Who are they?
So, I personally am a little behind the times when it comes to these guys. It feels like I discovered them a bit late (at least in terms their releases). If you are not familiar with their concept, they are primarily known for their two Mega Man concept albums. Besides this, they have a live album that consists almost entirely of Queen covers titled, “The Protomen Present: A Night of Queen.” Finally, they released a cover album called, “The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture” which, despite its title, is not actually a soundtrack for a real movie.
What do they sound like?
If you are familiar at all with the idea of Mega Man then you could probably make an educated guess at generally what The Protomen sound like. Their debut album, which is self-titled, follows the story of Doctor Wiley and his fight against Protoman and eventually Mega Man. The overall sound is very heavy and distorted, conveying the traditional 8-bit sound of the video games. Their second album, “Act II: The Father of Death” is much more diverse. In terms of story, it serves as a prequel, following the rivalry between Thomas Light and Doctor Wiley. Musically, this album has a distinct progression from a very western, Ennio Morricone-inspired sound and eventually moves more into futuristic and electronic sounds.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I’m a bigger fan of “Act II” over “The Protomen,” mainly because I find the first album more difficult to understand and I enjoy the greater variety of “Act II.” Like the best rock operas, the combined “Ropera” of these two albums has many wonderful songs that can stand on their own just fine, but come together to create an in-depth story that has its own ups and downs of the darkness in men and the striking depths of depravity that we are capable of and the highs of overcoming adversity and fighting for justice even when the odds are stacked against us.
