Talking and writing about the new Protest The Hero is interesting for million reasons. If we leave the brutal quality of these fun Canadian progressive metal boys aside, we need to talk about their direct influence on the whole scene and the music business. It is an aspect many people are not aware of. They did not invent the crowdfund idea, but is it the idea that helped them release their fourth album Volition. The same strategy was then used by many other metal bands, giving crowdfunding a legit and logical status.
Volition was dropped after the band collected 350.000 dollars, setting it as a gold standard to others, but also to themselves. It’s been few years since the milestone has occurred, and the fans wanted something new. But, Protest the Hero would not be Protest the Hero If they didn’t offer something other than just fresh songs. Conceptually, they have altered crowdfunding just enough to ask from their fans to subscribe to something that will give them a new song every 15th of the month. You could have also ‘donated’ 12 dollars instantly, and get 6 new song, but you could have also been more loyal and pay 25 dollars for which you also get six 20 minutes long making-of documentaries.
The final product is an entity called Pacific Myth. It might as well be an EP as it contains six songs, with the overall duration of 35 minutes. Still, Protest the Hero accomplished what they wanted and that is to please their fans.
Now let’s talk about the music. Ragged Tooth opens up the album and it sounds like it came off from their previous effort (which is not a bad thing at all). Tidal raises the bar and showcases their progressive vitality. The lyrics Why do we work until we die and the mid tempo section with tapping guitars sound just like they should.
Cold Water is an indicator of how metal band can sound powerful without being evil, while Cataract is the reason why I am envious of these guitarists.
Harbinger takes you back to the era of Fortress, and Caravan can be compared with anything from their epic career.
Protest the Hero have always been a joyful bunch of guys. Physical releases, short releases, singles, vinyl, streaming, download, paying in advance…Who knows what’s in front of us. But I am sure that Protest the Hero will be the first to do it.
