Protomartyr – the illustrious, virtuosic supergroup formed by singing legend Joe Casey, guitar god Greg Ahee, and the renowned rhythm section of bassist Scott Davidson and drummer Alex Leonard – approached the initial stages of recording their new album, The Agent Intellect, with supreme confidence and a firm sense of intention.

They, of course, had good reasons to feel cocky: There were the high-octane, hook-o-rama singles, “Oh Yeah,” “Sexy Little Thing” and “My Kinda Girl.” Then there were the riveting live shows, starting with a sold-out-within-seconds “Road Test” run of clubs and ending a year later with a sold-out-within-seconds world tour of large halls. The not-so-little engine that could definitely did…time after time.

Beyond the obvious, however, something more important happened during Protomartyr’s rise to the top of the rock: They became a band. A real band. “We went from being a weekend fun-time thing to making a record and touring the world,” says Joe Casey. “Our learning curve was fast – even for us. But we went out every night to kick ass and prove that we weren’t resting on our laurels. We earned everything we got, and along the way, we established a trust in one another that happens very rarely in bands. To me, it’s magical.”

It was that very trust factor that allowed Greg Ahee to approach Casey during the demoing stage of the new album and express this wish: “I want to hear you sing differently,” he told the vocalist. “You have light and shades to your voice that have never been on record. I want to hear you do new things.” Casey accepted Ahee’s words as a challenge, and then he threw down the gauntlet: “Fine. But you’ve got to bring it too, Greg. I want to hear you play guitar like you never have. We shook hands on that.”