French band PROTOGONOS are on a mission to deliver an immersive metal experience with a fascinating, powerful and slightly sinister metalcore sound that they describe as “introspective, energetic and hard-hitting.”
The Reims band, whose name refers to an ancient Greek deity of creation that means “first-born,” began when Benjamin Kamerer (guitar) and Jérémy Henry (drums) met in late 2015. They onboarded guitarist Aurélien Jacob in March 2016 before adding vocalist Nicolas Cuvilly in November 2016, and completed the lineup with bassist Nick the following April, before he was replaced by Thomas Dumetz in 2020.
On the sound they’ve created since, the band told us: “Modern metalcore that blends power, cinematic textures, and a vocal timbre marked by death influences. You’ll also hear long-standing synth/synthwave elements serving emotion and immersion.”
Our latest taste of this is Inner Strife, which was released at the end of last month and features guest vocals by Danny Louzon from fellow French band HURAKAN. It opens up with a building riff that kicks into life over a piercing synth and lively drums. Gruff vocals take over alongside busy instrumentals in an atmospheric verse, then a twinkling synth and chugging guitars lead into a big chorus “I’m trapped in a cage of my own making, A prison of darkness and despair, I’m stuck in the way that I’m living in, I can’t escape from the pain that I’m feeling, No one can hear me, no one can care.”
The intensity increases immediately as heavier drums and Danny’s vicious vocals come in, ending with a huge drum roll then dropping into whispery vocals and building drums and guitars. That drops into a long pause and a whisper of “‘Cause you don’t have the guts” ushers in heavy guitars and vicious throaty vocals in an unnerving section. Strings creep in to lead into another chorus, which gives way to a guitar solo to bring the track to a huge conclusion.
On the track, the band told us: “A very strong response from both the audience and the specialized media. Inner Strife condenses our DNA and touches on themes like inner struggle, fear of change, and the weight of our choices. Musically: modern heaviness, rhythmic tension, a death-tinged vocal tone, and a sense of drama that plays on contrasts.
“It’s also a track that bridges musically with our previous album, because on the other four songs we wanted to bring evolutions – integrating elements that were not, or were less, present on Silent Oppressor.”
As they allude to, Inner Strife is the first single released since their 2022 album Silent Oppressor, which is packed with more metalcore goodness and big synth influences. That includes the excellent Watch Them Burn, Embrace Your Truth, Scars, which features a huge late breakdown, and the superb For Those We Care About, which you can check out in the video below. And the new single is the first to be released from the band’s upcoming EP Veil I – FEARS, which is set for release next month.
The PROTOGONOS sound has been honed by the hardcore roots of metalcore and bands like Architects, August Burns Red, Fit For A King and As I Lay Dying. And on what inspires them to write music, they explained: “For this EP: introspection – self-awareness, regrets, the burden of the past, and the pull between the need to change and the fear of facing it. Our lyrics aim to turn pain into something true and shareable, without posturing.”
The new EP begins what the band refers to as the FEARS era of the Veil trilogy. In their words: “We’re beginning a three-part cycle, Veil, that puts fears and beliefs in tension, under the gaze of a mythological entity, Medusa, rewritten as a lucid, non-judging presence that will weigh everything in a third act.”
The first part of this will be FEARS, which they describe as “a dark, dense, introspective EP” and will be released on 21 November. The second single from that EP, Rise Above, should be released this month. That’ll be followed by BELIEFS, a “brighter, contrasting EP” that should be out late next year, before Veil III, gathers the two EPs alongside new tracks to deliver a narrative conclusion.
But the PROTOGONOS experience goes well beyond simply the music. As they explain: “(Playing) live has been central for us since day one – and it has to be a full experience for the audience. It can’t be a mere musical demonstration; it must be an interaction, an exchange where the audience makes the moment their own. We work on scenography and visual impact, so the experience is both powerful and readable. Emotion remains the core: we play to create a bond.
“From Silent Oppressor: ‘I is not me, I is all of us.’ PROTOGONOS isn’t a five-person story – it’s a six-person one, with our audience.”
You can follow PROTOGONOS on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Deezer, Soundcloud and YouTube.
Listen to PROTOGONOS and more new metal on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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