Protest the Hero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

Protest the Hero
Rody Walker, House of Blues Chicago, October 7, 2008.
Background information
Also known as	Happy Go Lucky
Origin	Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s)	Progressive metal, mathcore
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Vagrant, Underground Operations
Members
Rody Walker Tim Millar Luke Hoskin Arif Mirabdolbaghi Moe Carlson

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]

[edit] Overview

[edit] 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 Vagrant Records 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 Canadian Independent Music Award 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.^[1] In addition, members of the band appeared in a televised commercial for the instrument store, Long & Mcquade. 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.

It has been confirmed that "Bloodmeat", Fortress's first single, will be available for download on Guitar Hero:World Tour Xbox Live and Playstation Network July 30th 2009

[edit] 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. They are scheduled to start touring again in April with Chiodos and Today I Caught the Plague before joining Warped Tour 2008. 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.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• 2005: Kezia
• 2008: Fortress

[edit] Extended plays

• 2002: Search for the Truth 7"
• 2003: A Calculated Use of Sound
• 2008: Sequoia Throne Remix EP^[8]

[edit] Live albums

• 2009: Gallop Meets the Earth (CD/DVD)^[9]

[edit] Compilation appearances (featured song)

• 2002: (Coles) Notes from the Underground ("Break the Chain" and "Asperity of Sin")
• 2004: Greetings from the Underground ("Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves")
• 2004: Things Could Be Worse ("Break the Chain")
• 2005: Orange and Grey (DVD) ("Silent Genocide," "These Colours Don't Run," "Red Stars Over the Battle of the Cowshed" and "Fear and Loathing In Laramie")^[10]
• 2005: The Power of Music ("An Apathetic New World")
• 2006: Warped Tour 2006 Compilation ("Heretics and Killers")

[edit] Music videos

[edit] Members

• Rody Walker – lead vocals
• Tim Millar – guitar, backing vocals
• Luke Hoskin – guitar, backing vocals
• Arif Mirabdolbaghi – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Moe Carlson – drums

[edit] See also

• List of bands from Canada

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Protest the Hero Official Website
• Protest The Hero on MySpace
• Interview with Rody on Metallicity Radio Hour (2008)
• Interview with Rody (2008)
• Interview with Arif (2006)
• Protest The Hero on MTV Overdrive