Album Review: Protest The Hero – Within

With six years between their last release and this new album, it’s very good to have Protest The Hero back. The progressive punkers have not let time dull their abilities either, as Within marks a bold step further for the bombastic group.

Conceptually, it draws on the Hermetic maxim of ‘as above, so below, as within, so without’, to create a personal and introspective collection of songs discussing how external forces, whether social or personal or political, can shape our internal thoughts and feelings and leave a lasting imprint within us.

Opening with the combative duo of Mouthpiece and Fishhook, the technical prowess becomes immediately obvious. Intricate riffs paired with deeply complex drums run rampant underneath the anthemic vocal melodies of Rody Walker, even as they themselves are every now and then interrupted by powerful growls. Even with all this going on, the band makes room for a subtle feeling of optimism to permeate through everything.

Allowing for a brief interlude of calm violin, they then concoct a devilishly groovy riff on Grandfather’s Axe. It twists and turns from incredible musical prowess and high-tempo frantic prog, to brief moments of space and rest, before another headbanger bit of guitar walks up to take the baton further. Following on from The Orchard and one further interlude, Liberty Spike and The Mariner act as a one-two finish pairing the heavier former with the sonically and structurally fluid latter.

Managing to fuse progressive technicality with the aggression of punk, make it deeply introspective, and still somehow come out with an album that feels hopeful, this could likely only ever be done by this band. Their ceaseless excellence and thoroughly fascinating songwriting makes for, yet again, a release that will be referred back to for years to come.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: SikTh, Between The Buried And Me, Rush

Within is released on July 17