“The Father of Death” is my first exposure to the musical group, The Protomen. A theme-based band that performs all types of rock music, The Protomen were performing at MAGFest 13 in Washington, DC. Our whole crew went to MAGFest to see Machinae Supremacy, but while we were talking to some of the bands, we picked up the Protomen disc. We did so on a whim, but what a stroke of luck!
“The Father of Death” is the second act of the Protoman story, one that follows the efforts of Doctor Albert Wily and his army of evil robots, and Dr. Howard Light, who seeks to overcome the creation of the robots that have enslaved the human population. Act II is actually two stories. The first is Howard’s story, where he debates the creation of the robots themselves. Light wanted to use the technology as a tool for the town miners, but Wily convinced him to change the design, leading to the rise of the robots.
Among the robots is a sniper, identified by its single, glowing red eye. When the robots are deployed and the machines come to life, Andrew attempts to lure the doctors’ mutual love, Emily, with him. When Emily refuses in favor of Thomas, the doctor orders the assassin robot to kill her. Thomas finds her body, and is distraught with guilt at losing his love to the machine he has created. Wily has him framed for Emily’s murder, and Thomas is eventually run out of town.
The story then switches voice to a young man named Joe, who is miserable in the city under the constant watch of the machines and Wily’s towers of technology. Joe attempts a breakout, riding his motorcycle into the darker, more dangerous parts of town. There, he comes face to face with the terrible robot assassin, but, with some assistance from the gray-haired old doctor, he is able to subdue the machine. Joe and Dr. Light then devise a plot to take down Wily and rid the city of the oppressive robot population.
The album is composed well, and the musical performances are excellent. The voices of Thomas and Joe are expressed through radically different themes. Thomas’ story, the first half of the disc, is expressed with Western style, complete with horns and acoustic guitars accompanying the electric guitars, bass and drums. Joe’s story is much more straight rock opera, with heavier accent on synthesizers. The highlight of the composition is the seamless transition between the two. As Thomas is exiled, the instrumental track “How the World Fell into Darkness” begins with the sound of the train as its percussion. The track shifts to more of the Styx/Jim Steinman style rock opera to tell Joe’s story.
“The Father of Death” is an exceptional disc, even without the underlying story. Reading the story while listening makes for a rewarding experience. The musicians portray the characters well, and the themes of despair, courage and independence are well represented. I’m looking forward to picking up more from the Protomen, including the self-titled first disc, and their most recent release, “The Cover Up.”
For more on the Protomen, check out Protomen.com.
