Rating: NN
After the Whitby four-piece Protest the Hero cut their ties with Underground Operations and Vagrant, the prog metal dudes’ rabid fan base successfully raised over $300,000 to fund the recording of Volition. The result is a furious and unrelenting listen that overtly exposes their political side. Protest the Hero have never been short on energy, but their fourth album lacks variety and rarely allows the listener to breathe.
Fans will certainly lap up the chugging A Life Embossed, a tirade against the Ontario government’s decision to ban pit bulls, but the song (like many) ends up being about as deep as a paint-by-numbers picture (“It’s not a single type or a single gloss / but they’re singled out at half the cost”). With manic lead guitars, Volition is more menacing than past releases, yet four albums in, it would be nice to see them stretch their creative muscles.
Top track: Mist
Protest the Hero play the Sound Academy November 9.
