Protest The Hero - Kezia review
| Band: | Protest The Hero |
| Album: | Kezia |
| Style: | Progressive metalcore |
| Release date: | August 2005 |
01. No Stars Over Bethlehem
02. Heretics And Killers
03. Divinity Within
04. Bury The Hatchet
05. Nautical
06. Blindfolds Aside
07. She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods
08. Turn Soonest To The Sea
09. The Divine Suicide Of K.
10. A Plateful Of Our Dead
Album Of The Year
The Canadian band Protest The Hero already released Kezia in their home country last year; however, only now is it getting worldwide distribution courtesy of a deal with Vagrant Records in USA. Nothing could make me more happy than knowing that this band is slowly achieving wider recognition since, frankly, this is some of the best music I have heard in the last few years.
Although technically a part of the metalcore scene, Protest The Hero actually makes music that to a large extent completely defies classification. In some ways, Kezia reminds me of River Runs Red, the masterpiece of New York City's Life Of Agony. Like that classic album, Kezia contains music that is bleeding emotion on every note. It is also a concept album (in this case, about the trial of a woman called Kezia for an unspecified crime). Finally, Protest The Hero also often follows the metallic-hardcore tradition of breakdowns and gang-shouts. This; however, is where the comparisons end. Musically Kezia is all over the place. All of the songs follow very unpredictable and technical structures, often switching tempos and aesthetics multiple times during a single song. The only common element is how frantically everything is performed. Just take a song like the opener "No Stars Over Bethlehem" as an example - it starts with a growl and melodeath inspired leads, becomes polyrhythmic prog for a few seconds, goes into an Anthrax-like refrain, scores a metalcore breakdown, utilizes a Corrosion Of Conformity style stoner riff for a little while and ends with a superb guitar solo. All of this in a song that is not even 4 minutes long! This is just a small teaser of what kinds of things await us on this album.
Kezia is a masterpiece by any standards. That it is delivered by a very young band is just reason to rejoice, be happy that rock music is not yet dead and that we have the privilege of hearing music like this.
 | Written on 12.05.2006 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool. |
Comments
Comments: 11
Visited by: 206 users
| Passenger Lost To Apathy Posts: 1464 From: Portugal  |
I got curious, so I checked it out. I'm sorry, but it's crap, extremely annoying metalcore. I'm not a fan of this style, but I would much rather listen to God Forbid, Cataract or Unearth then this.
---- You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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| greatestmanalive Account deleted |
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| Endoftherainbow Posts: 1168 From: Canada  |
I saw this band live 2 years before they released this album and they really sucked some hardcore balls then but now after hearing this album I'm quite pleased with their progression they're great now.
---- I'm the Devil I Love metal check this riff it's fuckin' tasty... http://www.myspace.com/themyriadburial http://www.myspace.com/fetusfeast http://www.myspace.com/intheendofhumanexsistence
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| Talvi Posts: 825 From: Spain  |
Metalcore, yes it is. I don't know why when people like Metalcore bands, they refuse those being Metalcore. Metalcore can be a good genre, live with it. Thanks for this review (which I looked for because of the review of their new album). Now I'm listening to a very good album. I'm loving this crazy metalcorish bands.
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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| b0000mst1ck Posts: 547 From: USA  |
this can't be metalcore. take a band like (dare i say it) killswitch engage, or trivium, and compare either of them with PtH. nothing alike IMO. yeah, it's a genre of "core", but come on..let's be realistic here. either way, this CD proves that any band can get better. their first release was utter crap, and kezia is a major improvement. in fact, i still prefer it over fortress. 
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| oLjud Posts: 15 From: Sweden |
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| Ricktehmaster Account deleted |
Ricktehmaster
Account deleted
For those of you that come back and care to know. This is progressive metal band. Progressive because they experiment with key signatures and time signatures. All Metalcore or shit like that is basic on a simple formula.... melody, breakdown, melody. Progressive music never has the same motif twice...its ever changing and unique. I love it!  Forgive my music major approach to answering this lol
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| ThisIsEndgame Posts: 35 From: USA  |
Written by Passenger on 19.05.2006 at 16:31 Listen to fortress. and it's not Metalcore. They are defined as Mathcore for their extremely complex "riffs" which are more like solos then anything else, this band is extremely hard to define and in fact may end up pioneering a whole new genre.
---- \m/ Next thing you know they'll take my thought away! \m/
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367 From: India  |
Kezia contains music that is bleeding emotion on every note AgreeD.This albums is beautifully melodic.Melody that flows naturally from the riffs and not intentionally juxtaposed for the namesake.
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| Zealot644 Posts: 157 From: Canada  |
I get the feeling that anybody here who said they didnt like it might have a different opinion since the releases of Fortress and Scurrilous.
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| BloodJuNkie Of Egypt Posts: 643 From: Egypt  |
Well, "No Stars Over Bethlehem" is the only good song from that album. Generally, the album is more metalcore than progressive, i don't hate metalcore, but as a progressive metal album i prefer "Volition" and "Fortress".
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