the Protomen

It's probably very fitting that with Steam releasing the Mega Man Legacy Collection that includes games 1 through 6, now with leader boards, replays and a challenge mode, as well as a good bit of 8-bit polish to the classic graphics, that I should come across the Protomen, a conceptual rock band that is incredibly hard to describe.

There's so many influences that it would be impossible to list them all- but as a short example: the opening tracks of Act II, the second album but the prologue of the story, 'Intermission' and 'The Good Doctor' has a definite Johnny Cash vibe to me. Whereas the recently released 'This City Made Us' is a lot more synth rock and sounds a bit like Maiden. And it's fucking great.
One of the reasons I just stopped listening to Coheed and Cambria is because unless it was a particular track, it just all started sounding a bit samey. It's a problem I've found in bands that focus on concept albums because to create a cohesive series of stories you usually have to stick to a theme so that it's instantly recognisable as being part of that one universe. It's a fairly simple thing for writers that are publishing books and stories because a lot of that can come from a particular style of writing, like in Discworld where you have a mix of story types, characters and locations, but are unified through Terry Pratchett's wit and ability to create magic from the mundane, and vice versa. Seriously, he makes a University of Wizards sound like anti-social, squabbling, tired adults. He makes them sound like teachers, and I love that, however I've deviated from my point.

Conceptual bands can quickly sound samey just through repetition of riffs or sound motifs being used continously throughout an album, or over multiple albums. It's a quick and easy way to identify a band- but it can also make everything sound the same.
The Protomen do not have this problem. In one album alone they have switched from spaghetti western styled music to rock and onto rockabilly and even a militant marching song, Hell, that's not even half way through that album. And everything is nicely clear and an obvious continuation of the same story. If anything the changes in styles highlight the progression of mood as time passes.

Now, I know I've ranted a hell of a lot about the importance of composition in a rock opera, and I know a lot of you will be wondering what that has to do with Mega Man, because apart from my opening line and the name of the band, there's not been any reference to good ol' boy blue other than that. This band, these songs, tell a dystopian imagined world set around the characters of the Mega Man world and characters, where Dr. Wiley lords over a broken city, opposed only by Dr. Light whom he betrayed and framed for murder. Taking from the Mega Man lore but not adhering to it, the Protomen have created a dark, desperate story that seems unlikely to end well.

Act I focuses on the creation and destruction of Proto Man, and the creation of Mega Man and the fight against Dr. Wiley. Act II delves into the back story of exactly what happened between Dr. Wiley and Dr. Light. Act III isn't out yet, but the first album single, 'This City Made Us' is and it is wonderful. The Protomen are going to be at PAX Prime this year too, so if you're going check them out on Sunday (30th Aug 2015). I will be at home, jealous and potentially eating too much cake out of despair. I would suggest finding a moment to check them out.

Favourite track right now: The Hounds;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LChtBpTjvTY

But really, try a couple of different tracks, there is probably going to be something there for everyone. Check them out and let me know what you think!

- Idge