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[prog-rock] (2026) The Protomen - Act III This City Made Us [FLAC] [DarkAngie]

The Protomen – Act III: This City Made Us (2026) Review: If a band has been around long enough, they inevitably release a concept album. Fewer, though, are like The Protomen, who for the past two decades have been creating a three-part rock opera saga. The band utilizes characters from the Megaman video game universe to craft an epic story with ’80s-inspired synthwave mixed with guitar rock. It’s been a long time since their last 2009 release, Act II: The Father of Death, so the hype is real. And let’s be clear — we mean tremendously real, so much so that Act III: This City Made Us became one of the highest pre-ordered albums on Bandcamp by the end of 2025. If a high-octane, thrilling ride set to ‘80s rock music with Capcom video game characters doesn’t excite you, it’s reasonable to feel ambivalent toward the latest Protomen album. It’s basically what’s written on the tin: an epic conclusion to a good vs. evil saga, complete with light and dark imagery, told in a way you — more or less — expect. Throughout, the album has a bombastic delivery, like Jim Steinman’s compositions for Meat Loaf. Take the early stunner “Hold Back the Night,” where singer Gambler Kirkdouglas scream-sings brilliant operatic wails crying for a hero, as chugging guitars and echoing snare drums drive the piece forward, or the swaggering flanger-heavy “Buried in The Red,” that features the series’ main villain. Several other characters, often portrayed by impressive main vocalist Raul Panther III, sound distinctly varied, making it easy to understand shifting characters despite a limited vocal cast. Because the album is the conclusion to the saga, the music is sweeping, epic and often majestic, conjuring a soundtrack that merges the synth-pounding atmosphere of The Karate Kid and a John Carpenter film with shredding hair metal guitar. It’s exciting and cool, and yet, it’s not far off what you might think a techno thriller OST would sound like. However, the most intriguing sonic moments are often when the album deviates from these choices. One such track is “The Dream,” a slower, emotional song that calls back to the events of Act II. Another, the instrumental “A Show of Force,” utilizes trumpets, chugging guitar and a spacey synth to create a neo-Western atmosphere — choices that were also more prominent in the previous album. That’s not to say that Act III’s compositions pale in comparison to II, but more sonic variation would have been appreciated here. Equally, it’s not like the pivotal story-driven tracks (“This City Made Us,” “Light’s Last Stand” and “The Good Doctor Part 2”) aren’t enjoyable, but they only reach their potential when you’re fully engaged in the story. And this is worth noting — although it’s possible to enjoy Act III: This City Made Us for its music, you’ll get the most out of this latest release by listening to the earlier installments of its saga and poring over the lore. For a story spanning two decades, the trilogy’s themes are fresh and relatable, as they cover tyrants, technophobia, and human innovation. However, many connecting aspects to the story are only explored within Act III’s liner notes for those who purchase the CD. For everyone else, they’ll have to make do with just the lyrics, following along as best they can to understand what’s happening. For the most part, this will be a surface-level understanding, as you won’t have the additional scenes to read while the instrumental atmospheric tracks play. Although none of this is a true dealbreaker for the listening experience, it’s akin to completing a video game’s main storyline but missing the endgame content that gives you the “true ending.” But here’s the thing: despite Act III: This City Made Us sometimes being a bit “by the numbers” — both compositionally and plot-wise — it’s hard not to become enraptured with the album, and to a greater degree, the Protomen’s trilogy at large. There’s an irresistible pull to read the lyrics, discover what others are writing about on fandom sites and actively engage in the discussion. This is mainly due to the unique beauty and earnestness in what the Protomen have created — a community around their music featuring an epic story about the Megaman games. Though this album may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it may be more of a crowd-pleaser than you expect. Not just because it sold out on Bandcamp, but because the Protomen’s story with prescient and relevant themes can speak to many a listener’s soul. If you give it a chance, maybe it will connect with yours, providing a light in uncertain darkness. — spectrumculture.com Track List: 01 - The Calm 02 - Hold Back the Night 03 - The Trainyard 04 - No Way Back 05 - The Storm 06 - Buried in the Red 07 - Calling Out 08 - This City Made Us 09 - Hold on (The Distance Between) 10 - The Redline 11 - A Show of Force 12 - The Dream 13 - Light’s Last Stand 14 - The Good Doctor, Pt. 2 15 - The Fate of Thomas Light Media Report: Genre: prog-rock Origin: Nashville, Tennessee, USA Format: FLAC Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode: Variable Channel(s): 2 channels Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz Bit depth: 16 bits Compression mode: Lossless Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26) Note: If you like the music, support the artist