Act II: The Father of Death is the second album by indie rock band The Protomen, and the follow-up to the band's self-titled debut. The album revisits the Mega Man-inspired rock opera[2] concept from the band's first album, and functions as a prequel to the first release, focusing on the relationship between Thomas Light and Albert Wily before Wily's takeover of the city that functions as the story's primary setting.
On September 1, 2009, the album's track list, cover art, and full title were revealed (previously, the band had referred to the album simply as Act II). The album was released a week later, on September 8, 2009. The group has stated that they were largely influenced by the 1984 film Streets of Fire.
Doctor Thomas Light partners with Doctor Albert Wily to create an army of labor robots to perform dangerous work for humans. However, on the day that the first of the machines are to be activated, Light begins to have second thoughts, concerned with the number of workers who will be displaced by his and Wily's creations ("The Good Doctor"). Wily convinces Light that they have come too far to back out now, and Light hesitantly flips the switch to activate the machines. As the machines come to life, Light leaves his and Wily's workshop, plagued by his doubts towards both the future of the city and his partner's intentions, and heads to his home to meet with his lover, Emily Stanton; however, Wily arrives there first, along with one of the robots. After Emily refuses Wily's offer to come away with him, Wily orders the robot to kill her ("Father of Death").
Light arrives at the scene just in time to see the robot slip out the window, leaving behind the knife it used to murder Light's beloved. At that moment, the police arrive, and they open fire on Light as he escapes out the window, assuming him to have murdered the girl. Meanwhile, Wily holds a press conference, implicating his former partner in Emily's murder and riling up the citizens of the city, assuring them that the "dangerous murderer" will not go unpunished ("The Hounds"). Light is eventually apprehended several days later at the scene of Emily's funeral and is put on trial ("The State Vs. Thomas Light"). He is exiled from the city and forced to leave by train in the face of the bloodthirsty crowd of citizens who believe Wily's lies ("Give Us the Rope"). With his former partner now ostracized, Wily is free to enact his plans without resistance. As the years pass, the citizens of the city slowly begin to depend more and more on the robots who have become a part of their everyday life, turning the city into a technological marvel. A new generation comes, one that grows up under Wily's command and not knowing life from before him ("How the World Fell Under Darkness").
Years after Light is exiled, a young man named Joe, tired with what the city has become, leaves the city ("Breaking Out"). In the outskirts of the city, Joe realizes that he is being followed and engages the machine, the same one who killed Emily, in a fight and, after managing to shoot the robot with its own weapon, holds it off long enough for an aged, grey-haired Doctor Light to appear and kill it ("Keep Quiet"). As they talk, Light and Joe begin to make plans to take down Wily and free the city from his reign: Joe will break into and scale Wily's tower in order to destroy his main transmitter, allowing Light to slip into the city and kill Wily while his 'eyes' are down ("Light Up the Night"). The pair make their move, and Joe manages to execute the first part of his plan perfectly, crashing through the doors of Wily's compound with his motorcycle and setting the bomb that he will detonate to destroy the transmitter at the top of the tower. However, the bomb detonates prematurely, killing Joe in the blast; Light watches helplessly as Joe's body is blown off the tower, falling to the street below ("The Fall").
Light realizes too late that there is a second transmitter, Wily having anticipated an eventual attack, and that he has played right into his former partner's hands; declaring that the city is under attack by 'insurgent forces', Wily releases an army of robots of the type that killed Emily and declares the city under martial law. Joe and Light's attack was the last step he needed to take over the city completely. Light, despondent, at first intends to surrender himself to the oncoming army. He finally reads Emily's last letter to him, which she wrote the night she died and until now he had been unable to bring himself to read. After reading the letter, he decides to continue his fight against Wily and declares he "still has work to do" ("Here Comes the Arm").
Reception
Act II: The Father of Death debuted at number 31 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart for the week of October 3, 2009.[4]Tom Hull ranked the album at position 2,072 for 2009 releases included in end-of-year lists, with two inclusions on lists.[5]
GamePro's response to Act II was positive: "The Protomen have crafted such a superb record with Act II that they've vaulted themselves out of the obscure 'video game music' genre and into a class of concept record artists that no video game-inspired band has, or most-likely will reach."[6]Piero Scaruffi says the album is "a more mature work, with more expressive vocals and a more aggresive sound" than Act I.[7]
The "unstoppable intensity" of "Light Up the Night" was "perfect" according to Derivative Magazine.[8]
The album's vinyl release packaging was a finalist for the industry Making Vinyl Conference's Alex Steinweiss Award for Best In Show, Best Vinyl Album Cover (Illustrated), Best Vinyl Gatefold, and "They Said It Couldn’t Be Done – Vinyl", a category for "innovation in vinyl packaging structural design".[10][11]
Legacy
Fan wearing a t-shirt for the Protomen's album Act II: The Father of Death.
Short film
A short film titled "Light Up The Night", which is directed by Matt Sundin and Caspar Newbolt, and serves as the official music video for the song of the same name, was released June 12, 2016. Featuring The Protomen in concert footage and running 16 minutes, the film recounts an abridged version of the story of Act II: The Father of Death, with James Ransone starring as Joe. Other tracks featured in the film include "The Fall" and a portion of "Breaking Out."[12] John Sebastian La Valle wrote the screen adaption and pitched it to the band at a performance.[13] A positive review from Consequence of Sound described the film as a "grim tale of loss in an android-enforced surveillance state."[14]
The album featured heavily during the first season of the web series Video Game High School. The songs "Breaking Out", "Keep Quiet", and "Light Up the Night" featured during the 4th episode while "The Fall" was the last track during the finale of the series.[18] "I Am No Lionhart", a song written by Devin Begly and sung by Raul Panther III, the Protomen's lead singer, was featured in the season 3 finale of the show.[19][20]
↑ Fuentes, Edgar S.; Adonías (2023). Requiem para el Jefe Final: Antología de la Música en Los Videojuegos (in Spanish). Seville: Héroes de Papel. ISBN978-84-19084-44-6. Requiem para el Jefe Final at Google Books. En el estado de Tennessee se formaron The Protomen, grupo que se levantó sobre una idea conceptual basada en Mega Man. En su discografía hay buenas muestras de rock ópera sobre videojuegos entre The Protomen (2005) y Act II: The Father of Death (2009).
↑ "Alan Shacklock". 60s/70s英国ロック・データベース[60s/70s British Rock Database] (in Japanese). Retrieved October 13, 2025. Act II-The Father Of Death/The Protomen (Sound Machine SMCD07) 2009 ※US
↑ "The N64". Video Game High School. Season 3. Episode 6. Seattle. November 17, 2014. Event occurs at 0s. Retrieved October 16, 2025– via YouTube. SONGS. 'I AM NO LIONHART' Written by Devin Begley Performed by Raul Panther III. Credit at 58:59.
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