PROTEST THE HERO

PROTEST THE HERO are a Canadian Progressive Metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named HAPPY GO LUCKY, the band changed their name to PROTEST THE HERO and released their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002. In 2005, the band released their first album Kezia on Canadian Indie label Underground Operations.

On January 23, 2006, the band signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia's American release on April 4, 2006. Their second album, Fortress was released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008. The band released their third studio album, Scurrilous, on March 22, 2011.

Expressing frustrations with record labels, in January 2013 the band announced that they would crowdfund their fourth album. The Indiegogo campaign was a runaway success, and the independently released Volition debuted on October 29, 2013, distributed with the help of Razor & Tie. In October 2015, the band announced that their next release would take the form of an EP, distributed via subscription service Bandcamp, entitled Pacific Myth.

The band started the production process of their fifth studio album in January 2018. The process was delayed due to issues with vocalist Walker's voice, which arose during the Fortress X Tour in June 2018. The album, titled Palimpsest, would release two years later on June 18, 2020.

On June 6, 2018, the band announced that they were forced to cancel their upcoming summer tour in Europe and Japan, and postpone the recording of their next studio album, due to Rody Walker developing "vocal issues" that might develop into "irreparable damage" if not taken care of.

A new single titled "The Canary" was released on April 16, 2020, on streaming sites. On the same day, the album's title, Palimpsest, along with the track listing and its release date set for June 19 was announced. Along with the 10 tracks that are listed for most editions, two bonus tracks called "Gift Horse" and "The Dueling Cavalier" exist that are included in a special vinyl bundle. The second single, "From the Sky", was released on May 14, 2020. The band modified the release date of the album from June 19 to June 18, 2020, in observance of Juneteenth, and the album was released to pre-order subscribers a day earlier on June 17, 2020.

In November 2021, Luke Hoskin announced his retirement from touring, although he remains a band member for songwriting and recording purposes. Ben Davis of The Kindred was announced as the band's new touring lead guitarist.

Organised by Scala