Canadian tech metal extroverts, Protest the Hero, have always been a riddle. They have humour (lots of it), intellect (observational lyrics with social commentary), and an army of fans that follow them through thick and thin, including the dark days when Rody Walker thought he could never sing again due to medical complications. Then, they returned with 2020’s superb Palimpsest, a satire of manifest destiny that mixed prog with metalcore and classic Iron Maiden. Album number six is a slim thirty-five minutes and a self-release. Furthermore, lead guitarist, Luke Hoskin, announced his retirement from live duties but remains integral to the songwriting. It’s a wonder this record is so coherent and self-assured, yet there’s plenty to enjoy.
If you want proof that it’s possible to write anthemic heavy metal using the complex tools of prog, then look no further than opening track, ‘Mouthpiece’. This effort shreds through as many notes as Dream Theater yet sounds like it should open a Warp Tour show from 2006. Rody Walker is the storyteller bringing everything together as the guitars spin their looms in perfect symmetry. “There are powerful voices screaming “culture war, culture war” / Anything that divides us should burn,” is the message of this song, and it could read as a metaphor for the dilemma of being Canadian in a Trumpian world order. The way Walker plucks a chorus from this calculus is impressive, but that’s always been this band’s strength. Inserting enough verses to read like a sketch of a short story is another one. Meet neighbour Pete in ‘Fishook’. “I don’t want to grow old and jaded / Arrogant delusional and full of hatred / Acting like a dick because I can’t admit that I am frightened”. Here, power metal meets post-hardcore in an admirable exploration of the generational divide. The band’s humour will even help you overlook the pop punk vocal melodies shunted into the vicious tech metal riffing. Embracing the inner Queensrÿche in the middle section also helps.
“Come back to my place tomorrow / New faces, same fucking bottle / No brakes it’s only the throttle / Nothing left to do but move on / I can’t fight it / Maybe I’m holding on too long,” says the protagonist in ‘Grandfather’s Axe’. This is the reminder that thrash metal is a big part of the Protest the Hero armoury. Double kick drums follow the rhythm of the guitar triplets as Walker retreats in the bridge from tenor to falsetto. You can hear a pentatonic riff in the chorus where other bands would insert a four-chord sequence. The only weak part of this album is its willingness to search for melody in the palaces where My Chemical Romance do their hunting. There are only so many extravagant guitar patterns you can cling to when the chorus rituals sound like a lift to the bullied alternative kids at school.
Of course, this band do not take themselves seriously or see their importance as something to defined by the number of emo kids accessing their music. After all, these Canadians are a name in prog metal. ‘Liberty Spike’ gives you the tech metal foundations you always wanted in At the Drive In’s music. Its balance between fretboard wizardry and heavy metal theatre is close to perfect. The heartfelt lyrics of losing a close friend are unmistakable here. Everyone can relate to the ups and downs of its eulogy.
Listen how they end the LP with a song about Rody’s trauma of nearly losing his singing voice: “Now the time is up and I can’t sing a note / I’m sidestage with my heart in my throat / Harmony turns discordant and time stands still / So I step on the stage, and I seal my fate.” The glory of returning to the performing arena shines through in the music where neon Mandelbrot patterns lead the way to salvation. “And it filled my lungs with breath / If storms cloud my horizon / As I float forevermore, I will hear your voices / Where the chorus meets the shore,” roars Protest the Hero’s likeable singer. He means it, and we should also be grateful that he found a way back.
Kirk Houghton
Verdict
Release Date: 17/07/2026
Record Label: Self-released
Standout tracks: Mouthpiece; Grandfather’s Axe; Liberty Spike
Suggested Further Listening: Underoath – Define the Great Line (2006), Iwrestledabearonce – It’s All Happening (2009), Cobra the Impaler – Karma Collision (2024)