Protest the Hero
(often abbreviated as PTH
or simply Protest
) is an award winning Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. [1] The Protest line-up has stayed the same since the band formed in 1999, when they were just 12 years old. [2] They originally used the name Happy Go Lucky, but changed their name before releasing their first EP, A Calculated Use of Sound
which was followed by the release of their first full length, Kezia
, on the indie label Underground Operations. On January 23, 2006 the band officially signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia
's United States release. Kezia
was released in the US on April 4, 2006. Their second full length, Fortress
was officially released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008. [3]
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PROTEST THE HERO TICKETS
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Overview
Biography
The day that the band members finished their senior finals, they went on a three-week tour from Toronto to
Halifax called "Rock the Vote" in order to gain recognition, as well as raise awareness for the upcoming Canadian election.
[4] Protest the Hero's popularity is slowly expanding outside of metal scenes in and around the cities and towns they have performed in. Now teamed up with for distributional services, Protest the Hero hopes to become popular over most of Canada and, with their recent signing to Vagrant Records, the United States as well. In 2004 they won the for Favourite Metal Artist/Group, beating out much more well known
Alexisonfire.
[5] They were nominated for the 2006 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards' Favourite Metal Artist/Group, which
Kataklysm won in March of that year. Also in 2006, the band was also nominated for the
CASBY Award.
In addition, members of the band appeared in a televised commercial for the instrument store, . Bassist Arif was also featured in the
Closet Monster music video "Mamma Anti-Facisto (Never Surrender)"; he can be seen to the left of
London Spicoluk during the main group scenes.
A music video for their song "These Colours Don't Run", from the album
A Calculated Use of Sound
, was released in 2003. The video begins with the band discussing the meaning of the song and features the band playing the song live at numerous locations in
Toronto,
Ontario, with the album music dubbed over the actual live recording. At each location, the band would hand out lyrics to passers-by and encourage them to listen or sing along. The band has also released videos for the songs "The Divine Suicide of K.", "Blindfolds Aside", and "Heretics and Killers" from
Kezia
, and for "Bloodmeat","Palms Read", "Spoils" and "Sequoia Throne" from
Fortress
. The video for "Heretics and Killers" received airplay on MTV2 and FUSE, partially because of the interesting premise of the video: the band play the flying monkeys from
The Wizard of Oz
who work odd jobs after
The Wicked Witch is killed . In addition, the song "Divinity Within" is featured on the
NHL 07 videogame soundtrack, and "Bury the Hatchet" is featured in a download pack for
Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360. "The Dissentience" from their album
Fortress
is featured in the latest
NHL series release,
NHL 09
.
Protest The Hero started officially writing music for their newest album in January, 2007. They finished recording it on August 10, as said by Rody during the 2007 Vans Warped Tour in
Barrie, Ontario. The album is called
Fortress
and was set to be released by
Vagrant Records on November 12, however the band had decided to push the release back to January 29, 2008. On April 25th 2008, Protest The Hero premiered their video for "Sequoia Throne".
[6]
The band also made a
video for Spoils and have been speculating the release of a live
DVD on their myspace.
In a recent blog posted on the band's
Myspace page, vocalist Rody Walker confirmed that after touring, the band will spend the summer in the studio writing and recording.
"Bloodmeat", Fortress's first single, is available for download on Guitar Hero:World Tour Xbox Live, Playstation Network and on the Wii Shop Channel
Protest the Hero Live
They have performed and toured with many well-known acts, including
Alexisonfire,
Bullet For My Valentine,
Against Me!,
Between the Buried and Me, Neil Alampimpin, Al Pal Boardwalk and many others. From September 2005 until the beginning of June, 2006, Protest the Hero toured over Canada, the United States, and Great Britain in support of Kezia with bands such as
Death by Stereo,
Bad Religion,
Anti-Flag,
The Fall of Troy,
The Bled, and
DragonForce. The band took part in the
Vans Warped Tour during the Summer of 2006. Following this, Protest the Hero toured with
Avenged Sevenfold and
3 Inches of Blood until October 2006 when they began "The Crusade" tour with
Trivium,
The Sword, and
Cellador, taking them across Canada and the United States. In November 2006, Protest the Hero toured with Welsh metal band
Bullet for My Valentine and
As I Lay Dying. Beginning in the middle of December 2006, Protest The Hero embarked on a cross-Ontario tour, named the
Bring Out Your Shred
tour, with
I Hate Sally and
The Human Abstract. This tour was the first in which Kezia was played in its entirety. In late May/early June they co-headlined the Tour and Loathing 2007 Tour with co-headliners
All That Remains,
Blessthefall,
Threat Signal and
The Holly Springs Disaster.
In September 2006, guitarist
Luke Hoskin was detained at the
Vancouver-US border for possessing a bag with less than 0.2
grams of
marijuana, preventing him from continuing on their
tour with
Trivium and
The Sword.
[7] In his place the band got Marco Bressette from the Canadian rock band Hypodust from September until November 2006.
On January 28, 2008, the band began a tour through Canada with
Silverstein,
The Devil Wears Prada, and
illScarlett. The band will be on tour with
Unearth,
The Acacia Strain,
Whitechapel, and
Gwen Stacy after Warped Tour in the United States; and then will be on a European tour with
Unearth,
Parkway Drive,
Despised Icon,
Architects,
Whitechapel, and
Carnifex.
In January 2009 the band toured with
As I Lay Dying,
The Human Abstract, and
Mychildren Mybride. Then they will start a European Tour with The Human Abstract and The Chariot.
In April 2009, Protest the Hero headlined the Heads Will Roll tour in the US with
Misery Signals,
The Number Twelve Looks Like You,
Fall from Grace (band), and
Scale the Summit.
According to Walker, Bone Marrow (3rd track off of 2008's Fortress) is the only track from the album that has, at this point, never been played live.
Discography
Studio albums
- Kezia
(2005)
- Fortress
(2008)
Extended plays
- Search for the Truth
(2002, 7")
- A Calculated Use of Sound
(2003)
- Sequoia Throne Remix EP
[8] (2008)
Live albums
- Gallop Meets the Earth
(2009, CD/DVD) [9]
Compilation appearances
- (Coles) Notes from the Underground
(2002) ("Break the Chain" and "Asperity of Sin")
- Greetings from the Underground
(2004) ("Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves")
- Things Could Be Worse
(2004) ("Break the Chain")
- Orange and Grey
(2005, DVD) ("Silent Genocide," "These Colours Don't Run," "Red Stars Over the Battle of the Cowshed" and "Fear and Loathing In Laramie") [10]
- The Power of Music
(2005) ("An Apathetic New World")
- Warped Tour 2006 Compilation
(2006) ("Heretics and Killers")
Music videos
Year
| Song
| Album
|
2003
| "These Colours Don't Run"
| A Calculated Use of Sound
|
2005
| "Blindfolds Aside"
| Kezia
|
2006
| "Heretics and Killers"
|
2007
| "The Divine Suicide of K."
|
2007
| "Bloodmeat"
| Fortress
|
2008
| "Sequoia Throne"
|
2008
| "Palms Read"
|
2009
| "Spoils"
|
Members
- Rody Walker – lead vocals
- Tim Millar – guitar, backing vocals
- Luke Hoskin – guitar, backing vocals
- Arif Mirabdolbaghi – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Moe Carlson – drums
See also
- List of bands from Canada
References
- Protest the Hero Talks about their new album, Kezia!
- Music Vice Features - Protest The Hero interview with Rody at Warped Tour 2008
- Protest the Hero's Fortress
- [1]
- Canadian Music Week 2004
- Title Unavailable
- Protest the Hero: Detained!
- Protest the Hero To Release Remix EP - News Article - AbsolutePunk.net
- "PROTEST THE HERO: More 'Gallop Meets The Earth' Details Revealed - May 25, 2009". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.
- "Orange And Grey Compilation DVD Released" PunkBands.com. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.