The metal heads of Cape Town flocked to seldom-explored Stellenbosch to witness Canadian progressive metal group Protest the Hero in full glory at Klein Libertas.
All Guns Full Ammo opened to a nigh on empty venue but managed to lure in a decent attendance. Hard rock and metal influences are their bread and butter as harmonised guitars and pseudo-classical singing draw heavily from Iron Maiden. The lead singer screamed with such ferocity that a specific vein in his neck writhed and pulsed terrifyingly.
Ill System call themselves the only “Reggae Metal” band in the world. The reggae element comes through in dedicated sections rather than as an integrated part of the songs, but adds a welcome contrast to their set. Having reformed only last year after a long hiatus, their fans showed great fervour and appreciation for their return.
Zombies Ate My Girlfriend was by far the heaviest metal band of the night. Whether from sound issues or just the nature of their genre, the guitars and bass came forth in an angry, indiscernible mush. They blasted heavy riffs from start to finish and their diehard audience loved every second regardless.
Oh God has seen a meteoric rise to popularity in the last few months. Their instrumental rock style combines Explosions in the Sky with And So I Watch You From Afar, bringing a bit of finesse to the evening with stronger contrasts and beautifully arranged tracks. They certainly didn’t need a vocalist, but I believe that the addition of the right one would elevate them to even greater heights.
Rody Walker entered the stage donning Jagermeister sunglasses while the theme tune from Austin Powers played the background – an unexpected start to say the least – and blasted headfirst into an all-time classic, ‘Bloodmeat’. I could hardly hear the vocalist because every soul in the place was screeching along word for word. There’s a choppy odd part towards the end of the song that no one could possibly remember if they had only heard it a few times, and yet this entire crowd performed it perfectly, proving that the level of loyalty South Africans have for this band is pretty astounding.
Protest the Hero has set themselves apart through the complexity of their arrangements. Because of their technical proficiency we often expect the musicians whom we so admire to be serious people, composed in accordance with the standards reserved for elite musicians and celebrities. After all, when Tim Millar is playing those crazy arpeggios like Hunter Thompson bashing a typewriter and Mike Leradi is drumming with the precision of an atomic clock, their abilities are nothing to sneer at.
PTH compensates for this by not taking themselves too seriously. They break away from the stigma predominantly thanks to the antics of vocalist Walker who engages with the crowd, makes jokes and heckles playfully, as if we were all simply in a very large living room. Bassist Cam McLellan sipped a beer in one hand and played with the other as Walker hoisted him on his shoulders and tried to keep singing with moderate success.
‘Heretics and Killers’, ‘Limb From Limb’ and ‘Blindfolds Aside’ were all part of their eclectic set. They delivered the anthemic, powerful and miraculously precise originals from start to finish. The encore was ‘Clarity’, chosen by a young lady named Bridgett who looked to be about fourteen years old from where I was standing.
I suspect PTH will probably visit Cape Town a few more times in the future before the appetite of diehard fans has even begun to be satisfied.
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