Volition

Volition is the fourth full-length studio album by the Canadian band Protest The Hero. It was released in 2013 through Razor & Tie, and was produced by Cameron McLellan. Due to the departure of longtime drummer Moe Carlson, the drums on the album were handled by Lamb Of God's Chirs Adler. He actually really suits the band and if you hadn't been told you mightn't realize the drummer had changed, although that being said, on some songs if you pay attention you can definitely tell that its Adler playing.On the band's previous record, the track 'Dunsel' had some pretty scathing lyrics about the music industry, and it seems that the band have followed through, as this album was funded by the band's fans through a crowd-sourcing campaign on Indiegogo. Luckily relying on donations has not resulted in any noticeable dip in recording, mixing or packaging quality and the record was made well with no cut corners. Musically the band are just as strong as ever and there is similarly no dip at all.If you haven't heard the band before and don't know what to expect, words won't really do it justice. The band flits wildly between genres and subgenres at great speed and don't fit neatly into any one category for too long. There are moments that will remind you of Math, Technical and Progressive styles due to the virtuosity, complexity or sheer speed, that are then interspersed with gloriously catchy radio-friendly moments, spiced with a few harsh death vocals, augmented by occasional riffs that remind you a little of At The Gates and many other things besides. You really just have to hear it to understand it.The intro to `Skies' sounds almost like Animals As Leaders, Scale The Summit or the post-millennial King Crimson works. There are moments on `Mist' that briefly sound almost like pop-punk for a few seconds and there are heavy pounding metallic sections on tracks like `Drumhead Trial,' `A Life Embossed' and `Yellow Teeth.' Its not just like they just sit around and pilfer other band's styles however, Protest The Hero have a very unique and clearly recognizable style of their own. Its just difficult to describe succinctly and without comparisons.With this album, as with the previous one, the band have concentrated hard on songwriting and making things more `instant' and easily-digestible, without compromising anything in terms of virtuosity or heaviness. This record is a distillation and continuation of everything that has come before, with new and exciting approaches to the core Protest The Hero style and it does a great job of grabbing your attention right from the get-go. They never betray who they are, they just somehow manage to write new, memorable, stand-out songs in that same great style. It's a testament to the skill and talent of the band that they can do something so stylistically identifiable without becoming stale or repeating themselves.On top of that more `instant' feel, the album still manages to be a massive grower that really rewards repeat listening. Not that repeat listening is a chore, I can scarcely help myself from listening to it twice in a row at times. The music, performance and vocal deliveries on this album are frequently absolutely captivating. (The sections containing the following phrases are particularly memorable to me: "And if the sun burst above at the end of the world I don't think I would give a damn," "Cough, gasp and splutter," "A White Straight Male with two blue eyes," "When you should look up the facts" and "And your obligatory contribution to the community").Some fans preferred the more abstract and conceptual lyrics that the band displayed on 2008's Fortress album, but I absolutely love their more personal or observational side as well. They handle both styles really well in my opinion. The band have a knack for phrasing things uniquely and avoiding the same old clichés that everybody else uses. The lyrics to "Underbite" for example are incredibly entertaining, dealing with bands who do the whole rockstar-persona schtick. The lyrics to "Mist" are a tribute to the band's homeland which almost make me want to be Canadian and "Tilting Against Windmills" deals with prejudice and bigotry in an interesting way.Overall; Volition is yet another phenomenal record from the band with thousands of hidden depths and magical subtleties. The more you listen to it the more it will give you. It is strong on every level and there are no weak tracks. It is an absolutely excellent addition to the band's discography and there are some absolute gems to be found on it. I recommend this album wholeheartedly to existing fans and suggest anyone curious about the band should give it a shot as well. If you do try it and end up liking this album be sure to pick up the rest of the band's exceptionally consistent and high quality studio output too.

After hearing the first song released from the album, 'Clarity,' I wasted no time in pre-ordering the album; I was not in the least bit disappointed. From the opening track onwards, each and every song has been expertly written, with some of the most interesting and bewildering guitar lines as well as some of the best vocals Protest have released this album is a 'must have' for any fan of the band. With the departure of Moe Carlson I (among others) was eager to hear how well Chris Adler lived up to his predecessor, and again was not disappointed, the drums were neither to simple nor too overpowering, anyone who has Adler pegged as a simple 'tub thumper' should rethink their views. And of course Arif's bass lines are again, a joy to hear. My only criticism is that there is little variation in the texture and feel of the songs, though the brief interludes in songs like Mist go along way to keep the album from becoming boring. I would highly recommend this release to any fan of progressive and melodic metal styles.

The transition from Fortress to Scurrilous made it seem like the band had peaked, but with the release of Volition it is clear that they have a lot more to offer.The album has a very varied set of songs, with styles varying from the Periphery-like intro in 'Tilting against Windmills' to the acoustic outro in 'Plato's Tripartite', the band continues to amaze with this great album.The guitar work is as technical as ever, but it feels far more coordinated in this album than it did in the last. Rody's singing continues to improve, I absolutely love his voice and it is showcased really well in this album, and the input from other singers in some songs sounds great.I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who enjoyed any of Protest's previous music, or any fans of metal, prog, punk etc.

I set 5 stars because of few things:- fast delivery - other orders usually are took more than a month to arrive so I could not left a review.- the CD itself is a perfect condition despite the fact that the package was not so good as before. Before it was a cardboard box which could protect an item in it. This time it was just a soft cellophane bag.- the music on CD is definitely awesome :)Thank you

This is there best album to date by far and with Chris Adler on the drummers throne he brings that little bit more professionalism to the sound just go buy it

First PTH Album love it, missed out on these guys for so long BUY IT

I only wish i could give this record more stars....

Fantastic.

Muy buen disco de Protest the hero, llegó un día antes, cabe destacar que llegó en excelentes condiciones, buena compra

最高のアルバムであることを保証します。ただし最高にかっこいいと感じるまでにタイムラグがあると思います。私の場合はこのアルバムを30周くらい聞いたあたりから、とにかく最高にかっこいいと感じるようになりました。イケてるギターリフに乗るボーカルの声がたまりません。美しくも儚く、今にも崩れそうな旋律に心が揺さぶられます。何度曲を聴いても、常に想像の上を行くダイナミックな展開で心踊ります。私個人的なことですが、このアルバムほど繰り返し聴いたアルバムはありません。これも個人的な感覚ですが、間違いなく今世紀最高のロック/メタルアルバムの一枚に数えるべきだと思います。もし彼らがこのクオリティのアルバムを作るためにお金が必要なのだとしたら、迷うことなくお金を出す所存です。

Ce produit est conforme en tout point je ne peux que recommander ce produit sans aucun probleme ni mauvaise surprisequand a l'album du trés bon son neuf et trés bien construit

What an amazing record. These boys are from my hometown and they never disappoint. With each record they mature and bring even more technical playing to their albums. The art work is incredible and it was well made, plays greats!

Desde luego no es su mejor disco, pero por el precio que tenía era imposible de encontrarlo más barato, así que lo compre. A ver si ponen el resto de discos a un precio similar. SI te gusta el Progresivo actual tipo metal, este grupo es fantástico