Protean Shield

Protean as an adjective means the ability to change frequently or easily. The self-titled album of the band does justice to its name, since the versatile songwriting keeps the listener on his or her toes for the duration of this epic metal release. On the other hand, some things are quite stable, mainly the top-notch guitar work deeply rooted in the best elements US power metal has to offer and the inspired lyrics that transform each track to a unique listening experience.

Most tracks of the record are mid-tempo epic metal songs based on interesting lead vocal lines and great guitar work based on inspired leads and lots of guitar layering. If one could separate two tracks to showcase as a stelar example of modern Greek power metal, those would be “Mariner’s Dream” and “Dancers at the End of Time”. Both songs rely on a juxtaposition of musical themes and ideas that somehow in the end make perfect sense, while the tasteful dual guitars present captivate the listener, weaving beautiful and convoluting musical lines.

The production on the record is one that perfectly fits the genre of music the band serves, as it’s clear enough to enjoy the fine details of the compositions, yet it retains a level of grittiness that is so crucial for hitting that sweet spot for power metal releases. This is not the hyper compressed, extremely polished productions that have given power metal a bad name to many metalheads out there. The band mention as their inspiration groups like “Eternal Champion”, “Wrathblade”, “Manilla Road” and “The Lord Weird Slough Feg” and these references are quite indicative of what you should expect to hear when you press the play button.

Protean Shield’s self-titled album is in my opinion a must-listen for any true epic metal fan out there and I’m truly curious as to where the band takes it from here on. I’ll be monitoring them with great eagerness.

Ah Greece, the magnificent land of heavy metal. I’ve rambled about it in some of my past reviews and I will keep saying it, the guys down there have found the holy fountain of everything epic, and they are bathing in its waters like a dog in a heatwave. The new strike comes from Protean Shield, a band that would have gone under my radar, unless a musician I now hold in the highest regard hadn’t poked me about it. So, what is a Protean Shield? An ancient artifact of arcane magic? The bloodlust of battle turned into music? A mayhem of intricate guitar work and epic feeling, or all of the above?

Protean Shield plays epic heavy metal in the truest sense possible. Sure, there are some power metal flairs here and there, especially in the guitar work, but the delivery is unmistakably epic as it goes. Big points to the general epic feeling go to the singer Harris, who has a magical ability to transport you right in the center of the battle with his barbaric mid range chants. I understand his voice is a bit of a niche, especially for people not familiar with the more primal aspect of heavy metal, which creates a small paradox, since the album is polished and sophisticated enough to reach a more “musical” audience, which ironically might be put off by the berserker vocals, while on the flipside, the festival beer chuggers who love this kind of delivery, might feel overwhelmed by the seer musical prowess the band demonstrates.

The guitarwork is... man, I really don’t know how to describe this properly. This is the finest guitar work I’ve heard in ages, it feels like a weird mix of Blind Guardian and my favorite US unsung underground heroes Mega Colossus, in the sense that there are only a few discernible riffs (in the traditional sense) here, BUT the melodies and leads never stop. Again, I feel this super busy approach might be disheartening to the average battle-vest aficionado, but personally this is my musical heaven. And if you add the monstrous bass in the mix, we have one of the best guitar/bass duels in recent memory, with each instrument complimenting each other and constantly fighting for their own personal spotlight, without ever taking away from the essence of every good album, which is (or should be) the songwriting.

I’d describe the songwriting as a mix between those aforementioned bands but adding a bit of old Battleroar and Wrathblade (to honor their Greek contemporaries) in the mix, while I’d dare say some hints of Sacred Outcry, mainly due to the unconventional song structures. This results into very interesting music, engaging and demanding, fresh and utterly rewarding. This is also amplified by the fantastic lyrics that apparently the drummer of the band is responsible for (I love it when drummers are actively involved man, I really do), which build a massive world for you to lose yourself in. There is also a nice variety in tempos and song structures, as each song has its own little thing going on and at no point sounded like they were rehashing one of their previous ideas, the album is well paced and not too long, which always helps not losing focus even if the majority of the songs are mid tempo. I would perhaps prefer another fast song like Stormbringer towards the end, maybe replacing Steel of Ages which feels slightly out of place compared to the rest of the album, but nothing game breaking here.

If it’s not clear yet, I really like this band and I think it has all the potential to present a HUGE album down the road. But not everything here is great and pristine, it wouldn’t be fair to say so. The drums are ok-ish, meaning they sometimes sound oversimplified in the avalanche of notes the guitars and bass throw to you, and their sound is flat and not as huge as you’d expect in this music. The drummer of course overcompensates this by the ridiculously well written lyrics as stated above, but the production could benefit from some polishing, and I don’t mean that in the literal sense as the album sounds super “clean” already, but you get my point. Harris could also mask his overtly barbarian tendencies under some extra reverb, like for example Jason Tarpey or Mark Shelton used to do, and could also be mixed better as it sometimes feels like he is sitting right next to your ear shouting commands in a battlefield which is cool and all, but a better mix would ultimately benefit both him and the songs.

Protean Shield comes to add another flavor in the already very impressive buffet of Greek heavy metal, and I can confidently say they will eventually get the recognition they potentially deserve, because they offer a package that ticks many boxes that several bands aren’t even aware that need ticking. It takes a while to get used to the(mostly welcome) deviations from the standards of this genre and the barbaric bloodlust blends awesomely with the sophisticated and complex songwriting, although ultimately making for a somewhat acquired taste. But it’s damn great at what it does. If they move slightly away from the general DIY mentality that this album has on some of its parts and they play on their strengths, we can expect great things down the road.

Written for Metalbite.com

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.