Review of Protest The Hero - Fortress
By Dennis Scanland
2008 is going to go down as a year of fantastic metal releases. I have just been sold on Meshuggah's obZen. And now I can't seem to get enough of Protest The Hero. After seeing them live I thought it was about time that I finished reviewing Fortress. Now, the difference between a live version of Protest the Hero versus a recorded version is that the recorded version you can turn off when your head is about to explode. The live version just seems to go on and on. So, that's where an album like Fortress enters. This is a blazing display of technical musical prowess. Seriously, there is some of the heaviest guitar riffing that I've ever heard. This is both the saving grace as well as the achilles heel of Protest The Hero. It is impressive but it also gets tiring. So how do you review something of this nature. Something that you are blown away and yet can only handle 20 minute segments. I found that I kept listening to Fortress though and my final verdict is that this is a wonderful extension to any metal collection. The album opens with a hammer to the head. "Bloodmeat" leaves no room for the weak. It starts the pummeling immediately but if you make it through you will be rewarded. They keep things going with "The Dissentience", one that explores the weird time changes a little further. "Bone Marrow" is one of my favorite tracks on Fortress because it differs slightly from the rest. It has a lot more growls and such. More crazy guitar riffing presents itself on "Sequoia Throne" and the epic feeling "Palms Read". The later shows off Rody Walker's wonderfully eclectic vocals. Fortress was my first exposure of Protest The Hero and upon going back and upon checking out Kezia you can see the logical progression. That album is a prime metal slab as well but Fortress just seems that much more polished and tight as well a more thought put into their tirades. I have no choice but to give this an almost perfect score. This Canadian band is going to change the landscape of Hardcore/metal.
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