Protest The Hero - Palimpsest Review

At this time you all know PMMetalGuide's feelings towards post-hardcore. With the exception of a  few groups, we are not fans. So I am not going to sugarcoat you with a lengthy opening about that, or anything else. And for this album, I don't want to. Palimpsest is, without a doubt, the strangest and most dividing album I have listened to in a long time, and maybe ever. I cannot remember another time where my ideas of pleasure and distaste occupied such a similar space that they became so interwoven beyond my own comprehension, yet still managed to display both flavors in equal and fluctuating quantities (and if you got confused by that sentence; good. That's how I feel about this album in a nutshell.) I always knew Protest The Hero existed in the progsphere, but I never bothered to listen to them due to my endless curiosity and desire to follow the next form of dark, aggressive, or occasionally poppy art. Seeing as this is the group's first effort since I have really taken an interest in metal and its subgenres, the six-piece never crossed my mind. But wow, I did not expect anything like this.

Before I start my formal review of the Ontario band's fifth project, I would like to lay out a few things to lay all of the cards on the table:

- To my editor: Yes, this album has grown on me*

- This album, from what I have read around the rest of the metal journalism world, has been hailed as the second coming of Images and Words**

- Usually, I bide my time with releases, and therefore this one will be more poignant but may be premature.***

* - But not in the way you may have expected.

** - Not literally, but it has been widely celebrated by many publications

*** - I only do this when I'm passionate about the record, ie. Caligula's Horse, Ainsoph, etc.

Now that those are out of the way, let us continue down this spastic track of prog-influenced post-hardcore. 

Early this year, I hesitated to review the newest Dance Gavin Dance release for some of the reasons I will list in this review. Initially, I found myself, on first listen, in an extremely similar position on Palimpsest as I did on Afterburner. DGD's music is focused on their vocalist to drive the band that the interesting math rock in the background becomes hollow and undervalued. Protest The Hero share a similar quality. Even now, after more than a handful of listens, I feel this band is far superior on their instrumental front than their vocal front. Rody Walker's clean vocals (sorry to Mr. Walker himself or any "Stan"s out there) are not my favorite. If you are into an even whinier, yet more stable version of James LaBrie that cranks the vibrato knob to 'MAX,' then I applaud you. I however am not. I will give Walker this, however, his post-hardcore screams are fucking awesome. While they only appear a few times on this release (especially on the climax of "Little Snakes" and his highs on "Gardenias"), every time I am amazed at how well they fit the music comparatively to everywhere else (his low growls also aren't very good :( ). And I do not think Walker cannot sing - he absolutely can - but here, it sounds so out of place amidst the wankery of the guitar lines and blowout rhythm sections. (I am aware he went under intense training to return to singing after blowing his voice out, of which I am happy he has returned to a strong form, but it kinda shows on some of the high notes.)

Speaking of which, each member of this band is immensely talented, way more than anyone I currently or will ever know. But this can be as much a hindrance as a boon for the performers. My Sons Of Apollo review laid it out cleanly, but prog groups like this more often than not seem to throw songwriting to the wind and noodle and pound their way through songs with a pretty simple 'verse-chorus-solo-solo2-solo3-soloX-chorus' structure. Protest The Hero does deviate from this yes, with a style much more akin to a Touché Amoré track than anything else, but have the solos have become interwoven within the verse, challenging my understanding to a degree that I am not a fan of. And sure, I expect that from an Imperial Triumphant or Deathspell Omega album, but there the layers of dissonance are carefully placed for the listener to pick apart, and while that may be the goal here, the guitar lines are paper-thin and the bass often gets lost underneath the max mixed vox, guitars, and drums (and I cannot state again, how amazingly technical these drum parts are, big props to Mike Ieradi).

Something else extremely notable about this release is Walker's lyricism - which is as direct as any prog lyric ever, so I cannot take away points there - where most tracks on the album reference some sort of 20th-century disaster that occurred on our beautiful red, white and blue soil, and outlines the failures the nation has caused on many fronts. While I have no issue with an international band discussing American politics, I must say I actually learned a thing or two from some of these songs, which I can't say much for the umbrella of metal. Never before, even as a New-England Native, had I heard about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, or as a theater actor of Peg Entwistle's suicide in 1932. While the latter to me rings out the failure of the American Dream before it was even established, I don't really understand how the Mollassacre has any real relevance to the failure of America and the promises it has laid out for all of its citizens and immigrants. I also don't see the connection with this and "Soliloquy," which divulges the demise notorious gangster "Baby Face" Nelson. This is nitpicking, however, and the rest of the track create a clear outline of a country that has failed its people, the native peoples of the northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, misinformation regarding the Hindenberg Airship, and the unjust and for-profit prison systems in America. For my first real major accolade of Palimpsest, I have to give it to the tact of the words spoken by the band, as well the strides they have made towards aiding the Black Lives Matter Movement and all allied organizations.

But back to music, we haven't really talked about any tracks yet or any of the things I love about the album. Palimpsest is so fun, which I expect from a lot of similar prog like Caligula's Horse or even Haken.  The chemistry between all of the members is so organic, so tropy and so solid, that even when I am pointing out certain gripes here and there, I find my self aggressively headbanging to each and every song. The infectious early 2010s djent riffs that litter this record are so nostalgic and tacky but performed expertly. The opening of "From The Sky" is so similar to anything off of Periphery II: This Time It's Personal, it is unbelievable. But arguably the best part of this release is how the band melds all of these stereotypes, using symphonic elements from literally everywhere, riffs from The Mountain-era Haken, and so many more. It is truly a hodge-podge of the last 10 years in prog, and that is somewhat spectacular, yet extremely overwhelming to listen to. I found myself really disliking this album at first, finding it very cringy with its delivery. Over time, and way too many listens, however, I begin to forgo the nitpicks in my analysis and enjoy the poppy songwriting presented here. It's truly unique, and for that, I think it's great.

I honestly don't think that there is very much else to say. I don't want to write a monolithic essay about Palimpsest, as it is becoming one already. With this album, it is not hard to find something you enjoy, and really latch onto it. Specific songs fit into this too. For example, I really like harsh vocals and awesome climaxes, so the ones with the harshest vocals or best climaxes are going to end up being my favorites. But Protest The Hero brings a little of everything on here, and that is why this album is awesome. Even now, after nearly a dozen plays, I am still finding things that I love about this release that I didn't even catch before. This probably won't be my favorite album of the year, but it is a journey to take not only through once, but as many times as you can.

Final Verdict: A jamming' history class I didn't know I needed.

Favorite Tracks: "All Hands," "Gardenias," "Little Snakes"

FFO: The Human Abstract, I, Omega, Destrange

Track List

1. "The Migrant Mother"

2. "The Canary"

3. "From The Sky"

4. "Harborside"

5. "All Hands"

6. "The Fireside"

7. "Soliloquy"

8. "Reverie"

9. "Little Snakes"

10. "Mountainside"

11. "Gardenias"

12. "Hillside"

13. "Rivet"

You can support the band via their Bandcamp.