Hope Rides Alone

When you hear "Mega Man Rock Opera" you don't really know what to expect. You might imagine the Phantom of the Opera with a gun for an arm, Or perhaps The Rise and Fall of Mega Man and the spiders from Mars. What you probably DON'T expect is a sweeping epic,encompassing countless musical genres and intense emotionally charged vocal work,

I first discovered the Protomen in a 2005 issue of Nintendo Power, I looked them up on Myspace and though they only had 2 songs posted, I was hooked! I listened to them over and over every day for weeks, I couldn't get enough.

Unfortunately, I was broke and jobless. So those two songs on Myspace had to do, That Christmas, my amazing sister got me ACT I Their first album.

I was dumbfounded! Not only do they have amazing poetic lyrics to drive the story, but in the booklet there is a written story that comes in the instrumental lull between the singing.



The album tells the story of how Doctor Light created Protoman to combat the forces of Dr. Wily, but in the process made not just a warrior, but a son. So when Protoman fell, it destroyed him. In a rage , Dr. Light created a new robot, Mega Man. But Mega Man was not to be a freedom fighter. Light forbade him from entering the outside world, telling him that mankind is lost, that they have "chosen their own end". Mega Man defies Light, seeking revenge for his fallen brother.
The Album is 8 tracks of intense face melting righteous anger.



In September of Last Year, the Protomen released their Sophomore album "Act II, The father of Death" A Prequel, this Album tells the story of How Light and Wily created the first Robot, of how love was lost, heroes were made, and the world Fell under Darkness. ACT II Is about twice as long as the first, and has such a varying array of musical styles that it's hard to believe they came from one band. From 80s style Rock Ballads, to Rockabilly, to Electronica, and even into emotional Broadway-Esq pieces, it is an epic masterpiece.



In 2007, to combat the hunger for more Protomen that the band themselves were taking too long to provide, the house DJ Makeup and Vanity Set released "Makeup and Vanity set presents the Protomen. A cover album of ACT 1 done in an 8-bit style.



The band themselves are shrouded in mystery, they all have code names to hide their identity and they never break character for a second. Not even in interviews. They allegedly live in their home base the "Thunderdome" which is, as described by the band "high atop a green hill overlooking the desolate undertakings of an unrelenting new pop-country shit-storm."
The line-up has changed over the years, but the current band consists of
Commander
Panther
Murphy Weller
Turbo Lover
Sir Robert Bakker
The Gunslinger
The Gambler
The Nightwalker
K.I.L.R.O.Y.
Reanimator
and Frank Jaeger



If you like music or video games or love or world peace or meatloaf or any combination there of, check the band out at their Myspace, Website, or their blog.