Album review by Lucas Bell
It’s been quite a while between albums for Tennessee based conceptual rock opera band, The Protomen. A band, born out of a love for the video game Mega Man, dropped their debut self titled record in 2005, and Act II: The Father of Death, was released in 2009. But outside of a covers record in 2015, and the scoring of a parody play of Terminator 2, rewritten using the lines of Shakespeare (it’s just as insane as it sounds), no Act III had been announced, until now.
The story of the records is inspired by the Mega-Man games, where these stories are of the battle between Doctor Thomas Light, and Doctor Albert Wily, who are the two men that create the machines that become the robots that Wily turns against Light, and Light’s assistant, turned champion, Mega-Man (Rock).
The idea for the third act has been teased as far back as August 2015, with the release of the tracks ‘This City Made Us’ and ‘Hold Back the Night’, but the official announcement for Act III didn’t come for 10 years, being announced in October 2025. The band have been dropping the album a few tracks at a time on Bandcamp since October, but January 9th will see the full release of the long anticipated record.
Song Breakdowns
The Calm – A three minute long intro track. Very synth heavy and tone setting for the record. A great piece of music unto itself.
Hold Back the Night – Alongside ‘This City Made Us’, ‘Hold Back the Night’ was also released in 2015, as the first hint that a third act of the Mega Man saga would be born. So I’ve been sitting on this track as a demo I believe, for 10 years. The album version cleans up some of the production, and vocalist Gambler Kirkdouglas absolutely crushes the track. The back and forth vocals between Kirkdouglas and Raul Panther III at the midway point are so good too.
The Trainyard – The track serves as a bit of an interlude between ‘Hold Back the Night’ and ‘No Way Back’. A great way to join the songs.
No Way Back – The bluesy guitar intro for ‘No Way Back’ is a style of music we haven’t really heard from the band, and the vibes continue as Panther’s vocals kick in. References to the deaths of Emily and Joe from Act II are in the lyrics, as the protagonist Dr Light laments for compassion in the lyrics. A fantastic song, and it shows the band are capable of more than the grandiose rock opera elements, bringing the mood down, to build back into their signature style towards the end.
The Storm – Another interlude, tying ‘No Way Back’ and ‘Buried In The Red’ together. The track is only 58 seconds, but definitely a song purely for ambiance.
Buried In The Red – Reanimator Lovejoy, my man, stand up. The drumming on this track is some of my favorite on the album. Mixed with the guitar work and the synths, feels like a love letter to 80s rock. An absolute blinder of a tune.
Calling Out – This song is more evidence to show just how much of a powerhouse vocalist Kirkdouglas is. A shorter song on a record with multiple six minute songs, but the mix of the guitars, drums, and vocals on this track, are what make this band just so fucking good.
This City Made Us – The song that started ten years of hype for this record. The albums namesake holds the highest bar, being the song that has given fans hope of this record even existing. The album version sounds pretty bang on to the original version from 2015, with minor production changes. My favorite one, being the reverb on the vocals during the opening verse. It gives a level of additional of paranoia about “The Night”, which is believed to represent Wily’s regime of terror, and is tracks seems to be almost a call to arms for The City to revolt, after the death of Joe in Act II, who died in the explosion at the end of that story. A brilliant track, and has been a favorite since it was released a decade ago.
Hold On (The Distance Between) – My favorite part of this song is the long extended instrumental on the intro. But once the song kicks in, it feels like vintage Protomen. You could have told me this track was a B-Side from Act II, and I would believe you. The cohesion on the song’s sound is 100% there. Also, my favorite synth work on the record. Especially that part before the choruses. Chefs kiss.
The Redline – One more interlude, but not the last one.
A Show of Force – When I heard this song for the first time, I got vibes of the riff from the very start of the Kill Bill theme. But as the track slowly builds, it becomes epic. The song is a three and a half minute instrumental, that layers so much, but never feels too much.
The Dream – The shortest track on the record, at 1:40, but it feels like the calm before the storm, narratively, for the next 13 minutes of music we are about to experience. A great moment to catch a breath and take in the beauty of the album.
Light’s Last Stand – I’ve thought this for years, but Panther’s vocal delivery has always reminded me of a young Bruce Springsteen. And in this track, it’s on full display. The jitter on certain words, the breathwork. It’s cinematic Springsteen, and I am not mad about it. There are so many cool little nods to previous songs through the instrumentation though. It almost feels like it is a beginning to an end. And the sax solo. Holy shit, I am such an advocate for more sax in rock and roll. This song proves the point that more bands need a sax.
The Good Doctor • Part 2 – As the name suggests, the song is the sequel to ‘The Good Doctor’, the second song from 2009’s Act II The Father of Death. The track feels like an incredible book end to the story of Act II and Act III, with Dr Light reckoning with the cost of revolution against Wily. One of the lyrics at the end, “Throw the switch. Turn it off.”, an amazing call back to one of the most well known tracks, ‘Light Up the Night’ from Act II. And with Light pleading for Wily to turn off the machines, and no answer to the question, does that mean we could get a fourth act to seek a resolution to the question?
The Fate of Thomas Light – The album’s final track, is a final instrumental to send us home. The vibe is that of a song you would hear in the credits of a movie, or tv show. A fitting end, despite the fact I still want answers.
Final Thoughts
While a rough listen from a production standpoint, Act I is a fantastic record. And for years, Act II was considered by some to be nothing short of a masterpiece. But Act III is the band’s magnum opus.
Sometimes, you wonder if bands with long stretches between releases can live up to the hype of their next record. Sometimes you get something as incredible as Black Sabbath 13 or you unfortunately get a Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy. Act III – This City Made Us, is as close to perfect as you can get, and an album worth the sixteen year wait.
Album Highlights – This City Made Us, Calling Out, The Good Doctor • Part 2
Score – 9.5/10
