Review by Saxy S for Protest the Hero - Within (2026)

Protest the Hero return with just their sixth full length studio album and it left me feeling strange at first. I, like many of the early returns of Within, was entirely shocked by the bluntness and profanity ladened first two tracks "Mouthpiece" and "Fishhook". PtH (Protest the Hero) are a band well known for their flowery language and poetry on Keiza and Fortress that sounds very professional and thoughtful, whereas this sounds like it was written from the perspective of an eighteen year old who just attended their first political science course in university.

All that being said, something about Within really grips me on repeated playthroughs. It sounds more human and grounded in a real place rather than an imagined one. It reminds me in a way of two of my favourite records from 2020: Katie Pruitt's Expectations and Spanish Love Songs Brave Faces Everyone (quite the ironic comparison since PtH dropped undoubtedly their least juvenile record Palimpsest in the same year).

Within does become less vulgar as the record progresses, which does help it a little bit more. While later songs such as "Liberty Spike" and "The Mariner" also have the added benefit of reverting back to a nostalgic sound for PtH, its the middle section that stands out to me. "Grandfather's Axe" is quite the fun romp for a progressive metal band. And then there is "The Orchard", which also has nostalgic references to previous PtH material, but it's the lyrics that bring this song, as well as the entirety of Within together. Rody sings:

It may be hard to gauge this stanza under context, since PtH are a progressive metal band and not the easiest of music to digest. But many great political albums over the last five years have been excruciatingly challenging to approach and appreciate for how simple they are (basically the entirety of Tool's discography).

Thankfully PtH have made listening to this album a breeze with their compositions and production. "Mouthpiece" opens up the album angry and the vocal olympics being done here are superb, as well as on "Liberty Spike". The riffing in the guitar sounds epic and heavy without shifting too far away from the melody. "Grandfather's Axe" is another romp where the drumming of Mike Ieradi takes control. All the while Rody Walker's vocals adds some flare that sounds reminiscent of Daron Malakian. While the tracks "The Orchard" and "The Mariner" are more calm, they can still hit thanks to some marvelous mixing of the guitars and bass, which allows for those calming breakdowns at the end feel so much more rewarding.

What is found Within might be a shock for longtime fans of this band, or progressive metal in general. But given how juvenile the current state of affairs is, perhaps PtH are on to something here. People praise Rage Against the Machine for their raw and vicious approach to songwriting, why can't others do the same?

Best Songs: Grandfather's Axe, The Orchard, The Mariner, Mouthpiece

For Fans Of: The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Human Abstract, System of a Down