Look within to find your true glory.

Protest the Hero have never really sounded like a band interested in staying inside the lines. Formed in Whitby, Ontario, in 1999 under the name Happy Go Lucky, the Canadian progressive metal band have spent their career turning technical musicianship into something that can still feel chaotic, melodic, emotional, and genuinely fun. Their sound pulls together progressive metal, mathcore, post-hardcore, punk energy, and enough technical guitar work to make most musicians question their own life choices. What has always separated Protest the Hero from many technically focused bands, though, is their ability to turn all of that musicianship into actual songwriting. Within continues that tradition and sounds like a band that has become extremely comfortable with its own musical language.

The guitars are obviously going to be the first thing most listeners notice. Protest the Hero have never been shy about packing their songs with riffs, rapid transitions, unusual rhythms, melodic flourishes, and ridiculous fretboard work, but what impresses me most here is how rarely that technical playing feels like an excuse to show off. Even when the band are flying through complicated sections, there is usually a hook, groove, vocal melody, or rhythmic idea keeping everything grounded. “Mouthpiece” immediately demonstrates that balance. The softer, fluttering opening gradually builds before the entire band erupts into technical riffing, rapid-fire drum work, and Rody Walker’s unmistakable high-register vocals. The guitars constantly shift underneath the vocal melodies, moving between frantic technical passages and heavier sections without making the song feel like a collection of unrelated ideas. It's complicated, but it never feels complicated simply for the sake of being complicated.

That is essentially the secret weapon of Protest the Hero: they make difficult music feel fun. Walker is especially impressive throughout Within. Having listened to Protest the Hero since around 2010, it's genuinely cool hearing how much confidence and control he has developed over the years. His high-register singing remains one of the defining characteristics of the band, but here there is more flexibility around those soaring notes. He moves into deeper screams, gutturals, lower passages, and more restrained moments without losing the personality that makes his voice immediately recognizable. “Fishhook” shows that range particularly well. The fast guitars, bass, and drums push the song forward while Walker shifts between higher and lower registers, and the snare has a satisfying crack underneath everything that gives the drums a physical quality despite the sheer amount of technical guitar work happening above them. Some of the riffs even have an almost Japanese extreme-metal intensity in the way they combine speed, precision, and melody, but Protest the Hero still sound unmistakably like themselves.

What keeps that song engaging is the contrast. The later washed-out vocals and fading guitar work introduce a dreamier atmosphere instead of simply throwing another technical barrage at you. That kind of restraint is incredibly important because Within could easily have become exhausting if every second were played at maximum intensity. The brief instrumental passages also help enormously. “i. above” introduces soft strings, violin, and swelling synths that feel almost like a reset button, while “ii. below” creates another atmospheric pause with similar orchestral and electronic textures. Neither interlude feels like filler. They give the album room to breathe and, more importantly, make the heavier sections surrounding them feel larger when the band comes crashing back in.

Then “Grandfather’s Axe” basically provides the appropriate soundtrack to the question, “What the fuck are they doing?” This is Protest the Hero at their most unhinged. The guitars are fast, bouncy, melodic, technical, and occasionally completely spastic, while the bass remains wonderfully plucky underneath the chaos. The drums have a hyperactive rhythmic feel, with rapid kick patterns and aggressive snare placement constantly interacting with the guitar work. And yet, somehow, the song remains catchy. That's what impresses me most. There are bands that can write technically complicated music, and there are bands that can write catchy music, but Protest the Hero are one of those groups that can somehow do both at the same time. There are memorable guitar phrases buried inside the chaos, and the band's ability to transition between aggressive sections and more melodic passages keeps the track from becoming exhausting. The brief “what the fuck” sample almost feels like commentary from the listener themselves.

“The Orchard” might be one of the strongest demonstrations of that balance between technical musicianship and songwriting. The guitars remain fast and bright, but the arrangement feels slightly more spacious. The bass has a thick presence under the riffs, the drums stay tightly locked into the various rhythmic changes, and Walker’s vocals give the whole thing an enormous sense of scale. The chorus is especially effective because the high vocals and group singing introduce an almost spiritual quality. There is an emotional component underneath the technical fireworks that keeps the song from feeling like an exercise. Then the band pull back again, with delicate female vocals and gentle guitar work creating a vulnerable section toward the back half. Instead of feeling like an interruption, that softness reinforces the emotional side of the songwriting and proves that the band know exactly when to stop showing off and simply let a moment exist.

“Liberty Spike” takes a slightly more spacious approach while retaining the band's technical edge. Lower, more distant guitars introduce the song before the drums and full instrumentation explode into action. Walker moves through soaring highs, lower spoken passages, deeper screams, and harsher vocals, while the bass provides a stretched-out low-end foundation. Interestingly, this is one of the moments where Protest the Hero sound slightly less obsessed with technical overload, and that is actually one of the song's biggest strengths. There is more room for individual parts to breathe. The riffs remain complicated, but the arrangement doesn't feel like it is constantly trying to impress you. The slower section featuring piano, restrained drums, guitar, and quieter vocals gives the song another emotional dimension before the band eventually return to the bigger riffs. That contrast makes the heavier sections hit harder because the album has actually created space for them.

Then there is “The Mariner,” which closes the record with a darker atmosphere. Deep drums and lower guitar riffs initially create a more ominous metal feeling before the band gradually reintroduce the funky progressive rhythms that make Protest the Hero so recognizable. The technical playing is still ridiculous, but the atmosphere remains surprisingly intact. There's a darkness underneath the song that gives it considerably more emotional weight than just another high-speed progressive-metal showcase. The bass becomes especially effective as the song develops, bringing back that plucky, rhythmic quality while the guitars and drums constantly shift around it. Eventually, everything drops into a softer acoustic section with gentle vocals before the album builds toward its final moments. The grand backing vocals, steady riffs, and dynamic drums make the ending feel earned. The album doesn't simply stop after another burst of technical guitar playing; it actually feels like it has arrived somewhere.

The rhythm section deserves a lot of credit throughout the entire record. The drumming has to keep up with some absolutely ridiculous guitar patterns, and the performance generally remains remarkably tight. The kick drum provides the speed, while the snare has enough punch to keep the songs feeling physical. The bass is arguably even more important because it provides a rhythmic anchor beneath all of the guitar chaos. Protest the Hero could easily bury the bass underneath these guitar layers, but instead it remains surprisingly audible and expressive. That becomes especially important during the slower sections, where the bass gives the songs weight while the guitars and vocals take more melodic roles.

The production generally suits the music extremely well. With this much happening instrumentally, clarity is essential, and fortunately the different guitar layers remain distinguishable, the drums retain their punch, and Walker's vocals generally remain clear enough to follow even when the instrumentation becomes incredibly dense. There is a fine line between technical and cluttered, but Protest the Hero stay on the right side of that line most of the time. Most importantly, the production doesn't make the album feel sterile. There is still energy and physicality underneath all of the precision, which allows the performances to retain that sense of danger that makes the band so enjoyable.

And that is what really separates Within from a lot of progressive metal. There are countless progressive bands capable of playing complicated music, and plenty of technical acts capable of throwing odd time signatures, rapid transitions, and ridiculous guitar patterns into their songs. Protest the Hero understand how to make those things mean something. Even the most chaotic passages usually serve a larger composition. Even the quieter sections have a purpose. Even the technical guitar work is generally tied to a memorable melody or rhythmic idea. That's why Within never feels like a technical exercise to me. It feels like songwriting.

There are moments where the sheer density of musicianship can become overwhelming. Some listeners might hear the constant changes and feel exhausted rather than impressed, especially if they prefer simpler arrangements or more predictable song structures. But for me, that sense of overload is part of the appeal. Protest the Hero have spent decades developing this musical vocabulary, and Within sounds like a band that is completely fluent in it. They can play ridiculously fast without sacrificing groove, layer enormous vocals over complicated riffs without losing the melody, and move from progressive-metal chaos to acoustic guitars, strings, synths, or soft vocals without completely disconnecting the emotional thread.

Even the way the album uses its instrumental and softer moments demonstrates how much control the band have over pacing. “Mouthpiece,” “Fishhook,” “Grandfather’s Axe,” “The Orchard,” “Liberty Spike,” and “The Mariner” are all packed with ideas, but they don't blur together because each has its own balance of technical aggression, melody, rhythm, atmosphere, and emotion. “i. above” and “ii. below” may be brief, but they help the record breathe and prevent the musicianship from becoming one endless blur of notes. That sequencing is a huge reason the album remains enjoyable instead of becoming exhausting.

If I have one criticism, it's that there are moments where the sheer amount of musicianship can pull my attention away from the emotional content of a song. There are sections where I'm so focused on following the guitar or rhythm changes that I lose some of the atmosphere surrounding them. But even that feels like a relatively minor complaint because repeated listens reveal more rather than exposing a lack of substance. You catch a harmony you missed the first time. You notice what the bass is doing underneath a guitar passage. You realize how a quiet section sets up the next explosion. You start hearing the arrangement rather than simply trying to keep up with it.

That's the mark of good progressive music.

And after a band has been around this long, that's exactly what I want from them. Protest the Hero don't sound like a band trying to prove they're still capable of being technical. They sound like a band that knows exactly how technical they can be and is more interested in using that ability to create something exciting. Within is chaotic without being directionless, technical without being soulless, progressive without becoming inaccessible, and melodic without sacrificing its aggression.

Ultimately, what makes Within such a strong release is the balance. The guitars are absurdly talented but still memorable. The bass is technical without disappearing. The drums are incredibly precise but still hit hard. Rody Walker's vocals remain one of the band's most recognizable strengths while continuing to show impressive range. The orchestral and electronic elements add atmosphere rather than simply decoration, and the quieter acoustic and melodic sections give the record an emotional dimension that helps all the technical insanity feel worthwhile.

Protest the Hero have been developing this sound for decades, and Within feels like the work of a band that no longer needs to prove anything. They can throw out impossible riffs, bizarre rhythms, soaring vocals, crushing grooves, and unexpected atmospheric passages because they understand exactly how those pieces fit together. There is an enormous amount happening here, but beneath all of it is something surprisingly simple: these guys still know how to write songs.

And after all these years, Protest the Hero still sound like Protest the Hero.

That's a pretty damn good thing.