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| Protest the HeroKezia2005 Underground Operations 
 Review by: BJR See others by this writer Protest the Hero's Website (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on October 18th 2005
Whenever I first get a CD (whether it be in the mail or from my local record store), I always give the cover art and the way the CD was packaged a good look over. The day I received Kezia, the first full-length album from Protest the Hero, the first thing that came to mind was Obsessions. To all my extremely disappointed 18 Visions fans, I thought of all the money that Trustkill put into the art for that CD and wondered: Has Underground Operations thrown away a lot of money to balance out an underpar album with excellent artwork? Yet after giving Kezia a few spins in my CD player, my worst fears about this album were relieved. For all you Protest the Hero fans, the songs on this album may not be as overtly political as fan favorite These Colors Don’t Run, but this album is twice as aggressive as anything else they have ever put out.
I can give the cliff notes (of the concept)...the literal translation is there are three characters -- one is a prison priest, one is a prison guard and the other is a girl named Kezia, who is to be executed. Each character represents different personalities of the band and how we're feeling and the shooting to death of a certain aspect of us. All it really is is three songs in each act representing each character and they just describe how the characters are feeling in relation to this scenario.Kezia is all about balancing the aggression of thrash metal, the intensity and passion of hardcore punk, and the crooning of emo-tinged vocals. Being more of a fan of the more aggressive side of Protest the Hero, I have come to like three tracks on the record the most: “Heretics and Killers,” “Blindfolds Aside,” and “Turn Soonest to the Sea.” Protest the Hero have definitely raised the standard for both their songwriting and their music. “Heretics and Killers” shows off a new idea that Protest the Hero had in the studio: They artfully chop up songs (this one especially) with Rody’s voice over an acoustic guitar. On “Blindfolds Aside” there is probably one of the best lines in a song I have heard in a long time: “To stone for a sin I didn't care for, but a sin that paid my debts, a sin that fed my children, and burned my smiles and cigarettes” (and these guys were 18 when they made this CD!!!). “Turn Soonest to the Sea” shows off PTH’s hardcore influences as the band joins Rody with powerful gang vocals. “Nautical,” the first new song available online, was a good choice to get people excited about buying the record, but is not the strongest track PTH has to offer. In a few words, this album is revolutionary. I can only hope that PTH decide to tour America in support of Kezia soon, as Underground Operations is shopping for a U.S. distributor for Kezia. Now I think I shall go put on my first 5000 pressing limited edition stickers on the lyric sheet… People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
Wheres the review for Fortress phenomenal TREOS- Actually, a Muslim might be pretty excited about the second coming of Jesus, because Muslims believe Jesus to be a prophet. They don't believe that he is the ONLY prophet, but they do accept him as one. He is mentioned in their holy book several times. to C_Z: so what if they're amazing musicians? You can't just put a load of people great at their instruments into a room and expect an amazing album. This band is fantastic, their riffs are killer. Originality has a strong presence here. It's great to see Canadian bands being accepted in PUNK. We're known for nickelback and Simple plan...And they fucking suck. to all you litlle faggots out there who have nothing to say good about this band... pull your head out of your ass's and actually listen to the music.. Great album, great concept. Anyone who doesnt realize that this is a great album is obviously a NOFX fan Great album, great concept. Anyone who doesnt realize that this is a great album is obviously a NOFX fan this whole cd is like one old Thrice riff played over and over again at double speed. Amazing CD! I really liked this cd. I think that in a way it is revolutionary what with the blending of emo vocals with the metal riffs and all. I see what some people mean when they say it's no second coming of jesus and all but it's all about how you interpret the cd. I'm sure muslim people wouldn't be very impressed or moved if jesus was to return since that's not their faith. Likewise some people don;t see this cd as revolutionary or monumental but like i hope i just explained...it's all about perception and what you;re into. Personally i'm more of a moneen light vocals kinda guy but this cd is incredible. fan-fuckin'-tastic album...can't stop listening to it this is most definetly protest the hero's best cd yet! they are my fav band in the world! oh my god this is like the best cd ever!! i love protest the hero! Protest the Hero is a great young band with a lot of promise. But seriously, some of you people need to go outside more. Trashing each other about a how talented or untalented a band is...don't you have anything better to do? You think that anyone cares how you compare them to your personal favourites? Let them be themselves. For real..go outside and get some sun. from song one to the tenth one, this CD is amazing. Best i've heard in a while. 'Blindfolds Aside' is one of the best songs I've heard in some time. amazing band, sick album dammit i forgot to post this.........my score dammit i forgot to post this.........my score im a huge protest fan, ive been a fan since you couldnt even find any images of protest on google images, which is like 2 years. And im a huge thrice fan, heard every thrice song out there, so what my point is that kezia is sort of similar to the illusion of safety- thrice. Cause when that the illusion of safety came out it broke the rules of emo and hardcore by blending it together and mixing it with metalcore, it's thrice's most technical cd, that's why it's so big. Now with protest there cd is doing the same just this time it's FAR more technical than the illusion, and the concept of Kezia is far better than the illusion. Kezia is not exactly like the illusion of safety but there are some similarities that are undiniable. Overall both cd's kick ass!! Oh and one more thing about kezia they are so nice to their fans unlike thrice. Well for us canadians, eh Best Music Ive Heard In A Long Time Keep Playing!!!!!! This albumn is incredible!!! This album features really good musicians but it just becomes filled with technical showing off in my opinion. The vocalist really has an incredible vocal range but if I was really after vocals that he brings, I'd start listening to choirs or something. I cannot listen to this album in long chunks at all, it just gets irritating that they seem to be trying to show off rather than create well-flowing music. I saw these guys with Fall of Troy and Anterrabae a few weeks ago. ok. protest the hero. and why they are amazing. #1 they have amazing vocals. #2 they have amazing lyrics #3 they go deep into their lyrics and actually put somthing that is worth while listinign to other then the screaming painful suicide notes that is from first to last. they keep real to their fans, they signed my cd for me when i saw them in concert in london a while ago, and they send me emails bout concerts and just how shit is going on the road because i asked them to and they acutally kept their promise. these guys are truly in it for the music. im seeing them in concert in lonond on april 22nd and its gunna be amazing. SO FUCK YALL WHO DONT LIKE THEM no comment Gotta say, there's waaay too much praise being thrown at this band for this Kezia release. It's good stuff, great instrumentation, decent concept, flawless execution all to be commended. But to imply that this CD represents some monumental moment in music history is to imply that you haven't heard much great music. Great riffs, Great lyrics but it is all over shadowed by the absoulute worst voice in punk today....dear god its so fucking whiny and unlistenable. sorry my score is not justice(down.....) great human super star!!!!! It kicks total ass and the music sounds really in concert too. Suckers i dont even care what anybody say about protest. Dear guy below me. They didnt debut Nautical live until June or July. Thanks. OMG i love Protest The Hero i first saw them on The Punk Show on much music with my friend we automatically loved this band they are so amazing i believe these guys have what it takes to make it big one day. I first saw them live in Kitchener with Sum41 and No Warning at The Aud in Kitchener i must say when they said they hade a new cd coming out i was stoked i looked on there official site and www.undergroundoperations.com everyday for news or to hear a song from the new record.Also the concert i went to i got the EP signed by all 5 members and they did perform a new song for the first time so i thought that was cool and that song was called Nautical that was at April 9 2005. I hope these guys make it really big some day because the ep i have will be worth so much signed then lol well bye A really incredible album, these guys have crazy skills and will definitly go places if they keep up releases like Kezia. this album rocked my socks off... hectyc lyrics, riffs and overall sound. im from the fuckin 905 bitch whitby represent... i went to school with Arif... very talented guy and so is the rest of the band... ANDERSON AND AUSTIN REPRESENT!!! Seriously how can you say this album sucks or even protest the hero in general, they are 18 and they are doing shit that you couldnt even do in your dreams. They are extremly talented and they put on a kick ass show, I seen them play both times they came to fredericton, so respect them for that even if your not into this genre of music. Protest The Hero = AMAZING BAND! This cd is insane BITCHS!!!! weither you like the band or not To say this album is revolutionary really is an understatement. A whole new standard in music has been set and I find myself barely even respecting other bands that i previously really enjoyed... nothing comes even close to this. Me again. Reviewer you made a mistake One more thing, the album is meant as a musical. Don't like that? Too bad, but don't shrug it off as being "overthetop" without realizing this. Not only is it stylistically a metal opera but the enigma (yes, it's an enigma, not a story, this came from the band themselves) parallels not only Dostoevsky's parable "the Grand Inquisitor" but the musical "les Miserables". I'm sorry guys, but the shit you're giving this album is far beyond you. Oh, and you can't compare these guys to Fall of Troy, because Fall of Troy just repeat mundane pull offs with ghastly vocals. I'm going to be frank. Firstly, to compare this album to thrice is offensive, because the fact is the work that went into this album long surpasses anything those butt-plugging whosers have ever done. Do you guys realize the layers upon layers metaphors in this one? Do you realize the stories and concepts behind the album? You can bitch all you want about how shitty UO is, but who fucking cares? In what way does a lame label affect an album from being brilliant? Oh, no, it's not punk enough! Who fucking cares? SO the guys in this band chose not to repeat themselves like the punk scene's been doing for the last 10 years, get over it and listen to your same shitty anti-flag albums. The fact is those who shrug this album off are usually doing it out of ignorance. You need to appreciate the range in Rody's vocals (easily 3 octaves are shown on the album), and the virtuosity of the instruments. Arif manages to keep up with the guitars, pulling off amazing tapping and other techniques on his bass. Tim and Luke master the sweep picking and arpeggious all the while keeping the music interesting while Moe hits the skins like no other. To say this album is anything other than groundbreaking is just shocking to me; let's see you find another band of this age record something on par, but until you do I'll say get off your ass and buy this. Whether you like it or not, this album has more style and substance than any of the mundane overdroned shit you "punx" listen to. Oi indeed, ass-wads. you people are stupid.. the album owns. You dont need to bitch about who owns the record label or this and that its fucking good music so shut up and enjoy this album is sweet. it barely leaves my cd player. This album prooves just how amazing protest the hero really is. The lyrics are one of the best lyrics i have ever read. I cant wait to see the music video for Blindfolds Aside. This album is intense from start to finish. Yeah it borrows a lot from BTBAM, but to say that this is similar to Sum 41 is just being blind to the masterpiece that is this album and protest. First of all, to all those 905 kids bitching. Fuck. Your labeling yourself with a fucking area code. its music man, not a telephone service, get your heads out of your ass. To all the universal sell out shit/ avril shit. What better way to take down a corrupt way of putting out music (turning it into a product instead of an artform), than from the inside out? ^5, good album Universal Execs like blowing coke off the arses of strippers. So do I. So instead of buying this crappy record and supporting big record companies, send me the money and I promise I'll party like a rock start on it! "It doesn't matter whether or not he "hated it" - the fact of the matter is that he knew damn well what he was getting into when he quit Closet Monster to join Avril Lavigne's band. He made his money for about a year or so, and then left to rejoin Cloest Monster. He may have hated it, but he still willingly did it. And for being in a band that prides itself on its revolutionary and anti-capitalist sentiment, such a move doesn't exaclty mesh well with their own supposed value system. I hate UndergroundOperation bands, but this album is pretty stellar. You guys are seriously retarded. Shut the hell up. Never have I seen so many know-it-all attention whores clambering for cyber-attention. Hahahaha. Fuck this manufactured revolution. "The 'owner' of this label was with the avril band during the first cd, and that was it cuz he hated it." What does anyone care if they're from the 905 area or not? why would that change your opinion of it? Ok They sucked when they were 15...any other valid points? Oh that's right, it all goes to feed someone's cocaine habit... someone no one here knows but, but heard from a friend that it's true. Ahahaha, ok buddy, The 'owner' of this label was with the avril band during the first cd, and that was it cuz he hated it. But yeah, we all do coke! Retard. Post that you don't like the band - not they we feed a coke addict. Unless of course it's true ... which it's not. Bitch. When you buy this CD, your money actually goes towards paying for coke and underaged girls for the guys who "crashed the mall" with Avril Lavigne. Oh and my house backs onto a park and rivine/pond - but yeah ... no trees in the 905 (that's sarcasm, hence my generalization comment before). Oh yeah, Fall of Troy does certainly kick ass. I'm from the 905 area. While it has its good parts, I think we can say, with confidence, Whitby (Protest the Hero's hometown) is nothing but houses with literally nothing else. Seems rather abrupt and generalized, but I respect your opinion because I can see it being like depending where you are in 905 - but no way is that representative. what I've heard so far seems okay, and maybe people shit on the 905 cuz it's the burbs, I hate that area because it is boring to me and there is no trees, just blank houses yeah they are amazing musicians but they make shitty music Yeah is it a crime to be from the 905 area or something? u guys are idiots...this cd is incredible. its understandable nnot liking the genre but you can say they arent amazing musicians. and secondly...who ever said UO is owned by universal is a complete fuckin moron. the distribute the cds, they do not own the label Why does everyone rip on this band from the 905 area? I'm from 905, and i love this band. This struck me as far too overblown and theatrical when I first listened to it, maybe I'll need to give it another spin and see what all the fussis about. They're 18 and doing shit that bands you like can't even fathom of doing. Holla this album is the fucking bomb,..if anybody doesn't like it ..they are fucked.. Very Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me, (Illusion) Thrice, and Circa Survice if ya ask me ... which no one did. Meh. Yikes, has anyone posting actually listened to this album?!?! They're 18 and doing shit that bands you like can't even fathom of doing. Holla. Havn't heard this cd, but the songs i've heard sound like a mixmatch of my chemical romance, anti flag, and sum 41 (their metal-pop sound). dude start listening to punkrock instead of this crap too much metal, too little punk rock. Municipial waste rules overrated crap from the 905. much better here Underground Operations is owned by Universal Music. americans. come to the 905 then try to take this seriously. Amazing album. Specially "Blindfolds Aside". I, however, did not know it was a concept album. but that would explain the "...a girl named Kezia" in "Blindfolds Aside". Great album, anyone should give it atleast one spin. Along with Propagandhi's and Thrice's new realeases. I liked it better when it was called The Illusion of Safety. And way, way, WAY less over the top. |
