Every once in a while, an album comes along that is so timeless and resonates so well with the listener it is impossible to forget, even years after its release and its apparent relevance has diminished. For Canadian progressive metal fans, this is the case for Kezia, the first full-length album by Protest the Hero.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the band decided to bring back the original lineup and launch a Canada-wide tour fully dedicated to playing Kezia front to back.
Kezia is described as a concept album and more broadly as a “situationist requiem” by the band. It is a story of the execution of a young woman named Kezia in a prison. It is told in three parts by three different narrators. First, the prison priest who is close to Kezia; second, the prison guard who is also the executioner; and finally, Kezia herself.
It was written while the band members were still in high school and has been critically acclaimed for its concept and lead vocalist Rody Walker’s excellent vocal range.
Halfway through the tour, on Nov. 20, the boys of Protest the Hero brought the noise to Ottawa’s Bronson Centre with a little help from local metal groups Daisy and We Were the Fires of Rome as well as Guelph progressive-metal band Mandroid Echostar. Walking into the theatre, you could feel the anticipation of what was to come. As the opening bands each rocked their sets and set the tone for the headliner, each took a few minutes to give thanks and regard for Protest the Hero for the inspiration and music they’ve provided them with since the release of Kezia.
When Protest the Hero finally took the stage, the place was electric with excitement as fans rose from their seats to welcome the band to the stage and stayed standing throughout the entire show. With a transfixing stage presence and what is essentially a stand-up comedy show in between songs provided by Rody Walker’s tendency to “talk way too much between songs” as he describes it, Protest The Hero put on an amazing experience for fans new and old.
The performance of the Kezia album kept true to the original record, but was only enhanced by the astounding live experience Protest The Hero provides to an audience. The band played a few of their biggest hits—including “Mist” and “Bloodmeat”—after the Kezia performance as an encore, and left the whole crowd feeling as if they had experienced something unique and incredible.
Though Kezia has been around for a decade, it still remains one of Canadian metal’s most influential and unique albums, much like Protest The Hero themselves. As time goes on, Kezia will become older and older and may slip out of the minds of some, but for those who know it well, it will remain timeless and only grow better and more distinct with age.
