Style: Progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, The Human Abstract, Fair to Midland
Country: Canada
Release date: 17 July 2026

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“Do I stand any chance of being objective? Should I let someone else cover this one? Will meticulously analyzing my favourite band’s¹ latest album detract from my enjoyment of it?” These are the questions I asked myself when Protest the Hero’s sixth album, Within, was announced. And sure, I have a deep connection to the band; we share the same home province, their music has soundtracked many of my life’s highs and lows for well over a decade, and I’ve almost gotten crowd-crushed in a sweaty basement while watching them perform the night before an important final exam. Surely that much emotional baggage must cloud my judgement.

But whether approaching the new album with the impartiality of a neutral observer or the enthusiasm of a longtime fan, it’s safe to say that Within friggin’ rips. Musically, it’s everything PtH fans know and love; familiar yet never self-imitative. The album bursts from its opening seconds with the frenetic yet carefully controlled chaos that has defined the band’s sound for years. Protest’s irreverent punk DNA, exemplified in elements like the gang-style shouted backing vocals, never feels at odds with the poised grandiosity of moments such as the swelling intro of “The Mariner”. Luke Hoskin’s guitar skitters across mathematically dizzying riffs, sometimes flashing into the forefront and elsewhere churning beneath the vocals with the effortless propulsion of a duck’s legs underwater.² Although Protest the Hero no longer have a permanent bassist or drummer,³ that doesn’t stop session musicians Cam McLellan (bass) and Nathan Bulla (drums) from matching the unstoppable energy across Within, although the former is somewhat underserved in the mix.

Vocalist Rody Walker, who has previously struggled with vocal cord damage, has never sounded better. With versatile technique and heart-on-sleeve delivery, Walker facilely deploys his signature caterwaul,⁴ reaching impressive heights as in the back half of “Fishhook”, punky squeals in “Grandfather’s Axe”, half-whispered confessional lows in “Liberty Spike”, and walloping harshes in the same track. Indeed, “Liberty Spike” is Within’s strongest track, as Walker’s impassioned and dynamic vocals go toe-to-toe with instrumentals that careen and surge with irrepressible force. The crescendo of intensity that sweeps into the track’s final chorus, bursting with immediacy and catharsis, is Protest the Hero at the height of their powers.

Yet ironically, the very immediacy that makes Walker’s performance so compelling also exposes Within’s greatest weakness.⁵ You don’t have to venture very far into the band’s universe to understand that Protest the Hero don’t take themselves seriously at all. However, the band’s earlier records maintained a sort of fourth wall. Part of this owes to founding member Arif Mirabdolbaghi’s lyrics, which were steeped in poetry, mythology, and grandeur. Following Mirabdolbaghi’s departure, Walker assumed lyric-writing duties, with a considerably more direct, politically engaged, and literal style. While I admire the sincerity behind them, by the time you have lyrics about arguing about vaccines with a neighbour in your driveway, the fourth wall is crumbling and the music’s timelessness and gravitas are inevitably diminished. The worst offenders come back-to-back in “Fishhook” and “Grandfather’s Axe”, separated only by an instrumental interlude. Both tracks are still musically above reproach—look no further than the affecting final two minutes of “Fishhook”, at once tender and invective, or the formidable stack of vocal and instrumental layers in “Grandfather’s Axe”, a track that almost makes me lose my breath just listening to it. And the former does achieve some lyrical poignancy with lines like “‘This is how we grow, we disagree’ / But the growth you need would take too much from me”, and the singularly Canadian concept of helping your neighbour shovel the bar of snow left by the snowplow. But the lyrics are simply too in-your-face and heavy-handed to allow full immersion into the music.

At a svelte 35 minutes, Within is billed as an album but is roughly the same length as Pacific Myth, Protest’s crowdfunded EP from ten years ago. Online, theories abound about a potential double album, based on everything from Within’s album art to YouTube comments by band members. But even taken on its own, in spite of its brevity, Within feels whole—a cogent, complete, and compelling entry into the band’s discography. If Within’s lyrics occasionally pull me out of its world, the record’s sterling musicianship relentlessly pulls me back in. As a fan who worried that putting Protest the Hero under a microscope might diminish their magic, I instead found the opposite. Looking closer only reminded me why this band has been so good for so long.

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Recommended tracks:  Mouthpiece, The Orchard, Liberty Spike
You may also like: Tiberius, Arise in Stability
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Protest the Hero is:
– Rody Walker (vocals)
– Luke Hoskin (guitar)
– Tim Millar (guitar, piano)

With session musicians:
– Cameron McLellan (bass)
– Nathan Bulla (drums)

With guests:
– Jadea Kelly (vocals)
– Chris Cresswell (vocals)

1. There are four or five bands who I interchangeably describe as my favourite depending on the day and my mood. ↩︎
2. Do yourself a favour and listen to any of the instrumental versions Protest have released for previous albums; they will dazzle you.
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3. These duties have been covered by a handful of different touring and session musicians over the last few years. PtH’s band member timeline on Wikipedia probably won’t make any of this clearer to you. ↩︎
4. My ex once described Walker’s voice as sounding like a screaming cat. (That’s not why we broke up, but it certainly didn’t help.) ↩︎
5. The part a few paragraphs ago where I said I wouldn’t have to exercise critical judgement was actually a BIG LIE! ↩︎