Number 3: Protest The Hero – Kezia

Here’s an example of a project that has had a great deal of thought and effort instilled in it in order to create something reasonably fresh from a very tired genre. Metalcore, a word which used to inspire me with anticipation but now unfortunately heralds mediocrity and generic songwriting. However, on occasions you do get surprised by what some bands come up with. Protest The Hero are a band out of Canada on Victory records who up until Kezia was released were a reasonably samey metalcorey/screamo band. However, for the writing of “Kezia” they set themselves a challenge. The band wrote the music first and then practised over the next two years until they could play it. Yes that’s right, they wrote music that was insanely hard and then improved themselves until they were that good. I only wish more bands had that same drive to keep improving themselves. What results is the concept album Kezia, the story of a woman called Kezia on deathrow told in three movements each consisting of three songs, each told from the point of view of three different characters. For example, the first three songs are written from the point of view of the prison priest saying the last rites. This an interesting concept and its no surprise when reading the boy’s bio that they are obsessed with Dostoyevsky. And also taking into account that all of these guys are only 20 and 21, I am excited to see what they come up with for their next release. The music itself is hard to describe. I suppose the most accurate description would be if Dream Theater suddenly decided to go metalcore. They have the same schizophrenic writing style as DT and although their not quite in the same league technically, if they keep on developing at the rate they are currently I don’t see how they cant be. Lots of time changes and key changes, in fact that’s one og my only criticisms. They have to find a way, especially on a concept album, to link the tracks in together and make the music mesh more. At times the transitions are a bit jerky and disorientating, preventing the album from flowing the way it could have. Oh yeah, this guy has a girly voice and there is very little screaming so if your not a emo/hardcore fan his voice might annoy. But by classifying them so simply is not being fair to what was the most interesting and fresh album to come from the “core” scene this year. Enjoy, and I suggest you buy.

Listen to: Blindfolds Aside and Heretics and Killers