PROTEST THE HERO 'Within'

PROTEST THE HERO
Within
Independent

PROTEST THE HERO is progressive metal if I've ever seen it. Where you think of metal, you think of grayscale, but in 'Within,' you can tell immediately that it is bright, vivid, colorful, and full of energy. It is not my usual pick of music, admittedly, but I was more than blown away listening to it and have been looping it since my first play.
 
Rody Walker is actually fairly young for this generation of metal frontmen at 40, and I only bring this up because it is certainly relevant in the album. In just over half an hour, Walker makes it clear that 'Within' is political and powerful and won't shy away from saying what he thinks is right. He speaks without cowardice or cushioning on complex topics that reflect just how much he stands out in metal spaces-and I personally love it. 

"Mouthpiece" starts out strong, with plenty of watery and oceanographic imagery in its lyricism that paints a very good picture of the imaginative beauty of the album. Walker is very skilled at acting as a sort of painter with music, and the images that form in your head from his music are crisp and clear. The lines "in a world of vivid color, our eyes are made gray / until all the hues of summer fade away," stuck out to me immediately with their sheer poetics, and the rest of the song follows suit in this. 

It also begins the throughline that follows through the entire album of rebelling against the status quo and what may be "expected" of him and of younger generations. Walker inspires a sense of solidarity in the youth, especially in "Fishhook." This power and energy, though, is broken up in "i. above" with its soft orchestrals, and the serenity found in it is one I can appreciate. 

In all honesty? It may be my favorite song on the album. It conveys a sort of figurative vulnerability to the reader, a display of emotionality that isn't normally found in the white-hot passion of heavy metal. It's a clearer view of the softer, gentler colors that 'Within' evokes alongside its brighter ones. 

It's not like that for long, though. Fire is stoked again in "Grandfather's Axe" as Walker repeated sings "I can't fight it" and his own need to move on from the past, to let go of what he knows to invite the new into life. He speaks of what he misses (and this, I believe, is where the name of the song comes, the idea I get from the axe of a grandfather is a sort of nostalgia or memento) and his need to carry them with him into a brighter future, his "ushering in the new age."

Then "Grandfather's Axe" transitions into "The Orchard," and I'm reminded of the nature imagery that seems to be mentioned throughout multiple songs. I can only imagine that these symbolics are so notable due to the permanence of the natural world and the inability to escape it, for lack of a better term. It's always there-as is the past, and it's very, very difficult to escape from a past when you know nothing else of the world. PROTEST THE HERO encourages the listen to watch past empires crumble, and to build something greater, stronger; something that will last.

"ii. below" is another break, and is quieter than its counterpart. It is less orchestral, more electronic, nearly no real music at all, until about halfway through, you hear the faint sound of a violin. I can't claim to know what was meant by this, but I do enjoy the visuals of a violin representing the voices of a younger, more fervent and impassioned generation.
After our second and final interlude, "Liberty Spike" is a myriad of different sounds taken from a number of genres into a very carefully crafted blend, that is deeply, deeply metal, and even more deeply profound. Walker sings of loss and of estrangement, and calls back to "Led Astray" from their very first album back in 2003, 'A Calculated Use of Sound.' It's evocative and deeply compelling to connect grief to tangible past, and this sort of yearning for the past is one almost anybody can understand. 

It's a very unique, soulful feeling, to mourn. To feel like we've missed our chance. It would be difficult not to empathize with Walker.

To close out 'Within,' we have "The Mariner." I've never seen PROTEST THE HERO live, I'll be clear, but I do know them well enough to know about the show the song is about. Back in 2022, right out of quarantine, PROTEST THE HERO nearly had to cancel a show due to Walker's inability to sing-the reason this didn't happen, notably, is because the crowd sung nearly every song in their setlist that night. It is a beautiful, harmonious thank you to every fan they have, and every fan who sung that night.

Overall, I find the sheer emotionality of which PROTEST THE HERO expresses themselves to be fresh and charming. I honestly was not expecting to like 'Within' as much as I did, even as a fan of them. Oldhead metal fan or not, I really do believe there is something in this album for everyone. All people are touched by love, which 'Within' is brimming with.

4.0 Out Of 5.0