Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band changed their name to Protest the Hero, then released their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002. In 2005, the band released their first album Kezia on Canadian indie label Underground Operations.
On January 23, 2006, the band signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia'''s American release on April 4, 2006. Their second album, Fortress was released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008. The band released their third studio album, Scurrilous, on March 22, 2011.
Expressing frustrations with record labels, in January of 2013 the band announced that they would crowdfund their fourth album. The Indiegogo campaign was a runaway success, and the independently-released Volition debuted on October 29, 2013, distributed with the help of Razor & Tie. In October of 2015, the band announced that their next release would take the form of an EP, distributed via subscription service Bandcamp, entitled Pacific Myth.
The band started the production process of their fifth studio album in January 2018. The process was delayed due to issues with vocalist Walker's voice, which arose during the Fortress X Tour in June 2018. The album, titled Palimpsest, would release two years later on June 18, 2020.
History
Early years (1999–2003)
The band started as Happy Go Lucky in 1999 and, shortly after, they recorded their first demo. In 2001 they changed their name to Protest the Hero. They released their first EP, Search for the Truth 7" vinyl, which included only two songs. They were included in the compilation (Coles) Notes from the Underground that same year. Luke Hoskin stated on his Formspring page that Search for the Truth was recorded when they were 13 years old. The day that the band members finished their senior finals, they went on a three-week "Rock the Vote" tour from Toronto to Halifax to garner recognition and raise awareness for the upcoming Canadian election.
A Calculated Use of Sound and Kezia (2003–2006) A music video for their song "These Colours Don't Run", from the EP A Calculated Use of Sound, was released in 2003. The video begins with the band discussing the meaning of the song and features the band playing the song live at numerous locations in Toronto, with the album music dubbed over the actual live recording. At each location, the band would hand out lyrics to passers-by and encourage them to listen or sing along. In 2004 the band recorded their debut album, which released the following year. Kezia is a concept album, described by the band members as a "situationist requiem". The album achieved universal acclaim with many reviewers praising the album for its technicality and Walker's vocal range.
From September 2005 until the beginning of June, 2006, the band toured across Canada, the United States, and Great Britain in support of Kezia with bands such as Death by Stereo, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, The Fall of Troy, The Bled, and DragonForce. They then took part in the Vans Warped Tour during the Summer of 2006. Following this, they toured with Avenged Sevenfold and 3 Inches of Blood until October 2006 when they began "The " tour with Trivium, The Sword, and Cellador, taking them across Canada and the United States. In September 2006, guitarist Luke Hoskin was detained at the Vancouver–US border for possessing a bag with less than 0.2 grams of marijuana, preventing him from continuing on their tour with Trivium and The Sword. In his place the band recruited Marco Bressette from the Canadian rock band Hypodust from September until November 2006. In November 2006, Protest the Hero toured with bands Bullet for My Valentine and As I Lay Dying. Beginning in the middle of December 2006, they embarked on a cross-Canada tour, named Bring Out Your Shred, with I Hate Sally and The Human Abstract. This tour was the first in which Kezia was played in its entirety.