Volition
Studio album by
Protest the Hero
ReleasedOctober 29, 2013
RecordedLate 2012-2013 at Revolution Recording, Toronto, Ontario & at Sunset Division, Toronto, Ontario
GenreProgressive metalcore, mathcore, post-hardcore,[1] thrash metal[2]
Length54:07
LabelRazor & Tie
ProducerCameron McLellan
Protest the Hero chronology
Scurrilous
(2011)		 Volition
(2013)		 Pacific Myth
(2016)
Alternative covers
12" vinyl cover
Alternative cover
Singles from Volition
  1. "Clarity"
    Released: 5 September 2013
  2. "A Life Embossed"
    Released: 17 October 2013
  3. "Underbite"
    Released: 7 November 2013
  4. "Tilting Against Windmills"
    Released: 3 March 2014
  5. "Mist"
    Released: 5 August 2014

Volition is the fourth studio album by Canadian progressive metal band Protest the Hero released on October 29, 2013 through Razor & Tie.[3] It is the band's first album not to be released through Underground Operations or with any financial backing of label support. Instead, the entire album was funded by their fans via an Indiegogo campaign, where they met and exceeded their goal of $125,000 CAD.

It is the first album of the band to not feature its original lineup, it features Chris Adler from Lamb of God on drums after the departure of founding member Moe Carlson, who left the band prior to the recording process.[4] It is also the band's last album with bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi.

On October 16, due to the album being leaked, the band released the content early to contributors of their IndieGoGo campaign.[5][6]

The album debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Alternative Press[8]
Loudwire[1]

At Alternative Press, Kevin Stewart-Panko stated that "[Protest the Hero] have long been the tenuous link between metal old and new, and Volition continues their polished combination of technical thrash, punkish melodies and mining of disparate influences, from '80's maestros Watchtower and Toxik to energy drink mayhem like DragonForce and NOFX."[8] Loudwire's Chad Bowar described the album as "a wild ride that's grounded in excellent musicianship and innovative songwriting".[1]

Chris Adler's involvement on the album was praised, with one reviewer saying that, while "[Protest the Hero's] progressive/metalcore/mathcore/post-hardcore style is nothing like Lamb of God’s... Adler is an extremely skilled player and had no problem fitting right in."[1]

The album won the 2014 Juno Award for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Rody Walker

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Clarity"Luke Hoskin, Cameron McLellan5:32
2."Drumhead Trial"Hoskin, McLellan4:28
3."Tilting Against Windmills"Moe Carlson, Hoskin, Tim Millar4:12
4."Without Prejudice"Hoskin, McLellan4:15
5."Yellow Teeth"Hoskin, McLellan4:08
6."Plato’s Tripartite"McLellan, Walker5:22
7."A Life Embossed"Carlson, Hoskin, Millar5:33
8."Mist"Hoskin, Millar5:52
9."Underbite"Carlson, Hoskin, Millar3:45
10."Animal Bones"Carlson, Hoskin, Millar4:37
11."Skies"Hoskin, McLellan6:23
Total length:54:07

Personnel

Protest The Hero

Other personnel

  • Chris Adler — drums
  • Cameron McLellan — production, engineering, mixing, bass guitar on track 4, acoustic guitar on track 6
  • Anthony Calabretta — additional production, mixing
  • Julius Butty — additional production
  • Jason Dufour — engineering, digital editing
  • Jack Clow — assistant engineer, drum technician
  • Moe Carlson - additional songwriting on tracks 3, 7, 9 and 10
  • Riley Bell — assistant engineer
  • Jeff Jordan — album artwork

Guest performances

  • Jadea Kelly — vocals on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6
  • Kayla Howran — vocals on track 2
  • Mark Iannelli — vocals on track 7
  • AJ Kolar — vocals on track 7
  • Todd Kowalski — vocals on track 9
  • Kevin Lewis — vocals on track 11
  • Josh Hainge — vocals on track 11
  • Marc Palin — vocals on track 11
  • Ron Jarzombek — guitar on track 2
  • Wyatt Schutt — guitar on track 5
  • Raha Javanfar — violin, fiddle on tracks 1, 2, 5, 8

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bowar, Chad (29 October 2013). "Protest the Hero, 'Volition' - Album Review". Loudwire.
  2. ↑ WISE, LAUREN. "The 21 Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2013". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 23 September 2018. Quirky and challenging, combining hardcore, thrash, punk rock, and progressive metal with insane talent and passion.
  3. ↑ "PROTEST THE HERO AND RAZOR & TIE PARTNER UP ON UNIQUE NEW DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING ARRANGEMENT FOR FORTHCOMING NEW STUDIO ALBUM DUE OUT FALL 2013 : Razor & Tie". Razorandtie.com. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  4. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Protest the Hero reveal Lamb of God's Chris Adler as replacement drummer". AUX.TV. 2013-06-06. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  5. ↑ "Protest The Hero : Volition | Has it leaked?". Hasitleaked.com. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  6. ↑ "Protest The Hero – Volition (2013) | Metal music blog albums reviews". Darkport.org. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  7. ↑ Gregory Heaney (2013-10-28). "Volition - Protest the Hero | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  8. 1 2 Stewart-Panko, Kevin (2013). "Protest The Hero – Volition". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. November 2013 (304): 84. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
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