Whitby, Ontario’s favorite sons of progressive metal, Protest the Hero, tore through Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theater with support from Periphery, Jeff Loomis Band, The Safety Fire, and Today I Caught the Plague, last week. Blow The Scene was there to capture the show in photos for your viewing pleasure.
Protest the Hero are currently supporting their third studio album, Scurrilous, which hit streets in March of 2011 on Vagrant Records in the US and Underground Operations in Canada. Despite the meaning behind the album’s title, which is defined as “vulgar verbal abuse; foul-mouthed; coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous,” the album is extremely palatable. Even with the varying layers of complex guitar and drum structures, the vocals are very melodic, giving nod to 80s heavy-metal, and remains high-end and hook-laden throughout. Protest the Hero ran through a diverse offering of songs that spanned their almost 15-year career to delight of their Philly fan-base who braved some nasty downpours to make the show.
The bill was rounded out by a solid group of supporting acts lead by Sumerian Records recording artists, Periphery, who are also supporting a 2011 release of their first EP, entitled, Icarus EP, as the band reportedly continues to develop a double-LP. Periphery combine elements of Meshuggah-esque riffage with programming, and even melodic rock, for a sound that often escapes a concise description. The band has continued to sharpen their live approach having toured the world over with the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Animals As Leaders, and Between The Buried and Me, to name just a few. The vocals run an equally wide gambit of approaches that include heavy-but-clean low-end yelling and intertwine that approach with a lot of rich melodic themes that are also hook-laden and infectious amongst supporters. Periphery had no trouble invigorating the large amount of fans that swarmed to the front of the Trocadero Theatre as the band began.
The Jeff Loomis Band, which is the solo project of former Nevermore guitarist, Jeff Loomis, hit the stage with an aura of intensity one would expect from such a highly regarded musician. He wasted no time evaporating the rain off of the audience playing a plethora of material from his latest LP Plains of Oblivion, which just hit streets in early April via Century Media Records. It only takes mere matter of seconds to become mesmerized by one of metal’s most engaging guitarists. Not surprising he was landing auditions and played a handful of shows with Megadeth arouns 1987 at the ripe old age of 16. Dave Mustaine predicted then that Loomis would become a great guitarist. This may be the only statement I’ve ever agreed with Mustaine on. Loomis’s technical ability is nothing short of awe-inspiring, whether you’re a fan of the style or not.
The bill was rounded out by British progressive metallers The Safety Fire and Canadian prog monsters Today I Caught The Plague.
Our Senior Staff Photographer Mr. Dante Torrieri (Useless Rebel Imaging) has broken off another solid 100+ photo gallery for your viewing pleasure.
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