Protest the Hero- Fortress

It's only January, and already one of my two most anticipated records of the year (the other being Spitfire's Cult Classic) is already in my hands.

Protest the Heroe's Sophomore label release is the follow up to their 2006 masterpiece Kezia, which I willingly awarded my number one album of the year,
Jokingly, the band has commented on the album as being "Kezia pt. II", however, the record is anything but.
Yes it is still technical, yes there are more guitar harmonies than the Trans Siberian Orchestra, and yes... it is still metal. The album however has a more progressive feel if one can believe it, and ultimately seems like the album Between the Buried and Me was trying to create.
Without seeming like they were showing off, Protest the Hero has composed ten masterful songs, all of which fall under one umbrella, supporting each other.

Often times it's easy to get lost in this record because of the shear technicality in both musicianship and song composition, however it seems to have been there goal. At one point you listening to a keytar solo on track one, and then all the sudden you find yourself at the end of the record, forty minutes later, satisfied and ready for about 300 more listens.
Though this may seem bad, in so many ways it's not. By giving the listener a broad landscape to explore, there is something new upon each listen.

While I would say on this record the only negative is the less the stellar lyrical side of the record, especially when compared to Kezia, singer Rody Walker's diverse melodies drive the record home.

Bottom line is that this band has already created two phenomenal records, and they have figured out just the right recipe for succesful progression. Alot of bands go from one record from the other, "progressing" too much and either sounding un-honest, or just overcompensating. PTH however have made metal records at the very root, and minorly tweaking small things; things that solidify each record in their own monuments.
Though Protest the Hero are still young by many standards, they are quickly building their own ground to stand on. Something we just down see from modern day bands.

FINAL GRADE: A+