For the last fourteen years Canadian-based group Protest The Hero has been at the forefront of progressive metal and after their first time performing in SA at last year’s Krank’d Up Festival, they’ve been plotting their return. In May, fans in Johannesburg and Pretoria will be able to get their fix as well as first-time diehards in the Mother City.
In anticipation of these events, we had the opportunity to chat to guitarist Tim MacMillar about what bands he’s loving, how their songwriting keeps evolving and being super excited to return to our shores.
This is not your first time in South Africa. How did the first visit here come about?
I was surfing the world wide web and I saw that our buddies in Unearth were playing in South Africa. I was immediately intrigued and I sent a message to the Promoter’s Facebook page. Within a couple hours, I got a response and they were interested in having us come down as well. We were able to work things out in a matter of days and the rest is history.
What aspects of South Africa have made the greatest impression on you so far?
We didn’t get to see too much of the country outside of Johannesburg so I got the best impression from the people. Just talking to people, and observing the culture was what I enjoyed the most on the trip. I’m looking forward to coming back.
Have you heard any local bands that you really enjoy?
I tried to watch as many bands as possible at Krank’d Up but unfortunately can’t remember all the names. We got to know Wayne from Deity’s Muse pretty well and I definitely enjoyed them live.
Have you found that a specific type of person tends to show up to your gigs, or is it a diverse crowd?
It’s a pretty diverse crowd for the most part. I’d say anyone from their teens to 30s is kind of the typical PTH fan but occasionally you’ll see the old metal head from the ‘80s banging their head, or people will bring their kids out. A lot of the crowd is usually a musician themselves in their own right so we tend to attract some music geeks. The majority is male but ever since Rody started working out, we’ve been getting a larger female audience.
Are there any bands which you love touring with?
Unearth is one of them. We did a long run back in 2008 so it was nice to reconnect with those guys. Also, we are good friend with The Safety Fire. We try to get on well with whoever we are on tour with. Makes things more enjoyable.
Touring schedules can be strenuous and tiring, and everyone finds their own way of dealing with it. What are the things that you absolutely cannot live without on tour? Rituals? Yoga? Books?
Running shoes. It’s hard to eat healthy and work out on the road, but you can run anywhere you are so as long as I have my runners, I’m set.
What albums or bands have you been getting into recently?
The Contortionist “Langauge”, Fleshgod Apocalypse “Labyrinth”, The Helix Nebula “Meridian”, to name a few. I’ve been listening to a lot more podcasts than music lately I must confess.
Would you say that your approach to song writing has changed over the years, or have you always had a tried and tested formula?
It’s always evolving. We have some song structures that have kind of stuck over the years, but we are always trying to get better as songwriters and try new things and different things. We try not to write the same song twice, if that makes sense.
After this tour, what’s next for Protest the Hero?
Just working on new material. SA was the exception to the no touring in 2015 policy we have at the moment. We need to take time off to focus and we have been writing for the last few months so there’s new music on the horizon.
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Listen to Protest The Hero on Deezer.
