Kezia

Protest the Hero | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vagrant
• ASIN: B000E6EIZI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,239 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Almost two years in the making, "Kezia" (the band's first full length) is a "situational requiem" similar to a concept albu...see site for more info.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 80s metal + NWoSDM + breakdowns!!, June 10, 2006

By 

Aquarius Records (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kezia (Audio CD)

I threw this on initially thinking it would be another chunk of that new fangled screamo-prog I like so much, Coheed, Chiodos and the like, and it sort of was, but it was so much MORE METAL! Seriously. When the record kicked in, first track, first 30 seconds, I thought maybe I had thrown on the wrong record, ultra tight, blazing Swedish style deathmetal, with tons of stop / start intricacies, crushing downtuned chug and every nook and cranny stuffed with blazing, shredding, squiggly leads, licks and little woodleewoos. Almost like an emo Necrophagist!

Imagine some of the tightest catchiest screamo / emo / metalcore drenched in crushing blazing fast deathmetal and gussied up with plenty of Yes-y progisms, strummy acoustic breakdowns, and soaring almost eighties metal style vocals. And it's mostly the vocalist that pushes the band over the edge. If Protest The Hero had a screamer or a growler, they would be just another killer tech-prog deathmetal band, but with the crazy vocals and lush harmonies they turn into something completely different. The singer alternately sounds like Joey Belladonna from Anthrax, Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and a friend thinks the singer sounds like a screamo-metal Lou Gramm from Foreigner, which I can definitely hear. But imagine just that sort of soaring epic eighties vibe but tangled up in huge sticky webs of dense ultracomplex new wave of Swedish death metal (In Flames, At The Gates, etc.), and with crazy staccato Meshuggah / Poison The Well breakdowns all over the place. So f-cking great. I listen to this NONSTOP.

But it's definitely all about the guitars, heavy and epic and slippery and complex and squiggly and wanky but totally mind blowing. And the songs are catchy as hell too. It's like my eighties-self musical fantasy dream come true, a totally eighties hook filled pop record, turned inside out and massively progged up, the whole thing transformed into a crushing metal beast. If I had heard this when I was in my early teens, my fragile musical mind would have been so thoroughly blown I'd have been musically ruined for life. But hearing it now, I can definitely handle it, but just barely

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope this is what the future brings..., May 1, 2007

By 

DigitalVox (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kezia (Audio CD)

I first heard the cd about a year ago when one of my friends was blasting it in his car and all I remember about it was the excessive noise but I did get the band name from him. A year later I listen to the cd again and I have a newfound respect for the guys. This CD is truly mindblowing. I can honestly say that I listen to the entire CD every single day and I am still not tired. Several factors contribute to this perseverence. First, the catchiness is undeniable and the sound is so fresh. Another thing to note is that none of the songs have choruses and at times it's a little overwhelming trying to keep up with 5 minutes of everchanging melodies and tempos. I can truly say that this band does not sound like any other band I have ever heard. Second, what struck me about the band was the absolutely superb musicianship. I was blown away by the level of virtuosity with which these 19 year olds play. Right from the get-go they kick the doors down with guns blazing and don't stop until the last minute. This separates them from so many of their contemporaries who sacrifice instrumental skill for catchy hooks. The guitars shred like no other, the bass pounds away quite intricately, the drums thunder with such ferocity you wonder how the kit stays intact and the singer possesses a remarkably beautiful voice ranging from melodic singing to almost death-metal grunts. This might be considered drastic thinking but I would pick this over Slayer and Slipknot anyday. It is well worth the 9 dollars and more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive!, February 26, 2008

By 

Bill Lumbergh "yeaahh..." (Initech) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kezia (Audio CD)

Believe the hype, and disregard any artifacts of image, because Protest The Hero can shred while playing some of the most original music to date. Something that may not be for everybody is Rody Walker's vocals, altering between falsetto-style singing and metalcore style singing, but if you approach it with an open mind, you'll realize that Rody has an impressive range and doesn't always sound one dimensional, which is pretty refreshing. The music they produce is basically impossible to pigeonhole, because while they may have some metalcore influence in there, it also gives a nod to technical metal and progressive metal as well while blending each influence into their complex songs. It reminds me what happens when you blend Misery Signals, Psychotic Waltz, and Atheist all in one. An impressive debut full-length, and make sure to check out "Fortress" as well.