Protest the Hero

Biography

Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band formed in Whitby, Ontario, in 1999. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band changed their name to Protest the Hero and released their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002. In 2005, the band released their first album Kezia×Kezia30 August 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks1No Stars Over Bethlehem3:482Heretics & Killers3:093Divinity Within4:324Bury the Hatchet3:245Nautical2:576Blindfolds Aside5:597She Who Mars the Skin of Gods3:528Turn Soonest to the Sea6:219The Divine Suicide of K.5:1010A Plateful of Our Dead4:29 on Canadian indie label Underground Operations.
On January 23, 2006, the band signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia's American release on April 4, 2006. Their second album, Fortress×Fortress29 January 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks0[unknown]0:511Bloodmeat3:572The Dissentience4:253Bone Marrow5:334Sequoia Throne3:145Palms Read5:096Limb From Limb4:257Spoils3:458Wretch4:149Goddess Bound3:3810Goddess Gagged3:15 was released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008. The band released their third studio album, Scurrilous×Scurrilous16 March 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1C’est la vie3:332Hair‐Trigger4:503Tandem5:164Moonlight4:505Tapestry4:356Dunsel4:537The Reign of Unending Terror3:248Termites3:589Tongue‐Splitter4:3410Sex Tapes4:39, on March 22, 2011.
Expressing frustrations with record labels, in January 2013 the band announced that they would crowdfund their fourth album. The Indiegogo campaign was a runaway success, and the independently-released Volition debuted on October 29, 2013, distributed with the help of Razor & Tie. In October 2015, the band announced that their next release would take the form of an EP, distributed via subscription service Bandcamp, entitled Pacific Myth×Pacific Myth18 November 2016 · EPSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks1Tidal2Ragged Tooth3Cold Water4Cataract5Harbinger6:086Caravan.
The band started the production process of their fifth studio album in January 2018. The process was delayed due to issues with vocalist Walker's voice, which arose during the Fortress X Tour in June 2018. The album, titled Palimpsest×Palimpsest18 June 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks1The Migrant Mother3:502The Canary4:283From the Sky / Harborside7:164All Hands4:415The Fireside5:036Soliloquy4:307Reverie5:268Little Snakes / Mountainside6:089Gardenias / Hillside5:3710Rivet5:35, would release two years later on June 18, 2020.
In early June 2026, the band started teasing new material. On June 5, they released the single "Mouthpiece×Mouthpiece5 June 2026 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1Mouthpiece5:06" with an accompanying music video, and announced their sixth studio album, Within×Within17 July 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks1Mouthpiece5:062Fishhook5:143i. above1:304Grandfather’s Axe5:105The Orchard4:416ii. below1:027Liberty Spike5:438The Mariner7:30, which was released on July 17, 2026. Within is the first material that the band fully owns.

Early years (1999–2003)

The band started as Happy Go Lucky in 1999 and, shortly after, they recorded their first demo. In 2001 they changed their name to Protest the Hero. They released their first EP, Search for the Truth 7" vinyl, which included only two songs. They were included in the compilation (Coles) Notes from the Underground that same year. Luke Hoskin stated on his Formspring page that Search for the Truth was recorded when they were 13 years old. The day that the band members finished their senior finals, they went on a three-week "Rock the Vote" tour from Toronto to Halifax to garner recognition and raise awareness for the upcoming Canadian election.

A Calculated Use of Sound and Kezia (2003–2006)

A music video for their song "These Colours Don't Run", from the EP A Calculated Use of Sound×A Calculated Use of Sound1 May 2003 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Red Stars Over the Battle of the Cowshed2:512An Apathetic New World3:073These Colours Don’t Run3:134Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves4:265Fear and Loathing in Laramie3:286Led Astray4:327I Am Dmitri Karamazov and the World Is My Father3:37, 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, 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. In 2004, the band recorded their debut album, which released the following year. Kezia is a concept album, described by the band members as a "situationist requiem". The album achieved universal acclaim with many reviewers praising the album for its technicality and Walker's vocal range.
From September 2005 until the beginning of June 2006, the band toured across 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. They then took part in the Vans Warped Tour during the Summer of 2006. Following this, they toured with Avenged Sevenfold and 3 Inches of Blood until October 2006 when they began "The" tour with Trivium, The Sword, and Cellador, taking them across Canada and the United States. 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. In his place the band recruited Marco Bressette from the Canadian rock band Hypodust from September until November 2006. In November 2006, Protest the Hero toured with bands Bullet for My Valentine and As I Lay Dying. Beginning in the middle of December 2006, they embarked on a cross-Canada tour, named Bring Out Your Shred, with I Hate Sally and The Human Abstract. This tour was the first in which Kezia was played in its entirety.

Fortress (2006–2010)

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. After extensive touring the band returned to the studio in 2007 to record their sophomore effort. The resulting album featured 10 tracks that showcased the band heading in a more technical metal style than Kezia. During the Fortress tour the band released a live album (Gallop Meets the Earth×Gallop Meets the Earth15 September 2009 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Sequoia Throne4:232No Stars Over Bethlehem4:363Bloodmeat4:014The Dissentience5:325Palms Read3:226Blindfolds Aside5:307Goddess Bound3:118Goddess Gagged4:449Spoils2:5610Nautical6:3911Limb From Limb5:35) featuring tracks from their first 2 albums. Protest the Hero played Fortress from start to finish at their shows from November 20 to December 23, 2009. This stretch marked the last of the band's shows for a while as they took the first part of 2010 to work on a new album, which was to feature a more progressive sound.

In January 2009, Protest the Hero toured with As I Lay Dying, The Human Abstract, and Mychildren Mybride. Then they started a European Tour with The Human Abstract and The Chariot. In April 2009, they headlined the Heads Will Roll tour in the US with Misery Signals, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Fall From Grace, and Scale the Summit. From September 8–17, 2009, they supported In Flames and Killswitch Engage with Between the Buried and Me. On November 21, 2009, at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, the band performed their album Fortress×Fortress29 January 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks0[unknown]0:511Bloodmeat3:572The Dissentience4:253Bone Marrow5:334Sequoia Throne3:145Palms Read5:096Limb From Limb4:257Spoils3:458Wretch4:149Goddess Bound3:3810Goddess Gagged3:15 in its entirety for the first time. On November 26, 2009, they played in Halifax and on November 27 in Newfoundland, the only two eastern Canada tour dates for the year. Before the release of Scurrilous, Protest the Hero toured Europe in February as direct support for Darkest Hour (band). Born of Osiris and Purified in Blood were the other opening acts on the tour. Protest the Hero was the third band announced to be playing at Australia's Soundwave in February/March 2011, and in March and April of that year the band supported the Scurrilous album, headlining a tour across Canada and the United States with Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster and TesseracT.

Scurrilous (2010–2013)

On January 28, 2008, the band began a tour through Canada with A Day to Remember, Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, and illScarlett. In April they toured with Chiodos before joining Warped Tour 2008. They were on tour with The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy after Warped Tour in the United States; and then will be on a European tour with, Parkway Drive, Despised Icon, Architects, Whitechapel, and Carnifex. The band officially began recording of their third album on August 30, 2010. On December 15, 2010, Walker posted a video indicating the completion of work on the third album. Scurrilous was released March 22, 2011. Following the summer of 2011, where Protest the Hero played festivals across Europe, they embarked on a small Ontario tour in September with support from The Kindred (formerly known as Today I Caught the Plague). Protest the Hero then ended 2011 and kicked off 2012 with a tour across America with Scale the Summit and Last Chance to Reason. Protest the Hero continued their efforts to promote Scurrilous and have commenced a 2012 UK Tour that features support from German post-metal band, Long Distance Calling, Norwegian punk band Blood Command and Uneven Structure. They announced tours with Periphery, Today I Caught the Plague, Jeff Loomis (formerly of Nevermore), and The Safety Fire for the US. Another tour is scheduled with metalcore band Underoath, We Came as Romans, and Close Your Eyes commencing in May in South America. On August 27, 2013, the band announced a fall North American tour, along with Architects, The Kindred, and Affiance, promoting their album Volition×Volition29 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Clarity5:332Drumhead Trial4:293Tilting Against Windmills4:144Without Prejudice4:155Yellow Teeth4:096Plato's Tripartite5:237A Life Embossed5:338Mist5:529Underbite3:4510Animal Bones4:3711Skies6:23 commencing in Ottawa on November 7, 2013.

Volition and line-up changes (2013–2015)

On January 8, 2013, Protest the Hero released the following statement on their Facebook page in regards to their upcoming album in the summer of 2013: "We have some big announcements coming next week concerning our new album – which is a few songs away from being written. We plan on recording in March or April and have a new album out in the summer. We have been recording pre-production with our old friends Cam and Anthony. The material is more challenging than ever before and we know we'll have to work hard to bring it to life. Looking very forward to a bold 2013!"
On January 15, 2013, Protest the Hero announced that their fourth studio album would be crowdfunded through Indiegogo. The band claimed that they want to forgo record companies and that they have "finally decided to take matters into [their] own hands." The album had a fundraising goal of $125,000, a goal that was reached within×Within17 July 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks1Mouthpiece5:062Fishhook5:143i. above1:304Grandfather’s Axe5:105The Orchard4:416ii. below1:027Liberty Spike5:438The Mariner7:30 30 hours. By the end of their campaign, the band reached $341,146 in fundraising, nearly tripling their original goal.
On June 6, 2013, the band announced in an interview that original drummer and founding member Moe Carlson would part ways with Protest the Hero in order to pursue an education and career in tool and die manufacturing. Chris Adler of Lamb of God would be stepping in as his replacement for the recording sessions of the band's new album. On August 15, the official title and release date of the album were announced: Volition×Volition29 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Clarity5:332Drumhead Trial4:293Tilting Against Windmills4:144Without Prejudice4:155Yellow Teeth4:096Plato's Tripartite5:237A Life Embossed5:338Mist5:529Underbite3:4510Animal Bones4:3711Skies6:23 to be released on October 29, 2013. On October 10, 2013, Protest the Hero announced that Mike Ieradi, formerly of The Kindred, will be their new drummer. On the evening of March 30, 2014, during a show in Raleigh, North Carolina, Rody Walker confirmed that bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi had left the band. On April 2, 2014, the band announced that Mirabdolbaghi had left the band to focus on other projects. The band's producer Cameron McLellan, who had also performed on several songs on Volition, was announced as the touring bassist and has since remained with the band as an unofficial member.

Pacific Myth (2015–2017)

On October 15, 2015, the band announced that their next release would not be a conventional album, but would instead be a subscription-based release of six tracks through the online music service Bandcamp. Each of the songs, including artwork, instrumental versions, and high-quality downloads, were released through Bandcamp once per month to paid subscribers until March 2016, forming an eventual EP entitled Pacific Myth×Pacific Myth18 November 2016 · EPSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks1Tidal2Ragged Tooth3Cold Water4Cataract5Harbinger6:086Caravan. The first track, "Ragged Tooth×Ragged Tooth16 October 2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Ragged Tooth3:442Ragged Tooth (instrumental)3:44," was released to subscribers on the same day.
In August 2015, it was announced that Protest the Hero would embark on a Canadian tour for the 10-year anniversary of their debut album Kezia×Kezia30 August 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks1No Stars Over Bethlehem3:482Heretics & Killers3:093Divinity Within4:324Bury the Hatchet3:245Nautical2:576Blindfolds Aside5:597She Who Mars the Skin of Gods3:528Turn Soonest to the Sea6:219The Divine Suicide of K.5:1010A Plateful of Our Dead4:29, featuring the band's original line-up playing the album in its entirety. In January 2017, the band embarked on a North American tour as direct support for August Burns Red with In Hearts Wake and '68 (band). In September 2017, the band played a 5-show Canadian tour called And The Quest For More Treats... with support from Red Handed Denial, The Frame Defect, and Earth's Yellow Sun. On October 6, 2016, Protest the Hero released a limited run of Pacific Myth in its entirety on vinyl, allowing members of the subscription service to pre-order the EP. The EP was released to the public on November 18, 2016. The fourth track, Cataract, features guest vocals by a friend of the band and lead vocalist of Mandroid Echostar, Michael Ciccia.

Palimpsest (2017–2023)

On June 6, 2018, the band announced that they were forced to cancel their upcoming summer tour in Europe and Japan, and postpone the recording of their next studio album, due to Rody Walker developing "vocal issues" that might develop into "irreparable damage" if not taken care of.
A new single titled "The Canary×The Canary16 April 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The Canary4:28" was released on April 16, 2020, on streaming sites. On the same day, the album's title, Palimpsest×Palimpsest18 June 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks1The Migrant Mother3:502The Canary4:283From the Sky / Harborside7:164All Hands4:415The Fireside5:036Soliloquy4:307Reverie5:268Little Snakes / Mountainside6:089Gardenias / Hillside5:3710Rivet5:35, along with the track listing and its release date set for June 19 was announced. Along with the 10 tracks that are listed for most editions, two bonus tracks called "Gift Horse" and "The Dueling Cavalier" exist that are included in a special vinyl bundle. The second single, "From the Sky×From the Sky14 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1From the Sky6:14", was released on May 14, 2020. The band modified the release date of the album from June 19 to June 18, 2020, in observance of Juneteenth, and the album was released to pre-order subscribers a day earlier on June 17, 2020.
In November 2021, Luke Hoskin announced his retirement from touring, although he remains a band member for songwriting and recording purposes. Ben Davis of The Kindred was announced as the band's new touring lead guitarist.

Within (2023-present)

On June 4th, the band confirmed a new album titled Within×Within17 July 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks1Mouthpiece5:062Fishhook5:143i. above1:304Grandfather’s Axe5:105The Orchard4:416ii. below1:027Liberty Spike5:438The Mariner7:30 would be released on July 17, 2026. A single from the new album, "Mouthpiece×Mouthpiece5 June 2026 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1Mouthpiece5:06" released on June 4th on all streaming platforms along with an accompanying music video on Youtube.

Musical style

Protest the Hero incorporate complex instrumentation and have been categorized as progressive metal and progressive metalcore. They have also incorporated elements of mathcore, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, thrash metal and skate punk, according to Loudwire. The publication stated that the band "pile different styles on top of each other depending on which era you’re examining." AllMusic stated that the band's sound was "reminiscent of a combination of Coheed & Cambria, At the Drive-In, and Every Time I Die."

Extended plays

2-Track Demo (2002, Self-released as Happy Go Lucky)
Search for the Truth (2002, Underground Operations)
A Calculated Use of Sound (2003, Underground Operations)
Sequoia Throne Remix EP (2008, Underground Operations)
Pacific Myth (2015–2016, Independent, serial subscription released via Bandcamp)
Fabula & Syuzhet (2020, Independent)

Compilation appearances

(Coles) Notes from the Underground (2002) ("Break the Chain" and "Asperity of Sin")
Greetings from the Underground (2004) ("Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves")
Things Could Be Worse (2004) ("Break the Chain")
Orange and Grey (2005, DVD) ("Silent Genocide," "These Colours Don't Run," "Red Stars Over the Battle of the Cowshed" and "Loathing In Laramie")
The Power of Music (2005) ("An Apathetic New World")
Warped Tour 2006 Compilation (2006) ("Heretics and Killers×Heretics and Killers12 November 2006 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Heretics & Killers3:09")