Protomartyr is a
Post Punk band from Detroit that deserves some attention. 2014 saw the release
of their second LP titled Under Color of Unofficial
Right which turned out to be easily one of my favorite releases that year. The
guitars were textured with an 80’s feel, the drums were loud and pounding, the
basslines were beyond funky, and the baritone vocals helped to create a dark,
gloomy atmosphere.
The group wasted no time and managed to release their third
album this past October. The Agent Intellect
is an entirely different animal that is neither superior nor inferior to their
sophomore effort. The instrumentals may create the illusion of a more
optimistic and bright Protomartyr
but the lyrical content has never been darker.
The opening track consists of a narrative regarding the
upbringing of the devil himself. He is not depicted as a dark lord with a
trident and horns engulfed in flames but rather as an innocent adolescent with
potential. But it all changed when he
came of age, it was nothing like simulated game. The women didn’t love him, the
races all ignored him, his proclamations failed, so he screamed “Now you bend!”
Vocalist Joey Casey’s recent loss of both of his parents is
a continuous theme of the record. The torment and emotional anguish of loss and
speculation of death, religion, and the afterlife are scattered throughout the
twelve standout tracks.
With Ceremony’s
latest LP heavily influenced by the likes of Interpol and Joy Division
coupled with the signing of Makthaverskan
to Run For Cover Records, it’s becoming clear that Post Punk is inching its way
back into the alternative music scene. For fans of the genre, the latest Protomartyr is a brilliant album
brimming with emotion and deeply philosophical themes that will force one to
truly ponder the meaning mortality and its limits.
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