Since 2004 the crusty troupe of Protestant has been blasting out fierce songs with reckless abandon. So with that said their most recent release, after a nearly uncountable number of records, comes to us through Halo Of Flies. It does seem rather tough at first glance to see how this sticks out from the labels bread and butter. That is to saw the label and band both traffic in a style of hardcore with a strong leaning towards nasty, crust related sounds.
Simply put this is a strong continuation for the band. The songs blast by at a rapid pace, save for a few cleverly placed breaks. These breaks make all the difference within the course of the record as they help to build momentum and almost a desperation that is palpable within the songs' framework. Probably the best example of this would be within the drum and bass break contained in "Passing On". By the time the vocals and guitar come back in the listener is almost longing for it (in the best way possible).
As mentioned earlier the record does little to change the band's sound. In reality who wants that anyway? Crusty hardcore if done right doesn't need fluff or filler. There are no experimental passages, no dabbling in electronics or anything equally as useless. What Protestant does offer is driving, forceful and above all honest. If you are itching for some crusty blown out hardcore this EP would be a great fix.
