WE DID IT BOYS Great reaction. Drumhead Trial is a solid track if you ever revisit these guys on your channel for a sense of how their style has evolved over the years.
The lead singer Rody Walker is an absolute riot. He has a RUclips channel (it's just his name) where he will once and a great while post goofy videos of him and the band. I would recommend you listen to this album and their debut album kezia. It's an album they wrote they were teenagers; it's a very good concept album
Dude this made me genuinely happy seeing you fall in love so hard with these guys. This is the EXACT reaction I've always wanted when showing someone one of my favorite bands, and I've never gotten it before.
Their later stuff is more technical. Volition was self produced and therefore not influenced by labels and is my favorite album from them. Chris Adler played the drums for. Fantastic album.
I must vouch for Fortress. It was the almost perfect blend of technical and aggressive metal. My personal favorite. Volition takes the technicality cake.
Shit, just realized I've been listening to the boys for more or less a decade. It is hard to for me to decide my favourite album from PTH. I would say that the weakest link, for me, is Scurrilous. Still enjoy most of the songs of that album, but not as much as the others. And I've been having a blast with Palimpsest now. Been a great week.
i'm here to say two things 1. scurrilous is a criminally underrated follow up album to fortress 2. when periphery first released a studio teaser in 2011 with spencer singing the chorus to 'make total destroy', for the recording of periphery II's release in 2012, tons of people commented that they were doing a 'protest the hero' chorus so yeah this has been around a bit
Also Spencer has said multiple times that Rudy was a huge influence on his vocals, they even performed the man/woman vocal trade-off section in Hair Trigger live
Ooooh, one of my favourite bands, can´t really go wrong with any of their songs. Edit: I highly recommend that you check out all of their records, each one is a bit more refined then the last, but they are all really great.
Mannn I can't believe you love THA but haven't got into protest the hero! Their musical stylings are phenomenal and vary so much from album to album. Bonus is they literally have the latest album releasing tomorrow as well. Super glad to see someone finally give them some due, phenomenal band.
I grew up in Toronto Canada so I discovered these guy from the first album as they are from a suburb outside Toronto called Whitby. I was young when I first heard them and I couldn't really appreciate the musicianship despite liking their music. Listening to their old stuff and realizing how young they were when they wrote it is just amazing. Super talented band, and just great music.
Exactly what I was thinking watching it. DEP are always a hard one to know which track to recommend someone start with given their stuff isn't the most approachable to fresh ears. Maybe something like Farewell, Mona Lisa is a good starting place.
@@chopchop080808 oooo you're on to something here! Some Dillinger would be awesome just none of their ballads or pop songs lol I wanna see what he thinks of like Panasonic youth or 82588 😂 shits so good
Protest the hero rules. Check out dillinger escape plan for a similarish style band from the same era. Farewell Mona Lisa is a good intro track I think. Although they have a few solid songs.
Bloodmeat is good, but I think sequioa throne kicks it's ass. Whole band just throwing down. When I saw this guys reactions to the vocals, I knew that he'd have been gobsmacked by sequioa throne
Yeah sequoia throne is great, after fortress I became slightly less interested but that doesn’t mean it was worse by any means, I like cest la vie a lot to though
Heard of them from their latest album recently, the song "The canary" was the one that got my attention, now that i listened to other good song by them with Bryan im gonna definitely check them out
THANK YOU SO MUCH for doing Protest. Them and Periphery are two of my favorite bands. You will not be disappointed with them, when you listen. It made me SO happy that when the video was over, you immediately said you were going to grab the album after. If you do them again, please do "Plato's Tripartite" and read the lyrics while you listen. It's phenomenal. (And side note, you got my last name right the first time. :P)
"This seems to be tailer made for me" is exactly what I thought of their first album. Kezia is even more 2000's and perfect. Great band. One of the only other band's I've felt that way about is Invalids. Imagine this without distortion or screaming, but with all of the energy, ambition and musical references. Check out: Invalids - "A Rather Mediocre Genius"
I've been checking in every couple of weeks to see if you'd do a PtH song or two. I was 30 back in 2008 when this band released Bloodmeat/Fortress in the States (i believe it was out in Canada in 2007). Been my favorite band since then. Can listen to all their releases straight through without experiencing a dull moment. Palimpsest, the new album is SICK but definitely explore their catalog from back to front. I've never heard a band continue to evolve quite like PtH has. Diligence is the mother of good luck!
Honestly, despite the line "Genghis Khan is upon us" I really had no idea! This song to me has always come across as someone writing about a great hero, but someone who is LIKE Khan. TIL! Though I guess in hindsight the "DADADADA!!" after the ".. Is upon us" makes sense. It's just Khan cutting down his enemies in battle.
Palms Read is a criminally underrated song. Sequoia Throne, Bloodmeat, and Limb from Limb get all the spotlight. Any drummer should listen to the Dissentience. Wretch and Goddess Gagged are also amazing, Goddess Bound and Spoils are awesome follow-ups to those too. And the ending to Bone Marrow... beautiful lead into Sequoia Throne. I just named the entire album, didn't I?
That face is exactly how I reacted the first time. I saw protest in Melbourne. They did this song. And Rody banged out every single one of those notes perfectly. Absolute freak. Mind blown!
Protest the Hero's first EP is dated 2002 and their first album Kezia 2005. Kazia and Fortress are two amazing albums and are worth your time. They will be releasing a new album June 18th. Great Canadian band.
Rody Walker (lead vocalist for PTH) just talked about trying to get The Human Abstract back together. Protest The Hero was bigger in 2008 than The Human Abstract, and I know that THA was trying to breakthrough in the scene when PTH had already broken through.
This is the song that sunk it's hooks into me. I was an instant addict. The next track that really got me was "Sequoia Throne". The rabbit hole was deep once I jumped in but I loved every minute of it. Great reaction. PTH is one hell of a ride!
I found out about these guys from my freshman band instructor, they were his favorite band. I highly recommend their song “The Canary” from their most recent album. Protest The Hero is just amazing song after amazing song, and with how deep their discography is, it’s genuinely incredible how good they continue to be.
So glad you found these guys! I've been complaining about how scandalously underrated they are for like 12 years. It's awesome seeing someone be so stoked about them. I'm sure you've already listened to the Fortress album, but if for some reason you haven't, Sequoia Throne is another great song on it.
I had a similar reaction almost 15 years ago. Got home late, stoned, on a school night and caught this video on Mtv2's Headbanger's ball. My love for them hasnt waned a bit since, cant say the same for other bands I listened to back then.
I actually got to see these guys do a headline tour with The Chariot and The Human Abstract back in 2009. Was a great show. If you do more Protest The Hero, my suggestion is Turn Soonest to the Sea.
Soooo glad you did these guys! Fortress is one of my favorite albums of all time, and it’s interesting what you said about our music taste getting “stuck” in our formative years - because Kezia and Fortress were easily two of my most played albums throughout high school. If you revisit PTH, I have to throw a vote towards Bone Marrow. It’s still my favorite song by them, and part of the reason I became a bass player (that intro - you’ll know what I mean).
I saw these guys live opening for Between the Buried and Me at least 12 years ago. Had no idea who they were but I was an instant fan. Like a week later I saw this video on Headbangers Ball and I was absolutely blown away. Got this album on vinyl and they remain one of my all time favorites.
One of my all time favorite albums back in HS. Definitely react to some more of their shit! Sequoia Throne and Wretch are my fav off this album. C'est La Vi off the next one is amazing too
Protest the Hero toured with The Human Abstract a couple of times. At the time, it was hard to find bands that sounded alike and that's probably why the ended up touring together. I was surprised you connected them!
I was really looking forward to you checking these guys out, I’m not surprised you really liked them. It would be awesome to see a reaction to a full album, even if it’s not your first listen. Rody Walker is a great , also up until recently he was completely self taught. Their latest album that got released yesterday got delayed for quite a while because Rody damaged his voice really badly. Fortunately he was able to recover, he relearnt how to sing smith proper coaching and is sounding better than ever.
The whole album is like this. It's crazy. Glad you talked about post-hardcore because they've always reminded me of a prog-thrash version of At the Drive-In
They just released a huge album, lots of expectations on it because it was a long time without new music and the singer has some recovery of his voice to do, so definitely worth it checking more of them out
Yaaaaay!!! You did Bloodmeat! Love that song. Also yeah, they were contemporaries of The Human Abstract. Protest the Hero actually just put out an album a couple days ago. Also, yeah...they have a weird sense of humor.
This reaction vid made my day. I still remember the first time I listened to Protest the Hero in 2005 and was completely blown away. I still don't understand why they are not more well-known in the prog metal scene (especially since Chris Adler stepped in to record an album with them). I am sure you've done your homework on Protest the Hero by now, but their first album Kezia is a fucking masterpiece. Concept album, mostly through-composed and the same marriage of post-hardcore and prog. So incredible, they wrote it while they were still in high school.
This is a band I've been meaning to check out for ages. Really dug this so it might inspire me to finally do it. I know the Adam Neely video you referenced, but I tried to find it a while ago and couldn't. I think he deleted it. There was a NYT article/study that his video was based on: www.theverge.com/2018/2/12/17003076/spotify-data-shows-songs-teens-adult-taste-music I seem to be the exception to that study, probably because by the time I was 14 I was already checking out classical, prog, classic rock, classic metal, etc., all stuff that was popular before my time. We're just about the same age too; I've just got a couple years on you. We both also seem to be the exception in our desire to seek out/find new music into our 30s. I'm constantly listening to/discovering new artists. There's just so much music out there!
I saw some people mention skies, I really recommend that track probably my favorite track by them. Furthermore they just released their latest album “palimpsest” and I really think you would absolutely love the entire album.
You accurately described not only Protest The Hero, but also Sikth. They are doing a mix of early 2000s emo / posthardcore combined with modern djent/ mathcore. Their Debut was from 2003 and they count as the grandfathers of djent together with Meshuggah, while being way more theatralic in the weirdest possible way. Progressive math/emocore I´d call it. Sick riffing, two singers. If you like this band, you will like them too!
I was incredibly impressed with his vocals, as well as Mars Volta's vocalist Cedric. But then I listened to them live some years after. And they just ripped their vocal folds apart. It sounded so sad. I still listen to Mars Volta's Comatorium, but when I see Protest the Hero I just cannot forget how he sounds now. For all you vocalists, make sure to balance expression with health.
Nocturne and Kezia, THA and PTH's first albums respectively, were released in 06 and 05. I would imagine that the follow up albums for each band inspired each other. You should definitely check out the new Protest record, its incredible and everything that made them great on Fortress has matured like a good whiskey.
the same reaction I had when I first heard PTH Kezia. Man... somewhat, this guys probbed my mind and written an album after that. Every riff, vocal hook, melodic part...everything blend so well....
Nocturne came out about a year after their Kezia debut, which was written years before that. I know you get a ton of requests, you don't have to "video review" this, but based on hearing your breakdown of this and references (Chiodos, The Used) you should really really give Capstan a listen--their song Consumed is a really great early/mid-2000s era piece, but made modern. All of their music is worth listening, but that one has a good mixture of sounds, tempo changes, representative of that era. Enjoy. Bonus: The Safety Fire - Beware the Leopard (with guest vocals by Tommy Rogers of BTBAM)
This whole album is fantastic, this & 'Sequoia Throne' are my favorite songs of theirs. Seen em live once a few years back & yeah they are super fun haha
Love what you said about music from the 2000s! I've loved this band since I was a junior in high school, which has been almost a decade now! If you are doing a deep dive then I think you'll really enjoy all they have and I believe how they've developed over the years!
Hey man, if you haven't purchased the album yet, and you're looking for vinyl, check out Sheet Happens Publishing. On that site they have all their albums (and many more) plus tones of tabs and sheet music and merch. The best part is, Sheet Happens is a company run by the Guitarist of Protest the Hero, Luke Hoskin.
There couldn't be a better time to get into Protest the Hero. They just dropped a new Album "Palimpsest" that's just incredible. Would HIGHLY recommend. These guys are seriously talented.
Protest the Hero is pretty sweet. My favorite song of theirs is "Without Prejudice", it's super skittery and exactly the kind of riffing that's my favorite. I gotta listen to them more often.
Great timing on reacting to this since their first album in seven years releases this Friday. Their label Sheet Happens Publishing has their whole discog available for physical purchase (better to buy from there than Amazon).
"Craig Owens and Bert McKraken combined" Absolutely. Heck, I'd even say there's a little Tyson Stevens (Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Coma Prevail) in there. Especially Coma Prevail. It's the phenomenal gumbo pot of vocal ability!
I usual try to get into bands chronologically so I don't get spoiled by maturity and modern production values before getting into the older stuff but I might have to make an exception given the timing :)
I remember when a friend told me about this new band Protest the Hero. I listened to em and just couldn't figure it out, I then saw them perform right after Fortess came out and have been hooked ever since. Spent way to much time figuring out their guitar, Luke and Tim are nutty with their styles.
These guys are insane! Check out their debut album "Kezia" it's a concept album that head from toe is insane and the kicker is they wrote it when they were in high school! Not as polished or technical as this but I feel its one of the best albums most people will never know!
More Protest the Hero, and more Between the Buried and Me. Two of the most incredible bands of this generation in my opinion. You are in for a big treat if you are just discovering Protest. They are my favorite progressive metal band, and masters of musical composition. Anything off Fortress, Scurrilous and Volition is pure gold.
PTH was my intro into prog metal as a teenager after listening to older metal and metalcore, definitely the defining band for my music tastes to this day. So much can be said about them musically, but the singer and lyrics will always be my favorite part of them! Any album you listen to will please your ears, but Kezia will always be special.
Got to see the Kezia and Fortress 10 year anniversary tours. Legit 2 of the best ever released prog/mathcore albums imo. PtH will never get all the hype they deserve in my books.
There’s nothing more I love than watching someone react to Roddy! I know exactly when your ears ganna prick up. I saw this song live about a year or 2 ago. And he absolutely nails it. Effortlessly. Insane. And the musicians are complete freaks who never miss a note.
I Love Them. Been a while since I listened to them. Thanks for reminding me. First time I saw a video of them they were playing on a street corner. Amazing intense hardcore stuff. The first album was amazing. Fortress was great too. Blodmeat is on that. They crowdfunded the 2013 album Volition raising much more than their $125.000 goal.
Actually, Protest the Hero started before 2006, it's been around since 2002, and the actual formula is evolving since, Kezia and Scurrilous are widely recommended to get a better perspective, awesome review, thank you.
I was gonna ask you to react to more Protest the Hero songs because Bloodmeat is only a drop in the bucket for how truly phenomenal Protest is, but then you said you were going to devour the entire discography and that makes me super happy! Their very recently released album, Palimpsest, was so good I literally cried tears of happiness. I love every release from them but Kezia, Fortress, and Palimpsest are their best in my opinion. Scurrilous and Volition are also absolutely incredible but I don't hold them to the same caliber as the aforementioned albums (although Chris Adler featuring on drums for Volition adds some extra spiciness to the sound and is overall a bit better than Scurrilous). Pacific Myth is their poorest release in my opinion but it is still a great listen which should speak volumes on how fantastic this band is. I enjoyed this reaction so much because it was like watching my own reaction to when I was first exposed to their music 13 or 14 years ago. Long story short, Protest can do no wrong and keep on listening because they have surprises within every album and they are one of the most consistent bands I have had the pleasure of listening to.
"I didn't know music could be so perfect" THANK YOU. It's that simple with these guys
This is the song that got me into them. Fortress is still so good.
Fortress still holds up dude! just released a cover of Bloodmeat if you're into that =D
Palimpsest out now! It's great!
@@Acafer84 it's the new album I needed from them.
This is still in my gym playlist. Fuck pre-workout lol
Fortress is a masterpiece!
WE DID IT BOYS
Great reaction. Drumhead Trial is a solid track if you ever revisit these guys on your channel for a sense of how their style has evolved over the years.
I'm so proud of us. 🤘
The lead singer Rody Walker is an absolute riot. He has a RUclips channel (it's just his name) where he will once and a great while post goofy videos of him and the band.
I would recommend you listen to this album and their debut album kezia. It's an album they wrote they were teenagers; it's a very good concept album
The one where he's changing the outdoor lights on his house fucking killed me.
Dude this made me genuinely happy seeing you fall in love so hard with these guys. This is the EXACT reaction I've always wanted when showing someone one of my favorite bands, and I've never gotten it before.
I literally just wrote this exact same thing on another composer/reactor’s page, then needed more XD
Next: Protest the Hero - the entire Kezia album :D
No Stars Over Bethlehem was my intro into Protest The Hero. Been a fan since. Such a good album. Every song is good!
Hearing These Colors on MuchLoud or the Punk Show back in the early 2000's did it for me. Fav band since.
just do volition album and stop messing around atleast the first song.
@@phreniccanvas7549 COUGH, GASP, AND SPUTTER..
It's almost impressive. The lack of reactions to protest...
Their later stuff is more technical. Volition was self produced and therefore not influenced by labels and is my favorite album from them.
Chris Adler played the drums for. Fantastic album.
Volition doesn't get the love it deserves.
I must vouch for Fortress. It was the almost perfect blend of technical and aggressive metal. My personal favorite. Volition takes the technicality cake.
Shit, just realized I've been listening to the boys for more or less a decade.
It is hard to for me to decide my favourite album from PTH. I would say that the weakest link, for me, is Scurrilous. Still enjoy most of the songs of that album, but not as much as the others. And I've been having a blast with Palimpsest now. Been a great week.
i'm here to say two things
1. scurrilous is a criminally underrated follow up album to fortress
2. when periphery first released a studio teaser in 2011 with spencer singing the chorus to 'make total destroy', for the recording of periphery II's release in 2012, tons of people commented that they were doing a 'protest the hero' chorus
so yeah this has been around a bit
Scurrilous is wonderful
Also Spencer has said multiple times that Rudy was a huge influence on his vocals, they even performed the man/woman vocal trade-off section in Hair Trigger live
Ooooh, one of my favourite bands, can´t really go wrong with any of their songs.
Edit: I highly recommend that you check out all of their records, each one is a bit more refined then the last, but they are all really great.
No other band has both matured AND stayed the same over this long of a career.
Each album sounds totally new, but completely like them
Mannn I can't believe you love THA but haven't got into protest the hero! Their musical stylings are phenomenal and vary so much from album to album. Bonus is they literally have the latest album releasing tomorrow as well.
Super glad to see someone finally give them some due, phenomenal band.
I grew up in Toronto Canada so I discovered these guy from the first album as they are from a suburb outside Toronto called Whitby. I was young when I first heard them and I couldn't really appreciate the musicianship despite liking their music. Listening to their old stuff and realizing how young they were when they wrote it is just amazing. Super talented band, and just great music.
Would be interested to see his take on The Dillinger Escape Plan
Exactly what I was thinking watching it. DEP are always a hard one to know which track to recommend someone start with given their stuff isn't the most approachable to fresh ears. Maybe something like Farewell, Mona Lisa is a good starting place.
@@chopchop080808 oooo you're on to something here! Some Dillinger would be awesome just none of their ballads or pop songs lol I wanna see what he thinks of like Panasonic youth or 82588 😂 shits so good
@@chopchop080808 Limerent Death is the only song of theirs that blew me away upon first listening
Protest the hero rules. Check out dillinger escape plan for a similarish style band from the same era. Farewell Mona Lisa is a good intro track I think. Although they have a few solid songs.
THAT WOULD BE AWESOME, maybe when i lost my bet
Do their song 'Sequoia Throne' !
Bloodmeat is good, but I think sequioa throne kicks it's ass. Whole band just throwing down. When I saw this guys reactions to the vocals, I knew that he'd have been gobsmacked by sequioa throne
That song hooked me on em from the 1st listen
Yeah sequoia throne is great, after fortress I became slightly less interested but that doesn’t mean it was worse by any means, I like cest la vie a lot to though
Protest The Hero - Mist is a must-listen as well. The energy in that song and their blend of musicality really captures you superbly.
I absolutely love this band. I'll put in another vote for the song "Skies" in case you want to react to another one. Very different from this song.
Skies is perfect
Now it's time for SiKth - Scent of the Obscene or Bland Street Bloom
Would love to see thoughts on bland street bloom
It's insane how much panic they put into their songs while still being one of the most harmonious bands I've ever heard even 14 years later ❤
Added Tesseract and now PTH. Keep hitting up my favorite bands bruh lol. Sleep token is on the horizon 😁
Their live performances were always super high energy and rowdy. Like backflips, hanging from rafters, stage dives, and such.
Heard of them from their latest album recently, the song "The canary" was the one that got my attention, now that i listened to other good song by them with Bryan im gonna definitely check them out
Late to the party stills means you made it. You've got quite the back catalogue to work through. Enjoy!
I would strongly recommend the album Volition - Skies, Mist and Plato's Tripartite (among others) are simply phenomenal tracks.
If you want good licks from Palimpsest, the Migrant Mother, Rivet, and the Fireside are my favorites.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for doing Protest. Them and Periphery are two of my favorite bands. You will not be disappointed with them, when you listen. It made me SO happy that when the video was over, you immediately said you were going to grab the album after.
If you do them again, please do "Plato's Tripartite" and read the lyrics while you listen. It's phenomenal. (And side note, you got my last name right the first time. :P)
"This seems to be tailer made for me" is exactly what I thought of their first album. Kezia is even more 2000's and perfect. Great band.
One of the only other band's I've felt that way about is Invalids. Imagine this without distortion or screaming, but with all of the energy, ambition and musical references. Check out:
Invalids - "A Rather Mediocre Genius"
I've been checking in every couple of weeks to see if you'd do a PtH song or two. I was 30 back in 2008 when this band released Bloodmeat/Fortress in the States (i believe it was out in Canada in 2007). Been my favorite band since then. Can listen to all their releases straight through without experiencing a dull moment. Palimpsest, the new album is SICK but definitely explore their catalog from back to front. I've never heard a band continue to evolve quite like PtH has. Diligence is the mother of good luck!
Diligence is the mother of good luuuuck!! GOOD LUCK! GOOD LUCK!GOOD LUCK!
“This song is fun musically” what was your reaction to finding out it’s about Genghis khan killing ppl lol
Yeah......that was a shock for sure 😅
Honestly, despite the line "Genghis Khan is upon us" I really had no idea! This song to me has always come across as someone writing about a great hero, but someone who is LIKE Khan. TIL!
Though I guess in hindsight the "DADADADA!!" after the ".. Is upon us" makes sense. It's just Khan cutting down his enemies in battle.
The whole fortress album is in that same vein medieval kind of stuff, limb from limb is good
Their new album came out today, you couldn’t have gotten into this phenomenal band at a better time!
It makes me so happy that you loves this so much. Their new album drops tomorrow!!
Fortress is hands down their best album. I would recommend Palms Read next!
Palms Read is a criminally underrated song. Sequoia Throne, Bloodmeat, and Limb from Limb get all the spotlight. Any drummer should listen to the Dissentience.
Wretch and Goddess Gagged are also amazing, Goddess Bound and Spoils are awesome follow-ups to those too. And the ending to Bone Marrow... beautiful lead into Sequoia Throne.
I just named the entire album, didn't I?
That face is exactly how I reacted the first time. I saw protest in Melbourne. They did this song. And Rody banged out every single one of those notes perfectly. Absolute freak.
Mind blown!
Subbed strictly because I saw Protest get the respect they are due. Great video
I am begging you to do an album reaction to their first album, it’s top 5 albums ever made for me tbh
Kezia is FAR more beautiful if you read the lyrics and listen to the entire album all in one go. The overarching theme is just fabulous.
Protest the Hero's first EP is dated 2002 and their first album Kezia 2005. Kazia and Fortress are two amazing albums and are worth your time. They will be releasing a new album June 18th. Great Canadian band.
so glad you liked the PTH! Your smile you had while you were jamming was priceless. Loved the detailed breakdown at the end
Other track suggestions by Protest The Hero:
Blindfolds Aside
Turn Soonest to the Sea
The Divine Suicide of K.
All amazing songs of an amazing album:)
Bury the Hatchet is good too
I also really like Blindfolds Aside and Hair Trigger
Guys, guyz, geies... Kezia is GOAT.
Rody Walker (lead vocalist for PTH) just talked about trying to get The Human Abstract back together. Protest The Hero was bigger in 2008 than The Human Abstract, and I know that THA was trying to breakthrough in the scene when PTH had already broken through.
This is the song that sunk it's hooks into me. I was an instant addict. The next track that really got me was "Sequoia Throne". The rabbit hole was deep once I jumped in but I loved every minute of it. Great reaction. PTH is one hell of a ride!
I found out about these guys from my freshman band instructor, they were his favorite band. I highly recommend their song “The Canary” from their most recent album. Protest The Hero is just amazing song after amazing song, and with how deep their discography is, it’s genuinely incredible how good they continue to be.
lol how did I just see this review after you even mentioned me in the beginning??? Mind blown.
So glad you found these guys! I've been complaining about how scandalously underrated they are for like 12 years. It's awesome seeing someone be so stoked about them. I'm sure you've already listened to the Fortress album, but if for some reason you haven't, Sequoia Throne is another great song on it.
Heads up, they released an album yesterday and it’s awesome! All Hands is incredible
I had a similar reaction almost 15 years ago. Got home late, stoned, on a school night and caught this video on Mtv2's Headbanger's ball. My love for them hasnt waned a bit since, cant say the same for other bands I listened to back then.
"Guess what album is going in my Amazon cart" bahahaha. Honestly, make it the discography. These Canadian boys have not made a bad album yet
Their lowest lows are only relative to the bar they've set.
I actually got to see these guys do a headline tour with The Chariot and The Human Abstract back in 2009. Was a great show.
If you do more Protest The Hero, my suggestion is Turn Soonest to the Sea.
Soooo glad you did these guys! Fortress is one of my favorite albums of all time, and it’s interesting what you said about our music taste getting “stuck” in our formative years - because Kezia and Fortress were easily two of my most played albums throughout high school.
If you revisit PTH, I have to throw a vote towards Bone Marrow. It’s still my favorite song by them, and part of the reason I became a bass player (that intro - you’ll know what I mean).
I saw these guys live opening for Between the Buried and Me at least 12 years ago. Had no idea who they were but I was an instant fan. Like a week later I saw this video on Headbangers Ball and I was absolutely blown away. Got this album on vinyl and they remain one of my all time favorites.
One of my all time favorite albums back in HS. Definitely react to some more of their shit! Sequoia Throne and Wretch are my fav off this album. C'est La Vi off the next one is amazing too
Protest the Hero toured with The Human Abstract a couple of times. At the time, it was hard to find bands that sounded alike and that's probably why the ended up touring together. I was surprised you connected them!
I was really looking forward to you checking these guys out, I’m not surprised you really liked them. It would be awesome to see a reaction to a full album, even if it’s not your first listen.
Rody Walker is a great , also up until recently he was completely self taught. Their latest album that got released yesterday got delayed for quite a while because Rody damaged his voice really badly. Fortunately he was able to recover, he relearnt how to sing smith proper coaching and is sounding better than ever.
The whole album is like this. It's crazy. Glad you talked about post-hardcore because they've always reminded me of a prog-thrash version of At the Drive-In
They just released a huge album, lots of expectations on it because it was a long time without new music and the singer has some recovery of his voice to do, so definitely worth it checking more of them out
Yaaaaay!!! You did Bloodmeat! Love that song. Also yeah, they were contemporaries of The Human Abstract. Protest the Hero actually just put out an album a couple days ago.
Also, yeah...they have a weird sense of humor.
Discovering PTH was like an awakening haha love your reaction.
This reaction vid made my day. I still remember the first time I listened to Protest the Hero in 2005 and was completely blown away. I still don't understand why they are not more well-known in the prog metal scene (especially since Chris Adler stepped in to record an album with them).
I am sure you've done your homework on Protest the Hero by now, but their first album Kezia is a fucking masterpiece. Concept album, mostly through-composed and the same marriage of post-hardcore and prog. So incredible, they wrote it while they were still in high school.
This is a band I've been meaning to check out for ages. Really dug this so it might inspire me to finally do it. I know the Adam Neely video you referenced, but I tried to find it a while ago and couldn't. I think he deleted it. There was a NYT article/study that his video was based on: www.theverge.com/2018/2/12/17003076/spotify-data-shows-songs-teens-adult-taste-music I seem to be the exception to that study, probably because by the time I was 14 I was already checking out classical, prog, classic rock, classic metal, etc., all stuff that was popular before my time. We're just about the same age too; I've just got a couple years on you. We both also seem to be the exception in our desire to seek out/find new music into our 30s. I'm constantly listening to/discovering new artists. There's just so much music out there!
I saw some people mention skies, I really recommend that track probably my favorite track by them. Furthermore they just released their latest album “palimpsest” and I really think you would absolutely love the entire album.
You accurately described not only Protest The Hero, but also Sikth. They are doing a mix of early 2000s emo / posthardcore combined with modern djent/ mathcore. Their Debut was from 2003 and they count as the grandfathers of djent together with Meshuggah, while being way more theatralic in the weirdest possible way.
Progressive math/emocore I´d call it. Sick riffing, two singers. If you like this band, you will like them too!
I was incredibly impressed with his vocals, as well as Mars Volta's vocalist Cedric. But then I listened to them live some years after. And they just ripped their vocal folds apart. It sounded so sad. I still listen to Mars Volta's Comatorium, but when I see Protest the Hero I just cannot forget how he sounds now. For all you vocalists, make sure to balance expression with health.
I'm glad you found them! I I've listened to them with The Human Absract for a long time! They're definitely a fun and silly band!
Nocturne and Kezia, THA and PTH's first albums respectively, were released in 06 and 05. I would imagine that the follow up albums for each band inspired each other. You should definitely check out the new Protest record, its incredible and everything that made them great on Fortress has matured like a good whiskey.
the same reaction I had when I first heard PTH Kezia. Man... somewhat, this guys probbed my mind and written an album after that. Every riff, vocal hook, melodic part...everything blend so well....
Nocturne came out about a year after their Kezia debut, which was written years before that. I know you get a ton of requests, you don't have to "video review" this, but based on hearing your breakdown of this and references (Chiodos, The Used) you should really really give Capstan a listen--their song Consumed is a really great early/mid-2000s era piece, but made modern. All of their music is worth listening, but that one has a good mixture of sounds, tempo changes, representative of that era. Enjoy. Bonus: The Safety Fire - Beware the Leopard (with guest vocals by Tommy Rogers of BTBAM)
that bassline so amazing
This whole album is fantastic, this & 'Sequoia Throne' are my favorite songs of theirs. Seen em live once a few years back & yeah they are super fun haha
Fuck yeh, im so stoked. Protest the Hero is so underrated imo. One of my favorite bands of all time.
Love what you said about music from the 2000s! I've loved this band since I was a junior in high school, which has been almost a decade now! If you are doing a deep dive then I think you'll really enjoy all they have and I believe how they've developed over the years!
Hey man, if you haven't purchased the album yet, and you're looking for vinyl, check out Sheet Happens Publishing. On that site they have all their albums (and many more) plus tones of tabs and sheet music and merch. The best part is, Sheet Happens is a company run by the Guitarist of Protest the Hero, Luke Hoskin.
There couldn't be a better time to get into Protest the Hero. They just dropped a new Album "Palimpsest" that's just incredible. Would HIGHLY recommend.
These guys are seriously talented.
when i learned you loved THA, i figured you knew Protest. glad you got to em and enjoyed as expected!
Protest the Hero is pretty sweet. My favorite song of theirs is "Without Prejudice", it's super skittery and exactly the kind of riffing that's my favorite. I gotta listen to them more often.
Their entire discography is fucking incredible. My favourite ever band for good reason
Great timing on reacting to this since their first album in seven years releases this Friday. Their label Sheet Happens Publishing has their whole discog available for physical purchase (better to buy from there than Amazon).
They did release an EP Pacific Myth in 2015-2016. I've had the new album on pre-order for a while now. Looking forward to listen to it.
Thanks for the heads up about their publisher. I try to avoid Amazon when I can anyways but especially when it comes to music.
"Craig Owens and Bert McKraken combined"
Absolutely.
Heck, I'd even say there's a little Tyson Stevens (Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Coma Prevail) in there. Especially Coma Prevail.
It's the phenomenal gumbo pot of vocal ability!
Can't say I've listened to any of the bands you mentioned for Tyson Stevens but I might have to now :)
you're in for a treat!! they are releasing a new album TOMORROW!! this was perfect timing!
I usual try to get into bands chronologically so I don't get spoiled by maturity and modern production values before getting into the older stuff but I might have to make an exception given the timing :)
I remember when a friend told me about this new band Protest the Hero. I listened to em and just couldn't figure it out, I then saw them perform right after Fortess came out and have been hooked ever since. Spent way to much time figuring out their guitar, Luke and Tim are nutty with their styles.
Yeah this album and the one before and after are great. Saw them live back in 2010 in Toronto and they pulled it off live amazingly. Enjoy the trip.
These guys are insane! Check out their debut album "Kezia" it's a concept album that head from toe is insane and the kicker is they wrote it when they were in high school! Not as polished or technical as this but I feel its one of the best albums most people will never know!
More Protest the Hero, and more Between the Buried and Me. Two of the most incredible bands of this generation in my opinion. You are in for a big treat if you are just discovering Protest. They are my favorite progressive metal band, and masters of musical composition. Anything off Fortress, Scurrilous and Volition is pure gold.
PTH was my intro into prog metal as a teenager after listening to older metal and metalcore, definitely the defining band for my music tastes to this day. So much can be said about them musically, but the singer and lyrics will always be my favorite part of them! Any album you listen to will please your ears, but Kezia will always be special.
Dude yes. Hope you were able to listen to this entire album. It's mind bogglingly great
Got to see the Kezia and Fortress 10 year anniversary tours. Legit 2 of the best ever released prog/mathcore albums imo. PtH will never get all the hype they deserve in my books.
She who mars the skin of gods! By far my favourite song by this band . Thank you , thank you, thank you for reacting to this band.
There’s nothing more I love than watching someone react to Roddy! I know exactly when your ears ganna prick up. I saw this song live about a year or 2 ago. And he absolutely nails it. Effortlessly. Insane. And the musicians are complete freaks who never miss a note.
Very nice falsetto
DA DA DA DADA
I Love Them. Been a while since I listened to them. Thanks for reminding me. First time I saw a video of them they were playing on a street corner. Amazing intense hardcore stuff. The first album was amazing. Fortress was great too. Blodmeat is on that. They crowdfunded the 2013 album Volition raising much more than their $125.000 goal.
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands
I forgot to mention as well. Protest the hero has a new album coming out on the 19th you might want to check out
Special kind of energy with these guys, especially on the first 2 albums. Enjoy your discovery of them 🤘🏻
Both Kezia and Fortress are absolute masterpieces, cover to cover.
Actually, Protest the Hero started before 2006, it's been around since 2002, and the actual formula is evolving since, Kezia and Scurrilous are widely recommended to get a better perspective, awesome review, thank you.
Man I saw these guys open for Korn and limp bizkit when they were like 17 or 18... amazing
If you reacted to the whole Fortress album in a single listen it would be quite cool. Each song takes you places and comes together really well
I was gonna ask you to react to more Protest the Hero songs because Bloodmeat is only a drop in the bucket for how truly phenomenal Protest is, but then you said you were going to devour the entire discography and that makes me super happy! Their very recently released album, Palimpsest, was so good I literally cried tears of happiness. I love every release from them but Kezia, Fortress, and Palimpsest are their best in my opinion. Scurrilous and Volition are also absolutely incredible but I don't hold them to the same caliber as the aforementioned albums (although Chris Adler featuring on drums for Volition adds some extra spiciness to the sound and is overall a bit better than Scurrilous). Pacific Myth is their poorest release in my opinion but it is still a great listen which should speak volumes on how fantastic this band is. I enjoyed this reaction so much because it was like watching my own reaction to when I was first exposed to their music 13 or 14 years ago. Long story short, Protest can do no wrong and keep on listening because they have surprises within every album and they are one of the most consistent bands I have had the pleasure of listening to.
Playing this on Guitar Hero (drums) got me into metal. No joke.
All of their albums are fantastic, scurrilous and volition are totally worth a listen as well.
Love this band, they inspired so many bands. Check out "SikTh" maybe with Scent of The Obscene... 2003!
Yeah, you’re going to love their entire discography. I will always hold these guys in very high regard
If you like these guys, you really need to check out Sikth. I think one of the guitarists is actually wearing a Sikth t-shirt in the Bloodmeat video
Listen to Job for a Cowboy, Sun of Nihility, a perfect death-core song. You gonna like it.
Got to see the 10 year tour for this album. That show was freaking amazing!
Ohh I died at the falsetto part.
Their new album is epic btw, just came out, you shud react to ti!
Good on ya, man. I enjoy this band immensely. If you’re still on this concept album, give “Bone Marrow” a listen. It’s my favorite track.