Album Review: Protest The Hero-Scurrilous

Canada's Protest The Hero, in my eyes, is one of the most underrated bands in all of metal. In 2008, they released the absolutely spectacular Fortress. Fortress was a severely underrated and overlooked record that didn't get anywhere near the acclaim it deserved. Their latest release, Scurrilous, is every bit as good as Fortress and will hopefully get them the respect they deserve.

Scurrilous takes Protest The Hero's sound in a slightly different direction. There is definitely more of a progressive vibe to the record with an enhanced focus on clean vocals and melody. That being said, Protest The Hero's main goal is still to kick your ass and Scurrilous does just that. Album opener "C'est La Vie" gets the album off to a running start out of the gates. ""C'est A Le Vie" is an infectious,catchy masterpiece that will instantly get stuck in your head and demands repeat listens immediately. "C'est La Vie" is far from the lone highlight on Scurrilous. The entire album is a standout, every track is very close in terms of quality. Protest The Hero is able to make every song excellent by keeping things interesting with their off-the-charts level of musical precision. Just as impressive as the musicianship, is the manic level of energy the songs are delivered at. From the spastic scat screaming on "Tapestry" to the sarcastic,satirical tone of "Sex Tapes", every song is full of non-stop energy and fun.

Scurrilous is another brilliant record from Protest The Hero. It combines the best elements from their first two records to make their best record to date. Roddy Walker has never sound better and the guitarwork, as always, is top-notch. It's a super catchy yet heavy and punishing record. Scurrilous is the best album of 2010 so far and it's the first album of the year that is a pretty much a lock for (at least) my top 10.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.C 'est La Vie
2.Tapestry
3.Tongue-Splitter

Best Albums Of The Decade(2000-2009): #78-77

78.Foo Fighters-In Your Honor(2005)

Dave Grohl is seriously one of the most talented dudes in the music industry. He can play just about any instrument and he can sing damn hell. Ever since Nirvana's disbanding after Kurt Cobain's death, Grohl's new main project the Foo Fighters have been making really good records but in 2005 they released their tightest record yet with In Your Honor. In Your Honor really showcases Grohl's talent with a wide diveristy of tracks. You got your typical bad ass Foo Fighters with songs like "DOA" and "No Way Back" and then on the opposite spectrum you the all acoustic 2nd disc with such gems as "Friend Of A Friend" and "Miracle". In Your Honor shows off all of the many sides the Foo Fighters have to offer and it is their greatest accomplishment to date

Standout Tracks 1.DOA 2.Miracle 3.No Way Back

77.Protest The Hero-Fortress(2008)

Fortress is another record that took some time to see the brillance of. The main reason I wasn't blown away at first was I found Roddy Walker's vocals to be grating. After getting adjusted to Walker's vocals, I noticed how fantastic this band and album is. Walker is a highly skilled vocalist that can hit just about every octave possible with his screaming and clean vocals. In addition to Walker, guitarist Luke Hoskin boasts some of the most impressive sweep picking I have ever heard in my entire life. "Seqouia Throne" is where the most jaw-dropping sweep picking occurs and it is truly a pleasure to here him play. Fortress is insanely complex,diverse,astonishing and I will most likely regret not putting this higher on the list.

Standout Tracks 1.The Dissentience 2.Seqouia Throne 3.Wretch