It has been a while since we had some music from New Zealand on our pages, but things are about to change with the latest release by Threat.Meet.Protocol, a powerful trio based in Tauranga. Their recently released self-titled work represents a second full-length album and the first piece of work this year, arriving after “Mindless Consumption,” a critically acclaimed debut album released in 2015 that you should also check out as soon as possible. Heavily promoted by two singles, this material emerges from a dark place for songwriter Austin Cunningham, who lost his partner to suicide. Lyrically, the album life, death, and the milieu between. It explored various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, so it’s a highly relatable material that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, the band combines several complementary music genres to illustrate such rich and luxuriant sonic imagery. Perhaps post-punk comes to mind first, but you’ll notice how some of the finest properties of modern punk rock, noise rock, and post-hardcore found their way into this sonic equation. Threat.Meet.Protocol uses all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate their latest full-length release to new heights without changing the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with different approaches and complementary styles resulted in a meaningful and powerful album that will immediately resonate with punk rock fans and beyond.
With the initial notes and beats, Threat.Meet.Protocol’s sound immediately grabs by the collar and refuses to let go long after the album ends. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that the entire band put a lot of effort into each detail while writing, composing, arranging, and producing it. Each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, making it such a dynamic, fresh, unique material stacked with many impressive moments. Every composition arrives with perfect structure, adorned with many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous orchestrations. However, their music shines with some of the finest properties of modern punk rock and post-punk music, Threat.Meet.Protocol has found its way into implementing some sonic maneuvers that vividly evoke nostalgia. These levitations between contemporary and retro sounds work to the progressive, complex, experimental nature of their music yet somehow their songs always resonate with easy-listening properties that especially appeal to listeners looking for a more straightforward punk rock experience. Therefore, this exceptional self-titled full-length will unquestionably suit anyone looking for cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music.
The passionate, soulful, sincere, confident, emotional, and powerful vocal performance serves as a centerpiece of this sonic equation, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding the listening apparatus from scratch to finish. From powerful screams and shouts to more calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, melodic singing techniques, each vocal maneuver conveys meaningful messages, constructed through profound storytelling lyricism. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these vocal harmonies glide over low, mid, and high notes, emphasizing everything Threat.Meet.Protocol intended to achieve with their latest album. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, these screams, shouts, and melodic chants contribute emotional depth and add complexity to an already intricate song structure. In the meantime, the incredible guitar works shape a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll hear how cleverly arranged interplays between so many guitar layers lurk around, creating a raw, abrasive, gritty, heavily distorted, aggressive ambiance that transforms into almost otherworldy moments in the particular compositions. You’ll stumble upon all those catchy, memorable, engaging riffs, chord progressions, harmonies, melodies, themes, and other sonic maneuvers, penetrating your listening apparatus from all possible sides. Threat.Meet.Protocol also included many impressive synth works that immensely help guitars to shine even brighter in the mix. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these layers articulate without overwhelming each other. The additional leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, sequences, and accentuations sound divine, and they’re almost solely responsible for all those melodic and harmonious moments.
Beneath all these orchestrations, there are equally impressive, detailed, audible, warm-sounding basslines, rumbling and offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while simultaneously acting as a glue that binds guitars and synths with rhythmic patterns. These low-ends are deep, dense, rich, and heavy, contributing power and more detail to the entire album. Of course, this material wouldn’t sound this good without incredible drumming performance based upon many expertly assembled, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, dynamic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. These rhythmic sequences keep the remainder of the band in line while dictating the groove and tempo. Each instrument has its place and purpose so if the guitars and synths act as a backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon, then the bass and drums serve as a backbone, holding everything together. Threat.Meet.Protocol has created a masterpiece. It’s an album that not only showcases what happens when you blend fundamental elements of modern punk rock, post-punk, noise rock, and post-hardcore but also demonstrates all the experience, knowledge, creativity, talent, and skill of each involved musician. Every track carries an entirely unique atmosphere yet together they act as a cohesive whole, a story that wraps around your ears and refuses to let go. It’s a meaningful and powerful album you should immediately place on your radar. Head to your favorite streaming platform and blast it loud. Don’t miss it!
Thoughts Words Action 