Protest the Hero Album: “Scurrilous”

I have been a fan of metal for as long as I can remember. I am not one of the metal snobs who only likes one genre and trash talks all others. I truly enjoy all types of music as long as it takes talent, passion and originality. I have known about and enjoyed Protest the Hero for many years now but this is their first album that I have really gotten into and it is nothing short of amazing. Every song is filled with killer guitar riffs, catchy vocals and well thought out lyrics. This album definitely has the classic protest the hero sound but there is just something about it that flows much better and seems much more " complete " for lack of better term. I had extremely high hopes for the new Human Abstract album( I don't think they will ever be able to beat Norturne ) and while it was good, it is no where near the gem that is Scurrilous. Do yourself a favor and buy this album and if you have an opportunity go to a live show. Seriously one of the best live metal performances today.

Wow, another fantastic album by otherworldly talents Protest the Hero. The songs here are very similar to their previous album Fortress, but have a more progressive vibe and less super heavy dynamics. That heaviness is still here, growls, screams, math-core chugging craziness, but more subdued than on previous releases. This should get four and a half stars only because Fortress was a musical step up from Kezia, but this is only a small step forward, three years after Fortress, and much of the album sounds lifted from Fortress. The good stuff on this album are some new vocal arrangements and dynamics that really tie songs together, awesome intsrumentation and fantastic drumming. I wish that future vocals include more mid range and low vocals to offset how excellent the higher registers are performed. But all in all, another fantastic album by one of the most talented bands in music today!

It keeps me amazed, after 40 years listening and buying records, that you're always able to find bands that you're totally unfamiliar with. This happened to me today when I saw this CD in a record shop. It did not ring a bell and I checked amazon's reviews quickly from my phone. I could not listen to the record, but I trusted the descriptions (reviews). VOW, this is an amazing, powerful, complicated record that offers you a lot, and I mean A LOT, of listenings. There's just so much hooks, rhythm changes etc... that you're totally in awe of the musicality of these guys. I remember the same feeling when hearing Zeppelin, Jimi, Genesis, Kingston Wall, Tool, Mozart, System of a Down, Metallica, Mastodon, Pantera, Bach etc. for the first time. I recommend open ears and open mind with music. It will never stop astonishing you. Thank you PTH for giving me "new" music. This is for keeps!

This album is another impressive delivery from one of the most talented bands working today. Their albums show pretty marked differences from each other. The changes in this album compared to Fortress have been a mix of better and worse:

-Vocals: He's improved a lot (particularly compared to Kezia) and shows awesome range in this album. The switch to almost exclusively clean vocals gives him a good opportunity to exhibit this fact. The vocal melodies themselves, however, are kind of hit-and-miss. I'm not sure if taking over most lyrical responsibilities means that Rody wasn't writing the vocal riffs in the past either, but the delivery can be awkward and a little forced at times. One positive note on this is that I enjoy the rapid-fire lyrical delivery that he uses on a few songs like Dunesel, Reign of Unending Terror, etc.

-Instrumentals: It's hard to believe that they could step up much from Fortress to Scurrilous, but all of these guys managed to do so. There is some particularly impressive guitar work, and the transitions from riff to riff, piece to piece are smoother this time around than previous efforts. Despite this, I did find there were times where the complex guitar work was blending too much into the rest of the track and was tough to appreciate to its fullest.

-Lyrics: This is probably my least favorite change on the album. While the more personal feel is nice at times, Arif's lyrics are missed here. He penned Moonlight (among others) and it maintains the former albums' poetic quality, while still being less-abstract. So it's a shame we couldn't get more of the best of both worlds. That's not to say Rody's lyrics don't have their moments (The end of Tandem and all of Tapestry come to mind), but they just don't suit my preference.

Again, it's an impressive album. As a huge fan of their previous efforts, I'm simply a bit let down that the direction they've headed left behind some of my favorite aspects of their music. Still worth checking out for anyone who is a returning fan or a metal fan in general.

Love this band! Like jazz for metal. It's too bad that the world will never understand it. Oh well, more for us.