HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Fortress – Protest The Hero
Canada has always had a rich history of rock and metal running through its veins. From RUSH to DEVIN TOWNSEND, all the way to the kings of polarisation, NICKELBACK. In 2002 a bunch of young upstarts known as PROTEST THE HERO took the world by storm with their forward thinking, instrumental athletics. 2005’s full length debut, Kezia firmly put them on the map and catapulted them to the forefront of the tech metal uprising. This set the bar incredibly high for anything which was to follow, fortunately they were more than equipped for the challenge. Thus the critically acclaimed Fortress was born in 2008.
Fortress saw a significant shift into more metal orientated territory, nabbing the #1 slot on the Canadian album chart as well as making an admirable dent in the US Billboard Top 200. Over a decade and multiple albums have passed since and the likes of Bloodmeat and Sequoia Throne still sit proudly aloft the most streamed songs of their entire catalogue. They also made a special appearance as part of the Guitar Hero series.
The 10 tracks of pure, prog perfection are packed to the brim with high energy, catchy melodies, stunning piano sequences and captivating vocal segments. Frontman Rody Walker‘s ability to effortlessly transition between powerful soaring vocals to commanding growls/screams is nothing short of phenomenal. If Fortress was to be released tomorrow it would still feel as impressive, thus is the timeless nature of their output.
Fortress was arguably the launchpad for what was to follow. From securing a slot on one of the most stacked tours to ever grace the UK in the shape of the Never Say Die tour in 2008 (accompanying PARKWAY DRIVE, DESPISED ICON, WHITECHAPEL, ARCHITECTS, UNEARTH, and CARNIFEX) to their experimental endeavours with crowdfunding and subscription based approaches, freeing themselves from the constraints of a record label, PROTEST THE HERO have gone on to achieve some amazing feats.
Whilst the landscape may have changed considerably over the years with long term members departing and Walker encountering significant career threatening vocal injuries which nearly derailed the band entirely, they have persevered and continued to craft some majestic material throughout their tenure and could be deemed as one of the catalysts for the onslaught of fret-flying bands to surface since their arrival.
A question on everyone’s lips was whether Walker would still be equipped to pull off the challenging material from years passed but there will be many a hearty sigh of relief spotting songs from Fortress and Kezia cropping up on their more recent touring cycles. The band have admitted in a previous interview with Distorted Sound that they have little interest in doing extensive rounds of touring anymore due to the level of commitment that it entails from all parties involved so you’d be best advised to jump at the chance if they swing by your neighbourhood in the future.
Fortress was originally released on January 29th, 2008 via Vagrant Records.
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