If you’re into technical, progressive metal and love digging into guitar parts that are actually worth your practice time, Protest the Hero is hard to beat. Their riffs are intricate, melodic, and packed with clever harmony—exactly the kind of material that can level up your playing if you really learn it.
One of the best ways to do that is with a good tab book. Not a random internet tab full of mistakes, but something accurate enough that you can trust every note. That’s where this Protest the Hero book shines. You can grab it here on Amazon.
Overview / First Impressions
This Protest the Hero guitar book is one of those rare releases where everything just feels right:
- The transcriptions are extremely accurate.
- The layouts are clear and easy to follow.
- The songs are genuinely fun and challenging to play.
It’s published by Sheet Happens Publishing, which is closely tied to the band (one of the members is involved with the company). That alone explains why the material feels so authentic: it’s essentially the band’s own music, transcribed by people who actually know what they’re doing.
If you haven’t played these songs in a while, this book is a great reminder of just how good Protest the Hero really is—both as writers and as players.
Build Quality & Design
From a guitarist’s perspective, the physical and visual side of a tab book matters more than you’d think. You’re going to be flipping through it, leaving it open on a stand, and staring at it for hours.
This book delivers:
- Clear notation and tab: Easy to read, uncluttered, and the rhythm notation is laid out logically.
- Solid printing: The pages and ink hold up well to regular use.
- Great artwork: Like most Protest the Hero releases, the visual presentation is on point. The cover and interior design tie into the album’s aesthetic, which makes the whole experience feel more like a proper piece of art than just a pile of charts.
It feels like something you’ll want to keep around, not just a disposable learning tool.
Features & Functions
From a practical playing standpoint, here’s what stands out:
- Full-album coverage: It’s based on a specific Protest the Hero album (one of their standout releases), so you get a complete set of songs to work through.
- Accurate tabs: The guitar parts are transcribed with a high level of accuracy. You’re not second-guessing fingerings or notes every bar.
- Artist-level detail: Because the material is connected to the band and Sheet Happens, you’re getting how they actually play it, not a rough approximation.
For players who want to:
- Learn the songs note for note
- Study modern progressive metal composition
- Steal ideas for riffs, chord voicings, and melodic lines
…this book is an excellent tool.
How It Sounds / Use Cases (From a Guitarist’s Perspective)
Protest the Hero’s music is packed with:
- Complex riffs and runs that push your alternate picking and string-crossing.
- Interesting harmony, with lots of clever chord movement and triad-based lines.
- Rhythmic twists, including syncopation and odd groupings that sharpen your timing.
Using this book, you can:
- Build technique: Use individual sections as daily exercises—break down fast runs, tricky string skips, and wide stretches.
- Improve fretboard knowledge: Pay attention to how the riffs move across the neck, not just up and down one position.
- Study harmony in context: You’ll see how triads and chord tones are used in a modern, heavy context—not just in jazz or classic rock.
It’s especially good for intermediate to advanced players who want something more musical than metronome drills, but still demanding enough to push their limits.
Limitations / Things to Know
A few things to keep in mind:
- Not for absolute beginners: The material is challenging. If you’re just getting started with guitar, this will likely be overwhelming.
- Basic theory helps: You’ll get more out of it if you understand basic theory. Knowing what triads and chord tones are will help you see the musical logic behind the riffs, not just memorize shapes.
- Focused on one album: That’s a plus if you love the record, but if you’re looking for a greatest-hits style collection across multiple releases, this isn’t that.
None of these are really problems—they just define who this book is best for: players who want to seriously dive into Protest the Hero’s style.
Final Thoughts
This Protest the Hero tab book is one of those rare pieces of gear-adjacent content that’s actually worth owning if you’re a guitarist:
- The tabs are spot on.
- The songs are incredibly fun and challenging.
- The presentation and artwork match the quality of the music.
If you’re looking for something that will push your technique, sharpen your rhythm, and give you a deeper appreciation for modern progressive metal guitar writing, this is a fantastic resource.
Resources & Further Study
If you want to go beyond just learning songs and actually deepen your fretboard understanding, there are a couple of useful resources mentioned:
Fretboard Memorization Cheat Sheet – TravelingGuitarist.com
A fretboard cheat sheet that lays out major and minor triads in every key. It uses the Octave Mapping approach and other techniques to help you:
- Memorize the notes on the fretboard
- Understand how triads form the foundation of chords and harmony
- Start improvising more confidently in multiple keys
Traveling Guitarist Forum – forum.travelingguitarist.com
An online community where you can:
- Talk guitar and music with other players
- Ask questions about theory, gear, and practice
- Share your progress and get feedback
Combining a high-quality tab book like this Protest the Hero release with solid fretboard and triad study is a powerful way to grow as a guitarist—both technically and musically.