Volition

Continuing along with the more grounded approach the band took on 2011's Scurrilous, Protest the Hero return with Volition, an album of driving technical metal that once again puts the Canadian prog metal outfit's considerable musicianship on display. A rapid-fire collection of intricate guitar work and soaring vocals delivered at a breakneck pace, Volition is an album that hardly gives listeners a chance to catch their breaths as it blazes from track to track. At any other speed, Protest the Hero's songwriting might seem sprawling, but given the intensity of their playing, the whole thing comes across feeling fairly compact instead. If there's anything superfluous going on, it's simply happening too fast to worry about it, and while this means that it takes more than one listen to really take in what's going on, the album is solid enough that a second pass is a welcome proposition. ~ Gregory Heaney