Protest the Hero's New Album: Scurrilous!

[OneMoreRobot]

Hey all, this is my first album review of all time... I plan on majoring in English next semester and I'm just testing the waters to see if Music Journalism could be something I would excel in. So please give this a read, if you will, and let us discuss the album!

Scurrilous, Protest the Hero's third studio album, is set to be released on March 22nd on Vagrant Records. It seems, however, that keeping anything under wraps until its release date is impossible nowadays. I downloaded the leaked album off of Mediafire, justifying this action with the fact that I have already pre-ordered the album/t-shirt package so I have essentially already paid for it.

Scurrilous showcases the Protest the Hero that we all came to know and love with the release of 2008's Fortress; Rody Walker's soaring vocals atop the technical guitar work of Tim Millar and Luke Hoskins and the solid rhythm section of bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi and drummer Moe Carlson. As an entity, though, Scurrilous is the stylistic compliment of Fortress; where Fortress seems overtly melodic, Scurrilous is primarily rhythmic. Where Fortress is violent, Scurrilous is vulgar. The change in lyrical content can most likely be attributed to the shift in authorship from Mirabdolbaghi to Walker. Fortress is a three-part pseudo-concept album describing the conquest of a growing empire, the degenderization of a deity, and the ultimate demise of this goddess. Scurrilous has no definitive uniting theme and is, with Walker writing lyrics for the first time, a release for everday emotions; a concept that seems elementary for any other band but is a complete departure for Protest. The album is named after a painting by Mirabdolbaghi's grandfather, whose artwork also graces the album's cover.

*Reiteration: I am listening to a leaked version of the album. The tracklist order is based on a note released by Protest the Hero on their Facebook page. The actual album may differ. I also do not have access to official lyrics.*

The album dives right into the power metal-esque intensity we've come to expect from Protest with the single "C'est la Vie." Sky-high operatic melodies, sporatic technical breakdowns, and tender (comparitively) bridges are all familiar territory and "C'est la Vie" delivers flawlessly, as does the rest of the album with highlights such as "The Reign of Unending Terror" and "Sex Tapes." Jadea Kelly, a longtime friend of the band and vocal contributor on Kezia, makes a guest appearance on "Hair Trigger" and her voice sits comfortably with Walker's without seeming forced or out of place. The most noticeable differences in Scurrilous from Fortress are all but negative. Mirabdolbaghi's inhuman bass lines, which have only gotten more advanced since their last showcase, cut through the mix much more easily than in Fortress (a change I appreciated as a bassist) and Walker's lyrical changes fit with the band's conquering musical style; the harsh brutality of primieval wartime replaced with the often just as shocking stark reality of life. The combination of the album artwork and title made me expect more lyrics of conquest and pillaging, but I am not disappointed in the least with the change.

One of the most common complaints I noticed while reading comments from fellow listeners was that Walker oversings on Scurrilous. While there are far less purely instrumental breaks than in Fortress, Scurrilous is no worse for wear with Walker's heavy vocal application. Everything falls perfectly into place and nothing in the album feels overdone or forced. The only minor issue I have with Scurrilous is that the whole album seems mixed very heavily biased on the low end. The end result is not muddy; just boomy enough that the exquisite lead work seems overwhelmed at some points.

In the end, Scurrilous is a welcome addition to my musical library and a sure indication that Protest the Hero is growing in leaps and bounds as a band. Do I personally like it as much as Fortress? The honest answer is, "Not yet, but I sure as heck will." I've only had it for about two hours and I cannot stop listening to it. The compositions are strong as are the hooks and technical prowess. It's not a redefining move for the band by any means, but Protest does what they do best without feeling old or overdone in the least. Scurrilous is a must-own for any Protest fan and I cannot recommend it highly enough for fans of progressive metal.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Definitely needs a rewrite. There's too much assumed familiarity in almost every paragraph. Also, get rid of the I's. You don't need 'em, at all.


Here's my suggestion. Read less pitchfork and more David Fricke, as well as Robert Christgau.

[OneMoreRobot]

Thanks. I figured as much once I read it again this morning.

Again, good point. Somehow I totally forgot first person is a "don't." :|

I don't know who those guys are, but I'll check them out.

[Deluge Of Sound]

David Fricke writes for Rolling Stone (yeah, yeah, I know) and has for a long time. Christgau's written for everyone under the sun, and has for a long, long time.
http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cdrev/index.php

[bassingeorge]

Awesome Album....Bass lines crazier than ever!

Nice to listen to metal without all the screaming...good vocals.

Saw them live last year, and they sound soooo good!

Looking forward to seeing them live again in April

[OneMoreRobot]

Yeah, I was actually surprised I didn't notice the lack of screamed vocals until my 5th listen through! I do really miss them now that I noticed they're gone, but it's still a great album.

I'm gonna have to drive to Detroit to see them in April, since I already bought Coheed tickets for the night Protest is in Cleveland...

[OneMoreRobot]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

David Fricke writes for Rolling Stone (yeah, yeah, I know) and has for a long time. Christgau's written for everyone under the sun, and has for a long, long time.
http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cdrev/index.php

I read several of those Robert Christgau reviews, and I didn't like them at all. The only thing I liked was that he called Fred Durst a bitch. They were extremely wordy, and the sentence structure was so complex I had to re-read sentences multiple times. I feel like the point of a music review is to, you know, review music, not confuse readers with an insane amount of commas, parenthesis, cultural references, and obscure adjectives. Yes, he's being very specific but I feel like he's not very accessible.

[Barkless Dog]

So far I found it really monotonous. Almost every song is played at the same tempo, same volume, same guitar sound & type of playing. It almost like one long song that never changes much. I will listen more to it when it comes out.

I was definitely a bit disappointed.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by OneMoreRobot

I read several of those Robert Christgau reviews, and I didn't like them at all. The only thing I liked was that he called Fred Durst a bitch. They were extremely wordy, and the sentence structure was so complex I had to re-read sentences multiple times. I feel like the point of a music review is to, you know, review music, not confuse readers with an insane amount of commas, parenthesis, cultural references, and obscure adjectives. Yes, he's being very specific but I feel like he's not very accessible.