''Kezia'' ( ) is the debut full-length album by the Canadian

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

band Protest the Hero, first released in Canada on August 30, 2005, by

Underground Operations Underground Operations was an independent punk rock record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1995, the label was originally based in Ajax, Ontario. Operated by Mark Spicoluk, former Closet Monster member and former bass p ...

. It is a concept album about a young girl (Kezia) sentenced to death, told from the perspectives of the various players involved in her sentencing and execution.

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 album '' Watch Out!''). Kezia was released in Canada on August 30, 2005, and sold 500 copies in the first week and went on to sell more than 5000 copies in the next 2–3 weeks. ''Kezia'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, and was described by the band members as a "situationist requiem". In an interview from July 2006, Rody Walker describes the concept of the album:

Reception

The album received acclaim from many reviewers praising the album for its technicality and Walker's vocal range. Corey Apar of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

states: "Sounding as if maximum emotion were packed into every second possible, each note of ''Kezia'' bleeds urgent passion — from the searing vocals of Rody Walker to blistering guitar leads to acoustic midsong breaks to compelling harmonies and growls alike." Furthermore, ''Kezia'' received a nomination from Toronto-based radio station 102.1 the edge for their 2005 ''

CASBY Awards The CASBY Awards were a Canadian awards ceremony for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. CASBY is an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You. The a ...

'' for Favorite New Indie Release. The song "Bury the Hatchet" is available for download on the

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version of ''

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.'' "Divinity Within" is also featured on the soundtrack to ''

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''.

Videos

Protest the Hero's second music video, for the song "Blindfolds Aside", was released in November 2005. The video features members of the band as both condemned victims and executioners. "Blindfolds Aside" received light rotation on the Canadian music television station

Much Music Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

as well as brother channel Much Loud. The video was filmed in

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. The band filmed their third video for the song "Heretics and Killers" in mid-February 2006. It was released in April 2006. The video featured the band dressed as the flying monkeys from '' The Wizard of Oz'' who have lost their jobs (as a result of the Wicked Witch's death). The video is shot entirely in

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until an explosive instrumental break-out in which vibrant colours are used for the remainder of the video. On May 17, 2007, the band shot a video for their final single from ''Kezia'', "The Divine Suicide of K". It features a more gothic setting where the members of the group sing in an imaginary bar for female

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Track listing

Personnel

Band members

*Rody Walker —

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Tim Millar —

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Moe Carlson —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Luke Hoskin —

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, backing vocals *Arif Mirabdolbaghi -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals

Other personnel

Jadea Kelly Jadea Kelly is a singer-songwriter from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Career Kelly's 2008 debut album, ''Second Spring'', was produced by Ross Hayes Citrullo and received the "best country" award at the 2008 Toronto Independent Music Awards. At the ...

— vocals *Paul Distefano — vocals *

Julius Butty Julius Butty is a Canadian record producer. From 2004 thru 2016, he was the owner/producer of Silo Recording Studio. In late 2016, he began work on his new recording studio and in August 2018 ARC Recording Studio opened in Hamilton, Ontario. Pro ...

— production, recording, mixing, additional vocals * London Spicoluk — vocals, executive production *Lucas Venditti - Vocals *Marco Bressette — additional guitars and

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

arrangements *Joao Carvalho — mastering *Garnet Armstrong — art direction and design *Ivan Otis — photography

References

{{Authority control Protest the Hero albums 2005 debut albums Concept albums Rock operas