Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
75
2562
54
30 Seconds to Mars
62
50 Cent
71
AC/DC
70
The Album Leaf
52
Kris Allen
68
Tori Amos
66
Animal Collective
84
Animal Collective
77
Annie
57
Apse
63
Asobi Seksu
59
Bad Lieutenant
83
Julianna Barwick
82
Beach House
72
Beak>
72
Bibio
65
Justin Bieber
76
Biffy Clyro
74
Blakroc
75
Mary J. Blige
78
Blockhead
52
Bon Jovi
54
Susan Boyle
57
The Bravery
39
Chris Brown
64
V.V. Brown
70
Basia Bulat
79
Chew Lips
74
Citay
65
Clipse
66
Cold War Kids
75
The Cribs
58
Dashboard Confessional
81
Dave Rawlings Machine
70
Delphic
78
The Doors
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
73
Edan
59
Editors
69
Eels
80
Felt
74
First Aid Kit
69
Flyleaf
83
Four Tet
82
Ben Frost
82
Fucked Up
83
Charlotte Gainsbourg
63
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
68
Githead
65
Joe Goddard
58
Good Shoes
72
Gucci Mane
75
Holopaw
82
Jesca Hoop
79
Hot Chip
72
The Hot Rats
88
Ray Wylie Hubbard
54
Hurricane Chris
66
Allison Iraheta
59
Jay Sean
82
Freedy Johnston
57
Nick Jonas And The Administration
73
Norah Jones
49
Juvenile
58
Ke$ha
62
R. Kelly
66
Alicia Keys
68
Kid Sister
81
King Midas Sound
63
Lady Antebellum
76
Lady GaGa
71
Adam Lambert
78
Lawrence Arabia
61
Leona Lewis
74
Lightspeed Champion
36
Lil Wayne
82
Lindstrom & Christabelle
77
Lissie
78
Los Campesinos!
70
Lostprophets
73
Magnetic Fields
72
Massive Attack
64
John Mayer
71
Paul McCartney
58
Katherine McPhee
86
Memory Tapes
72
Midlake
88
Motion City Soundtrack
63
Mr. Hudson
53
Mudvayne
75
Oh No Ono
70
OK Go
72
Ola Podrida
61
OneRepublic
80
Owen Pallett
80
Pantha du Prince
90
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
80
Phantogram
60
Pit Er Pat
63
Priestess
70
Radian
79
Corinne Bailey Rae
54
Rakim
79
Real Estate
77
Retribution Gospel Choir
76
Rihanna
64
Rjd2
65
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
77
Sade
77
Gil Scott-Heron
72
Shakira
82
Shining
61
Snoop Dogg
62
Snow Patrol
71
The Soft Pack
80
Spoon
64
Ringo Starr
59
Stereophonics
76
Angie Stone
79
Surfer Blood
74
Switchfoot
75
Them Crooked Vultures
74
Robin Thicke
50
Timbaland
79
tUnE-YaRDs
80
Vampire Weekend
79
Laura Veirs
79
Tom Waits
78
Wale
65
The Watson Twins
66
Kanye West
76
The Whitefield Brothers
64
Robbie Williams
80
Yeasayer
62
Young Money
75
Neil Young
61
Rob Zombie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Fortress
Universal acclaim
Based on 7 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 109 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: 29 January 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Metal, Punk
Summary
The sophomore album for the post-hardcore/metal band from Whitby, Ontario, Canada.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club)
The follow-up [to "Kezia"], Fortress, mines similar territory but cranks the ferocity even higher.
Read Full Review >Sputnikmusic
It's a scarily mature album for a bunch of 21 year olds to have recorded, and the pairing of its ambitious lyrical concepts and motivated songwriting is something to be admired.
Read Full Review >Sputnikmusic
Despite the fact it can get a bit homogenous and maybe a tad over-the-top with its concept, Fortress is one of the most entertaining metal albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
What makes Fortress much more than just a chain mail-clad sweep-picking clinic is the band's ability to weave bold melodies into the album's thudering riffage. [Feb 2008, p.116]
All Music Guide
Protest the Hero is having fun with their creativity here, and Fortress is a better album for it.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
Protest the Hero suck off the idea of metal tropes and also think they have a sense of humor.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 109 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Sam Y gave it a10:
This album is spectacular. As a singer versed in a variety of different genres and styles, I give this album a ten because rody has an amazing range, luke and tim shred relentlessly, and arif and moe keep the beat popping like nobody's business. Before you rate this album low or dismiss it entirely, I would like to ask that you try and hit all the notes he does esp the growls and screams. Not so easy is it? What makes him even more remarkable is that he has developed enough vocal endurance to sing this style of music for a long time (during shows he rarely falters). Arif writes all the lyrics and can keep up with luke's shred with his own tapping and sweeps which garners a lot of respect from me. Protest would not be the metal onslaught it is today without arif and rody, two of the youngest powerhouse rockers of the new millenium.
Ilovepth gave it a10:
I have something very important to say. No one should classify any part of PTH's music "emo". Their lyrics and musical style are no such filth. They are progressive/metal/post hardcore/punk. Don't be ignorant about the musicianship either. I have been playing guitar (metal) for about 7 years and believe me the riffage on this album is AMAZING. This album deserves to be at the top. If don't understand what PTH is about maybe you should research what both Kezia and Fortress are about before you label it as mediocre. Let the real musicians and those who know great music decide where this album belongs.
Mislav gave it a10:
Truly epic music. The musicians are excellent, and the singer is great too. He has a good vocal range and voice as well as a scream and growl. It's not the kind of music everyone will appreciate, but it's awesome. I suggest listening to samples to see if you like it.
Kevin H. gave it a10:
This band is ingenious. Unique, heavy, progressive, melodic and lyrical. They aren't the most digestible band ever, but they are highly digestible for a metal band. Hence the criticism. Frankly, I don't care for an opinion from someone who thinks either Simple Plan or Cannibal Corpse deserve a better rating. The fact is, these guys do what they do well and no one can touch it. Keep pissing people off boys.
Tommy R. gave it an8:
Amazing band. Amazing album. Not as good as Kezia in my personal opinion, but still a spectacular record.
Greg F. gave it a3:
Is this the unused sessions from "Kezia"? How is it that it takes 3 years to record the same thing again? "Palms Read" contains a heavily engineered and overly produced 5-second slap-bass slop fest, and there is more half-hearted and Pro-Tools-infected screaming, but Protest needs to stop acting like they are metal Gods. Maybe if they played metal, and maybe if they could release a different album in less than three years, but until they give song titles more effort than "Bloodmeat," they are nothing special in my book, that is, unless you think fast = amazing. In that case, go kill yourself listening to this album in the car.
Jer M. gave it a10:
I love how people criticize an album for its "emo" vocals etc. In order to properly judge an album and give it an unbiased rating people can't go into the review expecting something or alreay labelling the artists. Meerely listen, observe, and state your opinions and above all, know what you're talking about before you give something a mediocre rating.
