Protomartyr is a Post Punk band from Detroit that deserves some attention. 2014 saw the release of their second LP titled Under Color of Unofficial Right which turned out to be easily one of my favorite releases that year. The guitars were textured with an 80’s feel, the drums were loud and pounding, the basslines were beyond funky, and the baritone vocals helped to create a dark, gloomy atmosphere.
The group wasted no time and managed to release their third album this past October. The Agent Intellect is an entirely different animal that is neither superior nor inferior to their sophomore effort. The instrumentals may create the illusion of a more optimistic and bright Protomartyr but the lyrical content has never been darker.
The opening track consists of a narrative regarding the upbringing of the devil himself. He is not depicted as a dark lord with a trident and horns engulfed in flames but rather as an innocent adolescent with potential. But it all changed when he came of age, it was nothing like simulated game. The women didn’t love him, the races all ignored him, his proclamations failed, so he screamed “Now you bend!”
Vocalist Joey Casey’s recent loss of both of his parents is a continuous theme of the record. The torment and emotional anguish of loss and speculation of death, religion, and the afterlife are scattered throughout the twelve standout tracks.
With Ceremony’s latest LP heavily influenced by the likes of Interpol and Joy Division coupled with the signing of Makthaverskan to Run For Cover Records, it’s becoming clear that Post Punk is inching its way back into the alternative music scene. For fans of the genre, the latest Protomartyr is a brilliant album brimming with emotion and deeply philosophical themes that will force one to truly ponder the meaning mortality and its limits.