PALIMPSEST

Masterpiece.

After months wandering through some nice, but quickly forgottent tunes, I discovered PTH for 1 months, thanks to a review of Palimpsest on SputnikMusic. Since then, I just listen to this album on a daily basis. I listened to other PTH albums, but they sound like rehearsals for this one, which seems to embody all what PTH has been aiming to, during its now 13 years career.

I has all what a prog fan would dream of : themes carefully chosen (catastrophies in the 20-30's USA), epic drive, poetic and yet down to earth lyrics, complex time signatures, impossible guitar riffs, strong and full soundscape... Rody Walker really shines on this one with his operatic, catarthic singing style.

I signed in just to write this short review because I really wondered why there was not even one. I hope it will encourage others to review this album more in detail.

My advice is to listen to it from the beginning to the end, and then to start again. At first, songs sound a bit the same, but soon, you will be amazed by their individual beauty.

I must admit, Palimpest and I really got off on the wrong foot. Here were a bunch of emo Canadians out to tell Americans everything wrong with their history was my initial impression when listening to the record shortly after it first dropped. Thankfully, I recently realized how silly and defensive this was and understood that a group as talented and influential as Protest the Hero deserved serious consideration regardless of how I may have misinterpreted their intentions. By putting my ego aside, I discovered a record full of beauty, rockin' riffage, and some genuinely refreshing takes on some of America's lesser known historical episodes and milestones. The preachy emo character of the music definitely lingers throughout but it is backed by real substance that is worth your attention even if you are not the biggest fan of the post-hardcore vibes.

The case can and will almost certainly be made by many that this is Protest the Hero's finest record. And while I can certainly understand this position, I don't quite share that same level of enthusiasm. For my personal taste, Protest the Hero is at their best when they pull together frantic technical riffage with big and maniacal choruses and melodic passages. There are just too many moments on this record (e.g. "Migrant Mother", "Rivet", etc.) where the post-hardcore influence is just too dominant. If you are a prog fan with a soft spot for the likes of My Chemical Romance, this album is all world. For the rest of us, a 3 of 5 stars will suffice.