Yesterday, January 9th, an album nearly 16 years in the making was officially released. With this in mind, I present to you:
A SONG OF THE DAY SPECIAL FEATURE (Brought to you by Red)
The Protomen (Act I)
Act II: The Father of Death
and
Act III: This City Made Us

A Brief Introduction
The Protomen are a Nashville, Tennessee based band who, for the last 2 decades, have been producing a series of Concept Albums featuring a unique, dramatized 80s rock-opera version of the Classic Mega Man story. It started as a college project designed to be the antithesis to everything their professors were teaching them about music and in 2003, the band recorded the first track for their debut self-titled album. This track, Due Vendetta would be the last to appear of the album, which was officially released in 2005. Two decades later, the band has released two other albums in story and are actively hinting at a fourth in an ARG released alongside the physical version of Act III.

This SONG OF THE DAY SPECIAL FEATURE will separate each album into its own section. Each section will include a playlist containing the album itself as well as a link to the album’s Genius page so that you can read along with the lyrics and unspoken Lyric Notes. Because of these unspoken notes, it is paramount that you be reading along if you hope to take in the full story. As an example, the intro track of Act II: The Father of Death, Intermission, is an Instrumental, but contains a written letter in the Lyric Notes that would otherwise go entirely unread. At the end of each section, I will draw attention to a few songs from each album to highlight them as my favorites from that album.

The Protomen (Act I)

LYRICS: https://genius.com/albums/The-protomen/The-protomen

The Protomen (Act I), released in 2005, is the first part in The Protomen’s original retelling of the Classic Mega Man story. It is also the only one that really lines up with any story originally told by the games. Specifically, Robot Masters from Mega Man and Mega Man 2 get explicitly named and the general story being told combines story beats from Mega Man and Mega Man 3.

Act 1 features heavy distortion in many of its tracks. Although this is more indicative of the mindset the band had towards their professors at the time, it’s also indicative of the state of the world in this version of the story as it’s gets told to us. This is a world where Dr. Light lost. Dr. Wily, by this point in the timeline, is a mad tyrant. And humanity is on its knees, desperate for a hero.

My Favorite Tracks Are:
III: The Will of One
V: The Stand (Man or Machine)
and
VI: Sons of Fate

Act II: The Father of Death

LYRICS: https://genius.com/albums/The-protomen/Act-ii-the-father-of-death

Act II: The Father of Death, released in 2009, is a prequel to Act 1 and follows a fully original version of the schism in the friendship of Doctors Thomas Light and Albert Wily. It introduces fully original characters that play important roles in the life of Dr. Light both before and after Wily’s takeover. If you’ve heard any song by The Protomen before, then it was probably Light Up the Night from this album, as it was used in the 2022 trailer for Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us 2 and covered in 2024 by DethKrunch for the Peacock Original Series Hysteria!. It was also used as part of a commentary-less portion of a Metal Gear Solid 4 retrospective titled Metal Gear Solid 4 was a Mistake by Steak Bentley on YouTube (https://youtu.be/93-_r0w7ykI?si=D0b8lNZGDWIgZ7kN).

The music here is much less distorted than Act 1, indicating that, while things are getting worse for Man, the world is not yet too far gone. Hope is still alive in the hearts of those with the will to stand, though fear is still very present, as Wily has eyes and ears everywhere.

We learn in this Act exactly what Wily did to Light as well as the reason Light still fights to begin with in Act 1.

My Favorite Tracks Are:
The Hounds
Breaking Out
Keep Quiet
and
Light Up the Night

Act III: This City Made Us

LYRICS: https://genius.com/albums/The-protomen/Act-iii-this-city-made-us

Act III: This City Made Us was teased in 2015 and began officially releasing in October of 2025 and finally finished releasing at MAG Fest 2026 on January 9th, 2026. Act 3 primarily follows the stories of Dr. Light, Rock (Mega Man), and Roll. As Roll’s hopeful optimism clashes with Light’s depressive nihilism. Roll’s side of the story shows her efforts in building a resistance against Wily whereas Light’s shows his insistence that there is no way out of this unless HE does something. Mega Man serves as a midpoint between the two as the while he still wants to fight for humanity, the events of Act 1 have diminished his motivation.

The music here is heavier than in Act 2, but still not as distorted as in Act 1. This, I feel, is indicative of Roll’s momentum in gathering support against Wily, as Light begins to realize what he must do if he wants to end this all, as Mega Man and Roll clash in their interpretations of the world as they know it.

My Favorite Tracks Are:
Hold Back the Night
No Way Back
Buried In The Red (Ft. Bit Brigade)
Calling Out
This City Made Us
Light’s Last Stand (Ft. Tim Capello)

Final Statements
I first heard Light Up the Night in Steak Bentley’s Metal Gear Solid 4 was a Mistake a few years before I actually found out about The Protomen. When I was originally told about the group by a friend I became immediately obsessed and renewed my interest in Mega Man as a franchise. At the Game Awards 2025, Capcom revealed the 12th mainline Mega Man Classic game, Mega Man: Dual Override and I only got more excited about Act 3’s official launch.

The Protomen are, I believe, something truly special in the world of music and I wish there were more projects like them for other already existing IPs.

More than anything, I hope many of you reading this now have the same appreciation for this heavily underrated group as I have.

Thank you for reading this.

Final Favorites
In this final section, I will highlight one or two tracks from each album and explain briefly why I love them.

Act 1

III: The Will of One

This song serves for me as the ultimate expression of defiance. Mega Man by now has been warned over and over again that his brother’s fight is not his and that alone he will not be able to win. But Rock’s learning what it feels like to desire vengeance and he deeply wants it for his brother and that culminates into his ultimate defiance against his father, Dr. Light’s wishes.

V: The Stand (Man or Machine)

This song serves as Rock’s wake up call. Nothing is as he thought it was and Protoman stands before him to prove it. This song essentially is Protoman’s soliloquy as he first addresses the crowds of Man and then Mega Man himself, warning him that though he fights for them, Man will never stand alongside him.

“There are no heroes left in Man.”

Act 2

The Hounds

The Hounds is Wily’s villain song. And it’s a damn good Villain song at that. It sees Wily actively turning the city against Light for a crime that he did not commit, that he would never commit.

the song just hits every time.

Breaking Out

Breaking Out is the introduction of Joe. He is the one to officially begin the fight against Wily. This is a feel-good I’m gonna win song. He just needs a guiding light.

Light Up the Night

Man this song is just so great. Joe’s met up with Light, and it’s time to convince Light to break through his grief and pick up the fight.

This song is THE fight song of Act 2 and it’s just so good.

Act 3

Hold Back the Night

This song is a beautiful duet between Roll and her father. An ultimate clash of Hope vs Nihilism.

This City Made Us

The namesame of Act 3. It’s just a really good song.

Honorable Mention

The Fight

LYRICS: https://genius.com/The-protomen-the-fight-lyrics
This song was mysteriously left out of Act 3. It’s another meeting between Rock and Roll where they determine that they swear they will see the city through to a brighter day.

The fight is never really done.