Personnel: Rody Walker (vocals); Tim Millar, Luke Hoskin (guitar); Arif Mirabdolbaghi (bass violin); Moe Carlson (drum).

With a whiplash sound and a sense of urgency near unmatched in their native Canada, Protest the Hero come off like the tantrum-prone child of Faith No More and System of a Down. Prone to both operatic highs and grinding, coal-black lows, the band shows both the chops and the guts to pull off complex, progressive arrangements on FORTRESS. Though it's only their second full-length, the band's science is never less than airtight, with songs like “The Dissentience” showing off twisting Yngwie Malmstein-worthy neo-classical shred and adventurous structures that careen through various tempos and styles.

What the critics say…

Alternative Press (p.116) – 4 stars out of 5 – “[They] weave bold melodies into the album's thundering riffage, hinting at a growing musical maturity…”