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Rating:
9.8 |
Protest The Hero - Kezia
30 August 2005
01. No Stars Over Bethlehem
02. Heretics And Killers
03. Divinity Within
04. Bury The Hatchet
05. Nautical
06. Blindfolds Aside
07. She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods
08. Turn Soonest To The Sea
09. The Divine Suicide Of K.
10. A Plateful Of Our Dead
Album Of The Year
The Canadian band Protest The Hero already released Kezia in their home country last year; however, only now is it getting worldwide distribution courtesy of a deal with Vagrant Records in USA. Nothing could make me more happy than knowing that this band is slowly achieving wider recognition since, frankly, this is some of the best music I have heard in the last few years.
Although technically a part of the metalcore scene, Protest The Hero actually makes music that to a large extent completely defies classification. In some ways, Kezia reminds me of River Runs Red, the masterpiece of New York City's Life Of Agony. Like that classic album, Kezia contains music that is bleeding emotion on every note. It is also a concept album (in this case, about the trial of a woman called Kezia for an unspecified crime). Finally, Protest The Hero also often follows the metallic-hardcore tradition of breakdowns and gang-shouts. This; however, is where the comparisons end. Musically Kezia is all over the place. All of the songs follow very unpredictable and technical structures, often switching tempos and aesthetics multiple times during a single song. The only common element is how frantically everything is performed. Just take a song like the opener "No Stars Over Bethlehem" as an example - it starts with a growl and melodeath inspired leads, becomes polyrhythmic prog for a few seconds, goes into an Anthrax-like refrain, scores a metalcore breakdown, utilizes a Corrosion Of Conformity style stoner riff for a little while and ends with a superb guitar solo. All of this in a song that is not even 4 minutes long! This is just a small teaser of what kinds of things await us on this album.
Kezia is a masterpiece by any standards. That it is delivered by a very young band is just reason to rejoice, be happy that rock music is not yet dead and that we have the privilege of hearing music like this.
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Written on 12.05.2006 by
jupitreas
With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. Privately not actually an asshole, he lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he runs his small graphic and web design business.
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Comments
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10
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| I got curious, so I checked it out. I'm sorry, but it's crap, extremely annoying metalcore. I'm not a fan of this style, but I would much rather listen to God Forbid, Cataract or Unearth then this. |
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greatestmanalive - 19.08.2006 at 08:44
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Metalcore, no it's not.
Metal, yes, but I know nobody will agree with me.
It's excellent, check it out, don't be scared by it's upbeat, almost poppy sound. |
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| I saw this band live 2 years before they released this album and they really sucked some hardcore balls then but now after hearing this album I'm quite pleased with their progression they're great now. |
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 Talvi - 01.02.2008 at 22:55
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Metalcore, yes it is.
I don't know why when people like Metalcore bands, they refuse those being Metalcore. Metalcore can be a good genre, live with it.
Thanks for this review (which I looked for because of the review of their new album). Now I'm listening to a very good album. I'm loving this crazy metalcorish bands. |
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this can't be metalcore. take a band like (dare i say it) killswitch engage, or trivium, and compare either of them with PtH. nothing alike IMO. yeah, it's a genre of "core", but come on..let's be realistic here.
either way, this CD proves that any band can get better. their first release was utter crap, and kezia is a major improvement. in fact, i still prefer it over fortress.  |
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 oLjud - 14.09.2008 at 23:31
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| i've got the genre "progressive hardcore" in iTunes. No mather genre, this album rock bad ass! One of the best albums ever made! 10points go to PtH! |
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Ricktehmaster - 01.01.2009 at 03:48
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For those of you that come back and care to know.
This is progressive metal band.
Progressive because they experiment with key signatures and time signatures. All Metalcore or shit like that is basic on a simple formula.... melody, breakdown, melody. Progressive music never has the same motif twice...its ever changing and unique. I love it! 
Forgive my music major approach to answering this lol |
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Written by Passenger on 19.05.2006 at 16:31
I got curious, so I checked it out. I'm sorry, but it's crap, extremely annoying metalcore. I'm not a fan of this style, but I would much rather listen to God Forbid, Cataract or Unearth then this.
Listen to fortress. and it's not Metalcore. They are defined as Mathcore for their extremely complex "riffs" which are more like solos then anything else, this band is extremely hard to define and in fact may end up pioneering a whole new genre. |
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Kezia contains music that is bleeding emotion on every note
AgreeD.This albums is beautifully melodic.Melody that flows naturally from the riffs and not intentionally juxtaposed for the namesake. |
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| I get the feeling that anybody here who said they didnt like it might have a different opinion since the releases of Fortress and Scurrilous. |
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