Protean Shield

I'll try and keep this short and sweet, because since this album was released I've been rambling non-stop about it to everyone I know that has the slightest interest in heavy metal. First of all, the only reason for the 99% score is to get your attention and increase the chances of you clicking this review out of curiosity. If there was a score higher than 100%, I would gladly award it, because honestly I can't think of another album in recent years that would actually deserve an absolute 100% more than this one.

Right, so this is a new band out of nowhere, but it becomes obvious from the get-go that the members have been around for quite a while both as listeners and as musicians. The high-octane influences are all there, albeit really subtle and filtered, in a way only really experienced players can incorporate into their music. We tick all the right boxes; old-school US heavy/power Manilla Road/Warlord wizardry, Slough Feg quirkiness, mighty Wrathblade's unbridled epic passion, early Angra's prog-y fragile lyricism (one could also mention here the obscure cult Greek legends Fortress Under Siege and their brilliant debut EP). Add a dash of Greco-Roman pop-epic metal bombast and you've got a pretty good idea about what's going on here.

The two elements that set Protean Shield apart from the Eternal Champions and the Visigoths and the Smoulders (huge respect) and the rest of the competition are a) the lead guitars and b) the songwriting structures. There is always, and I mean ALWAYS, a lead guitar line accompanying the rhythm guitar riffing and that makes all the difference. Even when the vocal lines are on their catchiest, the guitars just never let go, which results in a very rich sound that keeps the listener engaged at all times. In terms of structures, the band has renounced the verse-chorus-bridge formula in favour of a more abstract approach. Instead of a second verse, we might get a dual lead or an odd-placed bridge. On top of that, the lyrics also change every time a theme re-appears, for example the second time a chorus hits, it will feature slightly altered lyrics in order to complete the story told.

After a few listens, you start to notice this unparalleled attention to detail in every single aspect of the record; musically, lyrically, and structurally, but also in tempo and mood changes. You would think that this would mostly apply to the two lengthy epics, but it's the same story even for the seemingly straight-forward stompers. For example, on the romantically clad Sin and Dream after the second time that a mini-bridge appears, instead of the final chorus we get literally out of nowhere an unreal oriental-sounding dual lead followed by a colourful solo. Or on Stormbringer chorus, frontman Harris ends the second and forth line (I devoooote) in a different scale and holds a bit the word "life" of the fourth line in order to rhyme on an extra fifth line with the word "my" to be followed by (my) Lord Arioch sung in a true epic metal ooooooh. Or how the tiny symphonic interlude Lament features in a concealed manner the same melody as the actual Mother's lament in the last part of Mariner's Dream (that took me about 20 listens to notice). There are loads of these little bits of genius spread throughout the album, waiting for the listener to discover them and my god it's SO rewarding after a few spins.

I can't say much about the musicianship, it's just mind-blowing that 4 out of 5 band members have never been listed on any previous recordings. Everything works and sounds just about perfect. The guitars I've already covered - a continuous avalanche of top-quality riffs and leads, the bass lines are prominent and lively, the drumming alternates between technical restraint and pummelling depending on the needs of each part and the same goes for the vocals, that masterfully convey a huge array of emotions. The sound production is light and airy, almost Holy Land-esque, though the guitars do possess a really satisfying mid-range crunch and the whole mix makes for a very easy listening experience and suits perfectly the protean (ha!) nature of the songs.

This is labeled as Epic Metal, which may or may not be true, depending on whether you consider your Open the Gates and your Down Among the Deadmen to be epic metal. It doesn't really matter in the end, because this is a work for the ages, this band here is the Heavy Metal torch-bearer of the decade. Do yourself a favour and do not miss this. I wholeheartedly wish these guys the best and if there is an ounce of justice left in the world, they should find themselves headlining true metal festivals the world over.

P.S. There is a bridge-like part on the title-track that goes "And I know their pain / My ever-changing embrace / Bears deadly THRUUuuuUUUUuuuUUUSTS". The delivery on that bit is as Jan Lubitzki (Depressive Age) as it gets. I would love to ask the frontman if that was intentional or just a coincidence. Honestly, I love this band.