Protest the Hero
Volition
Release Date: Oct 29, 2013
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal
Record label: Razor & Tie
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Album Review: Volition by Protest the Hero
Fairly Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
After going out on a prog-metal limb with 2008's Fortress, Whitby, ON's spastic metal heroes Protest the Hero re-grounded themselves with 2011's Scurrilous. Two years and a 300,000-dollar crowd-funding campaign later, the band appear to have found a happy medium, creating their most focused effort yet. Anchoring the proceedings is Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler, who fills-in as beat-keeper, after Moe Carlson left to return to school.
Based on rating 7/10
Continuing along with the more grounded approach the band took on 2011's Scurrilous, Protest the Hero return with Volition, an album of driving technical metal that once again puts the Canadian prog metal outfit's considerable musicianship on display. A rapid-fire collection of intricate guitar work and soaring vocals delivered at a breakneck pace, Volition is an album that hardly gives listeners a chance to catch their breaths as it blazes from track to track. At any other speed, Protest the Hero's songwriting might seem sprawling, but given the intensity of their playing, the whole thing comes across feeling fairly compact instead.
Based on rating 2.4/5
Review Summary: Though vastly improved from their last effort, Protest the Hero are still annoying as hell.Oh Rody Walker, you drunken, hollering bastard, I can’t figure out whether to embrace or dump you entirely. The years have not been kind to you and your cohorts, as in a most odd fashion you’ve regressed in your older ages. Like each Protest the Hero record, Kezia was “fun.” But underneath all of that was a surprisingly mature little album.
Based on rating 2/5
After the Whitby four-piece Protest the Hero cut their ties with Underground Operations and Vagrant, the prog metal dudes' rabid fan base successfully raised over $300,000 to fund the recording of Volition. The result is a furious and unrelenting listen that overtly exposes their political side. Protest the Hero have never been short on energy, but their fourth album lacks variety and rarely allows the listener to breathe.
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