Texas hardcore/thrash unit PROTEST today unleashes a tribute to UK hardcore punk legends Discharge with a cover of “Realities Of War,” available via Nuclear Blast’s digital subsidiary Blood Blast Distribution.
The Dallas five-piece -- vocalist Dave Woodard (Hellions, ex-Speedealer), lead guitarist Jason French (ex-M.O.D.), drummer Rob Mann, rhythm guitarist Michael Wilson (Chemicaust), and bassist Ernie Jaramillo (Chemicaust) -- effortlessly blends their undeniable classic thrash roots with a modern twist of hardcore and denim shredding, old school metal attitude. Themed around the realities of social injustices, government corruption, religion, and the dark recesses of the human psyche, PROTEST’s songs are angry by definition and technically adept by design.
Comments guitarist Jason French of the band’s Discharge cover, “With our version of this song, I rearranged the parts and made it more like something PROTEST would have done if we had written the song. It’s double the length of the original and I made it a little more personal.”
The “Realities Of War” single serves as a precursor to the band’s as-yet-untitled new EP, set for release through Blood Blast this Fall.
Formed in 2003, PROTEST surges forth with a winning combination of furious, crossover compositions and unparalleled technical chops. The band released a pair of EPs as well as two full-lengths – 2012’s The Corruption Code and 2017’s Abuse Of Power – before joining local independent label Idol Records at the beginning of 2020 for the release of their The Pledge To Terror two-song single. The title track opens with a chilling tale of terrorism from the perspective of the terrorist. The second offering is a hardcore stomper titled “Fueled By Hate,” detailing the wrath of an individual losing control over being dealt a proverbial bad hand in life.
The band would go on to issue the Abuse Of Power five-song EP – an abbreviated edition of the 2012 full-length. Released on September 11th, 2020, the EP ignites listeners with a sonic uprising against police brutality, blind consumption of mass media, and megalomania. That November, just in time for Election Day, PROTEST dropped The Corruption Code EP – a truncated version of the original release. A true cry for humanity to wake up to the alarm of corporate run government and its plagues of propaganda, listeners are pulled into the band's cathartic exorcism releasing the frustration felt by so many as a result of the relentless chaos experienced in modern times. Championed Tattoopunks, “This EP wastes no time kicking your fucking ass [with] fast guitars and blastbeats that open up to that kind of late ‘80s/early ‘90s thrash sound that borders on death metal.” Added Metal Rules, “Focusing rage like a laser beam is what PROTEST do. The riffing is extremely violent.... If aggression is your whole motivation this would be the soundtrack to your life.”