous sound, that was a very, very good sign. Nothing could really have prepared me for what Fortress had in store. It takes influence from not only almost every sub-genre of metal, but from Jazz, Classical and even Dub Reggae. What's more is that it manages to integrate these styles fluidly into a sound that is uniquely their own. Nothing is here 'for the sake of it'; every riff and nuance seems perfectly in place. They knew where to draw the line in genre-experimentation and retained a compositional elegance to go with their tongue in cheek way of going about things. Add to this that each member is virtuoso at their instrument and you can easily imagine the scale of technicality on show. The only aspect of the instrumentation which is questionable, is the falsetto vocals of Rody Walker. In my opinion, he is an incredibly versatile vocalist, whose delivery is absolutely flawless. But that's precisely it; that's my opinion, and when it comes to this band, nothing seems to divide people more than his vocals. My guess is that the reason for this is a sort of macho "falsetto = gay" attitude among many metal fans. At any rate, his technical ability can only be praised, regardless of any personal qualms. While his prevailing style is falsetto crooning, he is capable of from death grunts, growls and screaming, straight into some of the most astounding clean vocals I've ever heard from a male.

When it comes to the rest of the band, everything is seemingly perfect for the job. While they are accused of "Yngwie Malmsteen Syndrome" (i.e. non-stop technical wank) I doubt you could find a single passage in the album in which there is a solo. The band is constantly working as a streamlined and efficient unit. Song structure will never be sacrificed for technicality, and it is this aspect that sets them further apart from Yngwie Malmsteen than most bands. The fact is that virtuosity does not equal musical masturbation so long as it's used cleverly. I'd consider a guitar solo in an Arctic Monkey song "wanky" not due to the technicality (or lack therof) but due to the fact that it's just been placed there for the sake of it. Moving on, Fortress is a concept album, although lyrically no longer politically charged. They've grown up since Kezia. Fortress is philosophically charged, making statements about the nature of language, the diminishing role of the goddess within religion and the inherent violence of our species.

The lyrics, framed by the music, creates one of the most satisfying listening experiences I've ever had. In fact the only aspect of this album that let's me down at all is the production. It's too damn clean. Every blip and crack has been removed from their sound. For such visceral and human music, it's far too perfect. I would kill for this album to be remastered with the production of Kezia. 

But that is essentially a small gripe that I have with an otherwise flawless album. It's honestly one of the most exciting albums I've ever heard, and when I imagine what Protest the Hero will be capable of by the release of the next album? There aren't words.