Kezia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kezia | ||
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| Studio album by Protest the Hero | ||
| Released | Canada: August 30 2005. USA: April 4 2006. | |
| Recorded | 2004 - 2005 | |
| Genre | Post-Hardcore Punk rock |
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| Length | 43:40 | |
| Label | Canada: Underground Operations, USA: Vagrant Records | |
| Producer(s) | Julius "Juice" Butty | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Protest the Hero chronology | ||
| A Calculated Use of Sound Re-release (2004) |
Kezia (2005) |
Untitled Future Album (2007) |
Kezia (pronounced kez-EYE-ah) is the debut full-length release by the post-hardcore band Protest the Hero.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Production began in late 2004 overseen by Julius "Juice" Butty as their producer-in-chief (known for his work on Alexisonfire's gold-selling Watch Out!). After mounting anticipation from fans, Kezia was released in Canada on August 30, 2005 selling 500 copies in the first week and went on to sell more than 5000 copies in the next 2-3 weeks, not including off-stage sales at the several release parties and shows the band played the week of release. The American release on April 4, 2006 debuted with an online contest where the first one hundred album purchases were rewarded with an additional album - A Calculated Use of Sound, the 2004 reissue. Furthermore, Kezia received a nomination from Toronto based radio station, 102.1 The Edge's 2005 'Casby Awards' for Best Independent Album of the Year (which BOY won with Every Page You Turn), and received a glowing review in TIME Canada magazine.
[edit] Story Line
Kezia is a "situationist requiem", similar to a concept album in that it tells a story. It is an elegy of a young woman named Kezia, the supposed savior of mankind, and her execution that is thought to be able to save mankind from its poverty, after the killing of God. The story is chronicled in the perspective of three characters: The Prison Priest, The Prison Guard/Gunman, and Kezia herself. Each character is designated a section containing three songs, with a single retrospective finale concluding the album. The three characters represent an aspect of the bandmembers themselves, endowing artistic fingerprints to a deeply personal album.
Kezia was not intended to be listened to superficially; only a fraction of the story and emotion will be heard in this way. Aesthetic should surpass the musicianship, and focus paid to deciphering the cryptic lyrics; the theme is more than a pretentious backdrop, but tells a complex, to some interesting, tale. The album was written to be interpreted in its entirety, not skimmed at face-value. The story (which is admitted to be heavily influenced by the works of Dostoevsky) of Kezia was conceived by bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi when the band members were in grade eleven (2002-2003), and recording was finished in 2005 when they were at the ages of eighteen and nineteen.
[edit] Album Line-up
- Rody Walker - Vocals
- Tim Millar - Guitar
- Moe Carlson - Drums
- Luke Hoskin - Guitar/Piano
- Arif Mirabdolbaghi - Bass
Additional vocals by Jadea Kelly, Julius Butty, Paul Distefany, and London Spicoluk.
Additional guitars and string arrangements by Marco Bressette.
[edit] Track listing
- "No Stars Over Bethlehem" – 3:48 - Prison Priest persona
- "Heretics & Killers" – 3:09 - Prison Priest persona
- "Divinity Within" – 4:42 - Prison Priest persona
- "Bury the Hatchet" – 3:24 - Prison Guard persona
- "Nautical" – 2:57 - Prison Guard persona
- "Blindfolds Aside" – 5:58 - Prison Guard persona
- "She who Mars the Skin of Gods" – 3:51 - Persona of Kezia herself
- "Turn Soonest to the Sea" – 6:22 - Persona of Kezia herself
- "The Divine Suicide of K." – 5:10 - Persona of Kezia herself
- "A Plateful of our Dead" – 4:29 - Finale
Note: the band's website lists the eighth track as 'Turn the Soonest to the Sea', but the tracklisting on the back of some versions of the album omit the first 'the'.
[edit] Videos
Protest the Hero's second music video, for the song Blindfolds Aside, was released in November 2005. The video features Protest the Hero as both condemned victims and executioners. The condemned are wearing blindfolds for the majority of the video and playing their instruments whereas the executioners are dressed as soldiers. The video contains the song shortened by 35 seconds, removing some instrumental sections that appear on the album version. Blindfolds Aside receives light rotation on the music television station Much Music, but greater exposure on the brother channel Much Loud. The video was filmed in Toronto, Ontario.
The band filmed their third video for the song "Heretics and Killers" in mid-February, 2006. It was released in April 2006. The video features the band dressed as the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz who have lost their jobs as flying monkeys as a result of the evil witch's death. The video switches from scenes of the band playing together in a small room to individual band members begging and doing street jobs. The video is shot entirely in sepia until an explosive instrumental break-out in which vibrant colours are used for the remainder of the video.
