One of those awesomely cool things about having a son that’s as into music as I am is the sharing of artists that we both may be passionate about.  Ian’s taste is like mine-  all over the map, liking a lot of cuts that are not played on the radio and listening to stuff that’s a little more eclectic than what the average Joe may be into..  I admit there are things where we differ in what we like but one of those that we both have in common is our love for Protest The Hero.

Hailing from Whitby, Ontario (that’s in Canada, hoser), Protest The Hero has been around since the early 2000s gravitating from punkier roots to an extremely progressive metal element with ridiculously good instrumentation and the incredible vocal work of lead singer Rody Walker.  My first exposure to the band came via the video for “C’est La Vie”, the lead cut from the band’s third release Scurrilous, an absolute knockout of a cut that is an excellent intro to the band for those of you uninitiated.  If you like metal that’s a bit more progressive and technical in style (even moreso than your Dream Theaters and Symphony Xs of the world) with extreme riffing and plenty of melodic guitar touches, then these guys are for you.

As an old school metalhead the key to this band for me are the remarkable pipes of Walker, one moment belting it out like a more demented King Diamond or Sebastian Bach (fellow Canadian and former lead throat for Skid Row) before slipping into a smooth falsetto voice then dropping down into a more guttural growl.  This guy HAS IT, especially for those of you that don’t like the Cookie Monster style vocals of other heavier bands these days.  Sure, Walker throws in the occasional GRRRRR here and there but he mixes it up extremely well (listen to something like “Sequioa Throne”, “Bloodmeat”, or “Clarity, or…  well…  there are plenty of great examples).  Ridiculously crazy, crazy range.

Did I say “extreme” riffing?  Oh yeah…  there is so much going on in these songs that they are perfect for those of you with short attention spans, but if you want typical 4/4 beats this surely won’t cut it for you.  Half this stuff feels like it could be the soundtrack to a car chase or some offbeat video game.  Songs will often start with one wicked riff followed by a crazily tapped melodic pattern then kicked into another gear with a near blast beat pattern on the drums before a totally different riff brings you home.  For you old dudes like me throw Iron Maiden, Pantera, Megadeth, Racer X, and Dream Theater in a blender with a dash of punk rock spirit and you have maybe 50% of what these guys are about.  These guys are serious players.

Weeeeeeeeelllll….  maybe not TOO serious.  These guys have some hilariously funny videos worthy of your attention too.  Dig the epic Star Wars vs Star Trek “fight” in their video for “Clarity”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7pvvAuj7jw

Look for a new EP from the band this year called Pacific Myth which you can get via their Bandcamp page at:  https://protestthehero.bandcamp.com