The Protomen Bring the Fight to Exit/In

As the day gave way to a night the gauzy purple-green of a fading bruise, a crowd gathered. A weather-beaten vagabond, skin bleached orange by the unforgiving sun, croaked portents of doom as the throng inched past the smoking hull of a bus, left to rust by descendants of the Merry Pranksters who had long since fled this war-torn land. Was the dateline Detroit, 2028? Los Angeles, 2029? The comments section of the Scene's news and politics blog Pith in the Wind during an election week? Nay, citizen: It was Friday night at Exit/In, where The Protomen hosted a single release party for "This City Made Us" — the latest installment in their ongoing saga of man-machines locked in a battle for mankind's future.

Making use of a day off from his run as one of Langhorne Slim's hired guns, "Sweet Baby Richie" Kirkpatrick kicked off the proceedings. The various incarnations of his post-Ghostfinger band, RI¢HIE, are always entertaining; whether he's backed by the super-deluxe all-star ensemble of Bonnaroo 2013 or a mannequin holding an iPod, Kirkpatrick doesn't rest until he's won the room. That's not necessarily an easy task when the room is packed to the rafters with the Proto-faithful, who are ostensibly in the crowd for just one band, but he nimbly bridged any cultural gaps by turning the Konami Code into a cheer that would spur any team to victory. The latest version of RI¢HIE incarnation features a trio of local MVPs who between them keep time for more great bands than we can count: brothers Aaron and Nathan Wahlman on bass and drums, respectively, supplemented by Jeff Ehlinger on a second kit that shared a kick drum with Wahlman's. In perfect sync, they pounded out a set of old favorites and at least one new tune, with Kirkpatrick's trademark effortless guitar heroism and Southern-fried Spinal Tap wit in full effect.

The wildcard at this gig was Denver, Colo. duo In the Whale. From their name alone, we were prepared for a yawn-inducing string of vanilla emo feelers, which we would never admit to putting on a mix CD freshman year  of college but totally did. What we got was a teeth-rattling jolt of stripped-down blues-rock done right — that is to say, with Jon Spencer's two-liter-in-a-paint-shaker energy, Dex Romweber's slicked-back finesse and a sense of humor. Some groups who do poor work in this style are half-assed about their writing or playing, but there are just as many whose studied reverence soon becomes insufferable. In the Whale has jokes! And they knew how to push our buttons, too. "I thought we left the hipsters in Atlanta," chided drummer Eric Riley when the crowd response didn't meet his standards. Two songs later, we edged our way out of the newly formed mosh pit just in time to duck a crowd surfer.

While beverages flowed and electric trash-can fires glowed — the logo cutouts in the cans and the marquee at stage right were the only real indications that this show was sponsored by a certain passion-colored energy drink — the time came for The Protomen to make their entrance. Decaying telephone wires strung from the central support beam and copious bursts of fog added to the impression that we were at a rally of survivors holding their ground in a war zone.

We've seen them do their thing plenty of times, and while we have much respect for the mighty theatrical hoopla, it doesn't grab us as much as the top-notch rock performance at the core of their show. And we keep coming back because we get that every time, even when the lineup shifts, as it usually does between our annual Proto fixes; this time, it was Shock Magnum in for Ringo Segundo on second guitar, wailing at the rhythm bed and rising up for expert solos and harmony runs. While Magnum's counterpart Sir Robert Bakker shredded away on the opposite end of the stage, a fan waved a broken guitar neck (perhaps a trophy from an earlier show?) like a battle flag.

Now's an especially good time for the curious to check the group out in person: The set included the traditional introduction from Act I followed by smoldering, spaghetti-western-tinged highlights from the prequel Act II, followed by the forthcoming single from Act III, for which the band began accepting pre-orders at the merch table. "Hold Back the Night" is a superb showcase for The Gambler, the band's female vocalist, and "This City Made Us" is the group's best expression yet of Iron Maiden's influence on their original songs (if you haven't yet, treat yourself to their take on "The Trooper" from The Cover-Up, which, sadly, they didn't play this time out). Virtuosic metal epics became passé when artists began churning out substandard versions with dull concepts and mediocre singing; while said epics probably aren't going to be part of the mainstream again, the tradition is in good hands with The Protomen. Did we mention that their version of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" is also on-point? They nailed that one, iconic drum fill and all.

Props are due for the relationship The Protomen have with their fans: For their part, this aging group of grown-ass adults has devoted more than a decade to an immersive, multi-act rock opera based on a video game we put down after we died on the first level. For the fans' part — well, we didn't ask to see it, but we totally believe one fan who told us she has a full-color tattoo of K.I.L.R.O.Y., the group's robot hype man.