Protestant Preview

Milwaukee's Protestant power strong as they stay true to their name with a similar work ethic and a slew of upcomming releases. First, and almost ready, we have the Stalemate 10" loaded with 6 songs of metallic hardcore that shouldn't surprise followers of the band. In the not-so-far future we're promised a split with Poland's most important act Suffering Mind (prove me wrong) and another split with Maritime (I'm unsure as to which Maritime we're talking about... that'll become more clear the closer we are).

Cory, head of Halo of Flies, as well as guitarist/vocalist for the band was nice enough to send me a preview of the up coming 10". While I think The Antagonist and The Hate/The Hollow might be my favorite offerings from the band, the new material is nothing to scoff at. "Nothing Left" starts off with a battery of drums that quickly jumps into the cathartic flow of d-beats which set the back drop for the rest of the ep. The second half of the ep showcases my three favorite songs as well as a shift to a more melodic and driven sound. "Corners" and "Swindle" quickly became my two favorite songs as their reliance on simple melodic hooks intertwined in the thundering drums and bulldozer bass is right up my ally. The melodic hook amongst the sea of cymbal crashes and throaty growls that end "Corners" was the first thing that really struck me about the EP and made me replay it. "Swindle" ends a powerful strive of post-rockish gutiars strumming endlessly as some of the best/most fitting lyrics the band has put together come out.

lest we forget what we had

what we thought they did

lest we forget who'll we'll be

when we're sitting broken with all the rest

Maybe a thematic tie to one of my favorite songs off of Judgements, "Revenge," Protestant are at their best here. Beyond the simple, important fact that the songs are damn good, the production sounds amazing. This is the fullest, warmest, and most well rounded I've heard the band yet. Needless to say I'm very excited about all of this.

Worth it's weight in salt, gold, cash, or blood, Protestant thankfully show no signs of letting up. While I have no inkling as to what the two upcoming splits have in store, I can only hope that maybe a little Polish influence can be instilled on these vehement hardcore dudes.

Catch them on a brief  run over the West Coast that can be looked up here when details become announced.


Protestant at The Borg Ward (1/13/11) from Bullart. on Vimeo.