Act II: The Father of Death

How the world fell under darkness

     

After two years, the Protomen return triumphant with their second album, and I can honestly say it was worth the wait. The quality of this outing is vastly superior to the original (which this reviewer also owns, and loves), and the mood and atmosphere just as varied.

As a prequel to the original Protomen story, the majority of the album has a much more retro feel to it - bizarre perhaps to say, considering the original was based on a NES game, but you'll soon see what I mean. It all feels authentically 80s, like a slice of your childhood served back up for your listening pleasure, familiar yet also new and exciting.

Essentials list: 'The Hounds', 'Breaking Out', 'Keep Quiet' and 'Light up the Night'. Of course, to fully appreciate the album it needs to be heard in sequence, preferably with the album sleeve notes (which are sadly absent from the downloaded versions, but are available on the official forum).

So in short, high quality, genuinely moving ('Give us the Rope' honestly raises the hairs on my neck), this is a must-have for anyone who enjoyed the first album and recommended highly for fans of 80s rock (Thin Lizzy, Meatloaf, etc).