Protest The Hero - Scurrilous
Rating
RIYL
Iron MaidenSikth
Between The Buried And Me
Release Date
03/22/2011
Label
Vagrant RecordsTracklist
1. C’est la Vie2. Hair-Trigger
3. Tandem
4. Moonlight
5. Tapestry
6. Dunsel
7. The Reign of Unending Terror
8. Termites
9. Tongue-Splitter
10. Sex Tapes
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I would have preferred that this be an exceedingly positive review. After all, Fortress is quite honestly one of my favorite records of the new century—dashing from technical wizardry to sublime melody at the drop of a hat—and if I owned it in any other form than mp3, it would likely have been worn to an unusable hunk of vinyl or whatever the hell CDs are made out of by now. And maybe comparing Scurrilous to Fortress is completely unfair, especially in light of the fact that the latter was such a revelatory, once-in-a-generation-type record, appealing to a very wide cross-section of music fans.
But, alas, after giving it probably too many chances, I’m resigned to designating Scurrilous a bust. At the outset I was convinced I had an album of the year candidate on my hands. “C’est La Vie” is one of the great songs about suicide this side of Every Time I Die’s “Floater,” and it combines grotesque wit with relentless catchiness. And speaking of catchiness, “Hair-Trigger,” “C’est La Vie”’s successor, rivals anything on Fortress, irrespective of aspect, thanks in no small part to Jadea Kelly’s brilliant turn in the vocal booth. But then something goes terribly, terribly wrong. The technical parts remain wholly intact, so it’s not like the album suddenly becomes a train wreck, but it nearly grinds to a halt in terms of anything that can be called engaging.
This has been sort of a sticking point for me, and I’ve been trying to think of how I’m going to approach it, because the main issue at fault here is so intangible. There seems to be this pervading blasé sense where the melodies don’t stick, the lyrics become coy and snarky, even downright pithy with some critic-baiting near the end of the album (perhaps courtesy of Rody Walker’s pen?), and the songs run together with no discernible differentiation. Pick and choose any track from three through ten and it sounds about the same, with little to invite the listener in beyond appreciation for the skill of the musicians.
So what does it all mean? After three years of anticipation, of wondering how Protest The Hero could possibly follow up Fortress, we’re left with much ado about nothing. Essentially Scurrilous amounts to rattling a saber at shadows, a showcasing of mastery that goes nowhere. Harsh, I know, but I guess I just expected more.
--Jacob Oliver
Comments
Canada
i like it, but i feel its too all over the place. an unfocused effort for me. That and the fact the human abstract - digital veil blows it away in my opinion
Minnesota
Still as technically proficient as ever... but just like their past two releases, I still don't think there's a lot of feeling in their music. I like everything they've done on technical merit, but don't often revisit it because of that lack of soul.
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Los Angeles
I agree Rick. Their music doesn't really feel like it matters in the long run. It's cool and all, but it doesn't hold my attention.
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Illinois
hmm hearing a lot of the same comments on this album. i felt the same way the first few listens. it seems like they're just forcing the prog aspect of their music a bit more than they should be. i've found that listening to the individual tracks (when they pop up on shuffle) have made me appreciate them more, but i'm still agreeing with you guys somewhat... i've really enjoyed their past two releases, but this one hasn't grown on me as much as i've wanted it to, yet.
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Fishers, Indiana
Just popping in to nth the whole, "technically proficient, but lack of feeling" vibes this album gives off. Dylan, if I ever listened to stuff on shuffle, I bet I'd find that I liked the individual songs too-- but I still have yet to be able to get through this album in one sitting.
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Edmonton, AB
This album just doesnt hold my attention like Fortress. It just sounds like a bunch of technical guitar playing with some of the worst singing I've ever heard. I've never ben a huge fan of Rody's singing, but at least on Fortress, there was some great screaming to go with and some catchy melodies.
Illinois
ya i was gonna say that also. rody needs to scream more. you know what this reminds me of? fall of troy's last album. thomas erak tried to sing too much and it kind of ruined the whole thing. rody just sings too much, and i can only take so much of his singing before it's like "oh my fuck, stop that".
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Fishers, Indiana
With both of these bands, two albums ago, I could've listened to Rody and Thom sing all day, but both of their singing voices are remarkably bad right now. Who is giving singing tips to these bands nowadays?
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Kansas
I'm still on the fence about this album...having kind of a hard time with it actually. gonna try the shuffle thing...
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Spokane, Washington
not quite sure how i feel about this album just yet.
Current Listenings:
7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes of Absolution"
Horse Feathers - "Cynic's New Year"
Andrew Bird - "Break It Yourself"
Sigur Ros - "Valtari"
Rocky Votolato - "Television of Saints"
Janus - "Nox Aeris"
Blues Traveler - "25"
Edmonton, AB
Good call on the Fall of Troy comparison. I loved the singing on Doppelganger, but it was all downhill from there.
Bronx, New York City
i couldn't possibly agree more.
--FTTW--
Infinitely Inwards
3/5 for me as well....i love the structure of the music as well as the bands instrumental prowess, but the production is lacking and the songs dont go anywhere interesting but 50 percent of the time.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
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Aborted - Global Flatline
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Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Illinois
i wish there was a part as epic as the "palms read" outro/"limb from limb" intro.
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Kansas
turn on shuffle people.
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West Haven, CT
Rick and Spartan said it.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.