I think I discovered Protest The Hero when I was in grade 10, so I was about 14 or 15. After that point I think I listened to this album almost everyday for a year while I was going to class. Kezia is probably my favourite album of all time.
Protest The Hero released their first LP, Kezia, in 2005. The soaring vocals Rory puts out over top the musicianship of the other members of this band really put this album at the forefront of Canadian metal, and at the top of my list. As a guitarist, I was instantly fascinated with the guitar work of of Tim and Luke. You don't need to play any instrument to appreciate it though. Every track is unique enough so that you're always left amazed and wondering what's gonna come next. I think that's why this album stands out so much to me. Nothing gets stale, there's no filler. It's one banging track after another.
If you like mathy, technical metal with a lot of clean vocals, you won't be disappointed with this album. And don't worry, there's still a smattering of harsh vocals throughout the album to satisfy that need for some oomph.
Cool fact, this is a concept album, and in July of 2006, the vocalist Rody Walker talked about this. He said "There are two ways to explain the concept behind "Kezia": the literal meaning of it and the deeper meaning behind it. The simple explanation is that you have three characters on the album who all describe a certain situation from their point of view, which is the execution of a woman. We chose a priest, a prison guard who's also the executioner and the woman in question, Kezia. They all have three songs to tell their story. In the first song they paint a general picture, the second track explains how the character feels connected to Kezia and the third one is their view on the shooting of Kezia. The last song on the album brings us as a band into the picture, although the lyrics are written in the form of Kezia's last words. The deeper meaning of the concept is the gradual downfall of our society. We tried to make the lyrics timeless, so the story could be situated in any time period. There are also political and social critical messages in it. Not that we bluntly say that we hate Tony Blair or George Bush, but more in general comments on the fact that religion and power are getting more intertwined every day. The album is also about the responsibility that everyone has as a member of our society. It's your civil duty to act when you need to."
I pulled this interview from Wikipedia, the reference link is dead but it said it was from Protest The Hero: Conceptual Prodigies, by David. So thanks David for that interview.
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves some strong independent metal that really has its own unique sound. Math, prog metal, fast guitars, soaring vocals. Check it out.
Also, this is the first post so I'm still experimenting with how best to format these posts, and how to actually write in the first place. Let me know if there's anything you like or dislike in the comments, or don't.
Top Three Tracks:
Blindfolds Aside
The sweet pattern at the beginning, the crazy riffing, the pounding bass, it all comes together into one beautiful, chaotic mess. Plus the acoustic ending is pretty nice.
She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods
The first half of this song is pretty heavy, with plenty of heavy chugs, and then turns into this awesome operatic, huge ending carried by the vocals. I think the latter half of this song is the highlight of this album for me.
Turn Soonest To The Sea
I'm a sucker for awesome riffage, and this song has no lack of that. There's a surprisingly heavy breakdown in the middle of the song, followed by another banging outro led by Rory.
https://protestthehero.bandcamp.com/
http://www.protestthehero.ca/
I don't like the screaming. Great post!
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