Since 2005’s Kezia we’ve been enthralled with the progressive and often mathematical punk of Protest the Hero, even when we didn’t understand what they were doing. Through all their ups and downs, they’ve always been unapologetically themselves and never stopped pushing their vision forward.
Since the band embraced independence with 2016’s Volition they’ve been increasingly bold about incorporating stylistic shifts, and it doesn’t even take a full run of Within to realize this is their biggest swing yet when it comes to trying new things. That’s not to say Palimpsest and Pacific Myth didn’t take massive chances, because they definitely did, but Within is different.
Palimpsest was an excellent moment of focus for the band, where it didn’t just feel personal, it felt consistent, and thankfully that same sense of through-line is just as present here. Narrative pacing doesn’t really matter with a lot of bands, but in bands with vocals, particularly ones with strong, impossible-to-ignore attacks in the style of Rody Walker, it can make or break the integrity of a record’s statement. This goes double for concept records.
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Again, we say this as longtime fans, but we’re truly stoked to report that to our ears, Within has some of the best vocal parts and lyrics since Scurrilous. First of all, we get a lot more gang vocals which was not something we expected to be excited about, but they add a level of cohesion that we’ll be revisiting by the conclusion. When it comes to Rody though, he’s introspective, loud, and uncompromising as ever, but better. He’s even kind of hilarious in a Propagandhi way on songs like “Fishhook,” arguably one of the brightest of the bunch. Overall you can tell he really took this record seriously – thematically there’s a strong balance of the literal and figurative, and it’s the most dynamic he’s actually sounded since Fortress.
Musically, it’s probably not a surprise to anyone familiar with the band that we have another feast on our hands. Tim and Truke really shine here in terms of guitar, with wild chord voicing and perfectly asynchronous riffs and licks. Nathan Bulla’s drums are also great, which definitely give a more metallic performance a la Chris Adler’s takes for Volition but it fits the focus here even better.
Within also has interludes that feel grandly cinematic, and after a couple spins we realized you could say the same thing for the album in general. The composition is amped to the extreme, but so is the vision, and it’s crazy they managed to deliver so much gold. It makes us realize it’s been a long time since we were this sincerely rapt by PtH. Even as lifers, we kind of assumed that the band had peaked, and we were wrong. Much has changed over the years, but the spunk of Protest the Hero springs eternal.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here as well. Don’t let the bastards get you down!)