There are love ‘em / hate ‘em bands and there are love ‘em / hate ‘em / don’t understand what the fuss is about bands; Protest the Hero almost certainly falls into the latter category. For five years now the band has been garnering fans that need only listen to a few seconds of their material to fall in love with them, while simultaneously driving away those who cant stomach their quirky, chaotic brand of melodic progressive metal / metalcore fusion. Of course, there are also those that don’t mind the band’s unique approach either way, but find themselves asking “What’s the big deal?”

Scurrilous, the band’s third full-length outing, might sway those on the fence about the band for the better. It’s undoubtedly the band’s most mature record yet, with enough progressive flourishes to match a Dream Theater album. In general, it feels like Protest is taking a legitimate stab at staking its claim amongst the most respected progressive metal outfits. Unfortunately, a lot of what I loved about the band’s previous outing Fortress is absent here - Scurrilous rarely approaches the level of keyboard-heavy power metal-esque bombast and joyous quirkiness of that album – yet at the same time the band has done away with almost all metalcore influence, and the level of technicality on display is absolutely insane. Furthermore, Scurrillous is the band’s most consistent album; there are hardly any filler moments, and nearly every riff, solo, and lyric feels like it has a rightful place on the album. One can tell that Protest worked very hard to ensure that this record is nothing short of captivating from beginning to end.

Even so, fans should know what to expect with Scurrilous: perfectly precise musicianship, truckloads of staccato, technical riffs, ever-changing song structures, and powerful vocals that verge on veering out of control. The first few tracks on the album, in fact, worried me a bit upon first listen; the band is a bit predicable at the beginning of the record, and I wondered if they were falling into a bit of a creative slump. But as the albums blazes on the songs become more unique and the band, as always, surprised the hell out of me with its songwriting prowess. The lyrics in particular are stunning; while Protest’s lyrics have always been above average, here they are simply incredible. The themes and whimsical lines of lyric shown in songs such as Sex Tapes impressed me to no end (though the number of f-bombs dropped throughout the album is a bit silly). All of this is belted out by the better-than-ever Rody Walker, who here exhibits a performance that is at once utterly crazy and superbly controlled. Those disappointed in Rody for not living up to his obvious potential on past albums will be pleasantly surprised to find him at the very peak of his abilities here.

As much as I love Scurrilous - technically, it is Protest the Hero’s best album to date – I must say that I enjoyed Fortress a bit more. Sure, that album had its share of filler moments and more breakdowns than I really care for, but it was so ludicrously bombastic that most of the time those moments were soon forgotten. And while Scurrilous is very consistent from start to finish (the album actually gets as it goes along), there are no absolutely killer songs that I have to listen to at least five times on repeat. I was really hoping for a song as brilliant as Spoils or Goddess Gagged on the new album, and while Moonlight and Termites come close, they just aren’t… quite… there. Still, Scurrilous is a rare album for me; it’s one that I can finish listening to and immediately go back and listen to again at least two or three more times in a row. By the end of the year I have a feeling that I’ll still be listening to it on a regular basis, marveling at the quality of songwriting and effortless technicality.

Pros: Mature, technical songwriting; Amazing vocals; Fantastic, meaningful lyrics; Album grows better with each passing song

Cons: The general epic feel of Fortress is gone; No real stand-out tracks