Album Review: Protest The Hero - Scurrilous

When you wait for something for so longer, there is always the danger that you will build up expectations so high that your object of anticipation will ultimately disappoint. Fortunately this is not the case with ‘Scurrilous’, the eagerly awaited third album from Canadians, Protest The Hero; whether it quite lives up to the promise of ‘Fortress’, the band’s widely lauded sophomore effort, is debatable, but it is not far off.

From the opening chords of first track ‘Ces’t La Vie’, it is clear that, musically at least, the band is still as strong and capable as before. The battling guitarwork of Luke Hoskins and Tim Millar both rages and intertwines throughout the album. In fact, on tracks ‘Tandem’ and ‘Tapestry’ the fretwork is nothing short of miraculous, being simultaneously freely creative and structured. Moe Carlson’s drumming and the basswork of primary lyric writer, Arif Mriabdolbaghi are similarly impressive and weaving, the perfect rhythmic accompaniment to the dual guitars. Vocalist Rody Walker is pitch-perfect again, lending his distinct Dio-esque vocals to proceedings, and keeping the element of prog rock to the tunes.

Unlike the band’s previous two albums, there is not an underlying story to ‘Scurrilous’, the album being formed of stand-alone songs instead. There is a slight lack of cohesion as a result of this, although the general “dungeons & dragons” feel to the album is still there. It is worth-noting at this point that Walker is responsible for writing the majority of the lyrics on this album, unlike previous efforts. The standard of the lyrics are still high, although there is the odd cringe-worthy moment; ‘Hair-Trigger’ in particular doesn’t digest well, despite the re-appearance of long-time contributor, Jadea Kelly.

There is a hint of Propaghandi throughout this album, despite the distinctly metal sound, so it is no surprise when Chris Hannah appears on final track ‘Sex Tapes’. Hannah’s rougher sounding voice provides a good contrast to Rody’s more melodic wail.

Overall, ‘Scurrilous’ is an extremely strong piece of progressive metal that takes the odd cue from the thrash generation. Protest The Hero do well to not make this sound jaded, and on technical ability alone, they are worth the investment.

4/5

'Scurrilous' by Protest The Hero on Vagrant Records.

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Dan Issitt