With lead vocalist Rody Walker taking over lyric writing, Protest the Hero’s newest album, Scurrilous, focuses a lot more on reality, Walker said.
Walker said he suggested taking over the lyrics from bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi because of his need to express more personal stories that he wanted “to get out on paper.”
“Some words I sketched out because I hardly said them,” Walker said.
The subject matter of Scurrilous is a transition from the past poetic and historical context of previous albums and instead favours his personal journey. The album focuses on subjects like suicide in “C’est La Vie” and the effects of cancer in “Tandem.”
The lyrics were written entirely by Walker, which caused a significant discomfort among the fandom.
Among these fans is Hailey Dollimount, a first-year history student at Carleton who said she felt the album was unexpected with the change in lyrical style.
Scurrilous is a clear detachment from traditional Protest the Hero lyrics, Dollimount said, focusing on sex, women, suicide and smoking rather than their earlier concept-albums.
Kezia chronicled the story of a young prisoner girl, while Fortress explored the historical and mythological influences with lyrics like “Our goddess gave birth to your God,” in “Wretch.”
Due to the dark nature of the songs and personal experiences throughout the album, reviewers and fans alike have agreed that the album is more relatable and gives the band a more human impression, Dollimount said. Having a personal connection or relatable thread in the albums was hard to come by, until now, she said.
Walker is known for his crude and abrasive behavior as he has led the band. Walker and fellow bandmates recalled a time when they were on tour and got into a fist fight with some officers.
“We were just young and stupid then,” Walker said.
The band said they were not arrested but have since made better life choices by not fighting with authority figures.
Though the songs’ content has changed under Walker’s lyrics, Protest the Hero’s strong music behind it has not, according to Marco Paravani, a second-year design student at the the Ontario College of Art and Design.
“Lyrics lacked depth and covered mundane life occurrences in which they had no place in a progressive hardcore setting,” he said.
Pavarani said the guitar and bass stand out more than the lyrics themselves, adding that he feels the band has not maintained lyrically.
Walker seems to respond to Pavarani’s statements in his track “Dunsel,” as he sings “shitty music just ain’t worth making.”
The band is currently touring North America, including a stop in Ottawa Sept. 29 at Ritual Nightclub.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Walker said, referring to being on tour. “When you’re on tour, you wish you were home. And when you’re home, you wish you were on tour.”
