Listen to Protest the Hero’s Long-Lost 2003 Debut Album A Calculated Use of Sound

I consider myself to be a pretty big fan of Protest the Hero, but even I didn’t know they’d released an album before Kezia in 2005. So imagine my surprise when a record called A Calculated Use of Sound, boasting a 2003 release date, popped up on Bandcamp this week.

The band recorded the album when they were all of 16 years old, and I’ll say this about it… the maturation they showed just two years later on Kezia is remarkable. Still, Protest the Hero already sound very much like themselves here — all the elements that would go on to make them them are present. I don’t know that I’ll be cranking this one on repeat all month, but its re-release offers a fun glimpse PtH’s development as musicians and people.

Offers the band:

“We recorded this album when we were 16 in one week. The production and sound of the record is reflective of this, but this was a huge stepping stone for us. After Kezia was released, we were pretty embarassed of this album because the band’s sound had matured between the two albums but looking back now it brings back fond memories and many laughs. We figured we’d share it with you because it was only ever released in Canada and Japan. Since Episode 1 of Of Our Own Volition talks about the history of PTH we’d like to share the first EP with you all.”

Stream it below, and purchase at Bandcamp for just $5.