There will be Light.

Dec 7, 2009 by Joshua    2 Comments    Posted under: music, music feature

Some time ago, I learned about The Protomen. The premise behind the band intrigued me: They perform a rock opera based on the plot and characters of the classic video game franchise “Mega Man”. While one might expect a huge nerdfest that lacks real artistic merit, what is found instead is a solid act that builds on the framework of its 8-bit origins and expands it into an epic tale of conflict and drama.

Pardon me if I get a bit too verbose about this particular topic. I will do my best to keep from going on for too long.

Album: Act II: The Father of Death

Artist: The Protomen

Genre: indie rock, rock opera

Sounds Like Maybe: Muse, Meat Loaf

Gateway Track: “Breaking Out”

Four years ago, The Protomen made their mark when they debuted with their self-titled album. The music tells the story of Dr. Thomas Light, a troubled man in a city held in check by the authoritarian rule of Dr. Wily and his robot army. Light, believing that humanity has the potential to fight back and stand against oppression, constructs a new robot to battle Wily’s minions. Light’s plan ultimately fails because of the people’s complacency toward resistance. Though the story is loosely based on a video game from the ’80s, it hits on heavy subjects, such as the strength of humanity and the cost of not standing up for one’s freedom and basic rights.

This past September, The Protomen released Act II, a prequel that explains how the city fell under Wily’s control. The tale is highly emotional, and that emotion is expertly conveyed by the band. The album is a rock opera in every sense of the word, complete with vocal and instrumental flourishes that punctuate a powerful delivery. At the same time, Act II is a separate sort of beast compared to the band’s first album, taking on a different style of music and expressing itself in new and interesting ways.

The Story

At the start of the album (“The Good Doctor”), Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily look upon the army of robot labor workers that they have created, robots that Light believes will save the people of the city from working themselves to death. Wily, on the other hand, sees the army as a chance to throw the city under his control. To get Light out of the picture, Wily orders one of the robots to kill Light’s lover, Emily Stanton (“The Father of Death”), and accuses Light of perpetrating the murder (“The Hounds”). Light is run out of the city, its inhabitants turned against him by Wily’s propagandist mob-rallying (“Give Us the Rope”). During Light’s absence, Wily enacts his plan to take control of the city, slowly leading the people to depend on the robots (“How the World Fell Under Darkness”). A whole generation is born under the Wily’s rule, complacent to the robot’s presence and unaware of what life was like without them.

One young man feels restless in the city (“Breaking Out”). This man, Joe, meets up with Light on the edge of town (“Keep Quiet”), and the two form a plan to take down Wily’s control center. Joe drives his motorcycle to the center and climbs to the top, planning to plant a bomb that will destroy the transmitter Wily uses to control the robots and send out his misinformation to the people (“Light Up the Night”). The bomb goes off, but too soon, and it takes Joe with it (“The Fall”). Worse yet, the damage is not enough to bring down Wily, whose empire has grown too large. Because of this act, Wily declares martial law, thus bringing the city completely under his control and shattering Light’s hopes.

Seeing Joe’s dead body among the debris of the explosion, Light believes that all is lost and awaits death at the hands of the robot army. Before his demise, however, he reads the last letter that he received from Emily, in which she tells him never to turn his back on the city (“Here Comes the Arm”). With newfound determination, Light declares that he will not rest until his work is complete.

The tale is tragic, and it is delivered in true rock opera fashion. Emotions run high, and the music swells in kind.

The Music

The Protomen are not soft-spoken. Every word, every line is delivered with intense feeling. Even the quieter parts, such as Light’s concern that he might become the “father of death”, are tinged with gripping emotion. The album has some truly epic moments, such as Emily’s declaration that “There will be light” as Wily bashes Light’s beliefs about humanity. Though Emily’s voice work is not the best, the line hits home as it is belted out by a choir of voices, like a decree from heaven.

Notable also is the interplay between Light and Wily during “The Good Doctor”. The two have clearly opposing views of humanity: Light sees his fellow citizens as capable of noble achievements while Wily believes that humanity is unreliable and weak. At one point, Light goes on about the great things that men can do, building a cities and towers that challenge the heavens, all while Wily quips that humanity was not meant for such lofty dreams. Their banter culminates in Light declaring, “We will be heroes!” while Wily blankets his statement with a more sinister one: “We will build heroes!”

Another highlight on the album is “Breaking Out”, in which Joe vents his frustration toward life in the robot-run city. The singer brings to mind the style of Meat Loaf as he works himself up into a frenzy of emotion. After listening to the demo version of the song so many times prior to the release of the album, however, I can’t help but feel that the album version does not make the same impact. The background singers and their repetition of the same line toward the end of the album verges on campy. The difference in the two versions of the songs is understandable, though, as the album version trails off into the next song while the demo version does not.

The music touches on a number of different styles. “Intermission”, “The Good Doctor” and “Father of Death”, at the start of the album, have a sort of Western sound, with a rolling guitar riff and the occasional whip crack. That style gives way to the trumpet fanfare and ska-ish tone of “The Hounds”. As Wily gains control in “Give Us the Rope” and “How the World Fell Under Darkness”, the music takes on the feeling of a Soviet march, cold and militaristic. During Joe’s part in “Breaking Out”, “Keep Quiet” and “Light Up the Night”, the music style sounds more like ’80s pop rock, rapid and shaky in delivery.

Throughout each style, the one singularity is the constant, staccato percussion beat. Whether it represents the march of the robots, the determination of a people, or the desperate racing of a youth on a mission, the drumline carries the intense ride from start to finish.

The Message

The Protomen sing music about a city. They sing music about humanity. The underlying conflict in both of their albums is the reliability of the human spirit. On one side, Light never loses faith in humanity, believing that people can aspire to great things. On the other side, Wily does not trust his fellow humans, believing that every man will falter sooner or later in the face of opposition. That Light never gives up, and that Joe joins him in his fight against Wily, is the only evidence in favor of Light’s beliefs. In both albums, The Protomen portray humanity as weak-willed and easily swayed. Thus, it is hard to regard the story they tell as anything more than a tragedy.

Still, one cannot help but root for Light. Emily’s powerful dialogue with Wily right before her death, in which she proclaims that Light will bring salvation to the city, is arguably one of the strongest points in the album. The closing lines, in which Light tells the deceased Joe to inform Emily that he won’t be joining her in the afterlife just yet, is sure to move many a heart. Light stands for something great, and his goals are made more profound by the resistance he meets not only from Wily and the robots but also from the people he means to help.

I could go on about The Protomen and Act II, but there is nothing more I can say that would have the same impact as hearing the music itself. Below is a performance of “The Hounds”, in which Wily riles up the reporters and turns the crowd against Light. I hope to one day see the band live, but that might have to wait until they (hopefully) release another album. The sound quality on the video isn’t the best, but it’s clear that everyone in attendance is having a great time. To hear the song clearly, check out this video.

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