Protest the Hero Offer Album Update

New music will arrive "toward the very end of this year or the first few months of next"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jul 30, 2019

After detailing some serious issues with singer Rody Walker's vocal health last summer, Protest the Hero have now given listeners another lengthy update on their highly anticipated new album.

The band have revealed that Walker is back to recording full-time "after off-and-on months of recording what [he] could" with vocal producer/bassist Cameron McLellan. McLellan's work as a live sound engineer then led him to accompanying Daniel Caesar on tour, leaving Walker to complete recording alongside producer/friend of the band Anthony K. 

"Rody has reported his voice feels better than he can remember," the update reads. "The rough mixes of these tracks are telling a similar story - he sounds great, confident, and a bit more pissed off than usual. It's awesome to hear it come together!"

The update clarifies that McLellan and Anthony K will continue to produce Walker's vocals in tandem, while Derya 'Dez' Nagle will oversee mixes and delivery of the final album. Nagle engineered and produced all guitars, bass and drums for the effort.

"While all this vocal progress is being made, the rest of us are working with our friend and composer [Milen Petzelt-Sorace] to orchestrate additional instrumentation on each song," the band continued. "Our goal is to create our biggest sounding record yet, and that includes opening ourselves up to new instruments and arrangements."

On the subject of a release date, the band wrote, "if we are speaking realistically, it's toward the very end of this year or the first few months of next." You can read the band's entire update below.

"This record has been our most trying. It has demanded our utmost patience and perseverance, but we are finally turning a corner," they concluded. "Feels like we have really had to fight for this one - and the struggle has really made us appreciate how lucky we are to still be in the position to make music. An immense thanks for your patience (if you are still with us!). The hardest part is in the rearview."

Protest the Hero's last proper studio LP was 2013's Volition, which arrived independently after the band launched a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign.

More recently, the band released their Pacific Myth EP through a subscription-based series beginning in late 2015. A complete physical release of the effort was delivered in late 2016.

Walker also leant his vocal talents to offshoot Mystery Weekend, which also features his PTH bandmate Mike Ieradi on drums and guitarist Dan Hay (the Fully Down, Amos the Transparent). That group released debut LP Surprise! in 2017.

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