Scurrilous Review

And that's a review of Protest the Hero's album "Scurrilous", not a review that happens to be scurrilous. Little behind the game, it's been out for a little while, but it makes for good padding. Anyway, album review:

As a fan of Protest the Hero, there's a risk this might not be entirely helpful. Maybe I'm one of those "oh-em-gee everything PTH does is the best thing ever and I want their babies!!1!" fans, or maybe I'm one of those "I liked them better before they released their first album, they just got shit when they signed a record deal" fans. Personally I think both stances are flat out retarded, so I'm going to try to ride the fine line between being a fan and being a critic.
Is Scurrilous going to convert you to being a Protest the Hero fan if you didn't like anything they've done previously? No way in hell. Are you going to enjoy it if you've enjoyed their previous works? I can safely say, yes. The quintet doesn't really change the formula so much, which is to their strength and their detriment. Sure, there's a few nifty breaks where they explore different genres or ideas, but for the most part? Technical leads, epic and emotional vocals, frantic pace... it's so very Protest the Hero.
You could make the argument that this works against the band. Upon listening, I was reminded of a few sections off of their previous records, with melodies and changes falling somewhere between "inspired by" and "lifted from" some previously recorded ideas. Of course, there's so many different melodies and ideas crammed into each song, and they fly by at such a pace that you don't really feel short changed by it. The technical abilities of each of the members cannot be faulted, and although some sections are, as a guitarist, very frustrating to hear (how do they even do that? Sigh, ten more years of practice...), they're never just wank for the sake of wank. No matter how difficult or flashy the part, they have a melodic core and are often quite catchy. A brilliant mix of technicality and great songwriting.
For all I've said, this could be the band's best record. I'm still in love with 2005's Kezia, and 2008's Fortress is a good listen, but after a few more spins I wouldn't be surprised if Scurrilous becomes my favourite record of theirs. The group has eschewed diversity and instead worked on getting their specific sound exactly perfect, and in this record they may have just done it. For any fans of technical metal, a must listen.