THE FALL OF TROY

Since these are demos, they are quite raw, yet the instrumentals are worked out very well. They are very technically performed with wild passages. These demos were leaked on the internet while the band was working on the E.P. entitled "Phantom on the Horizon". The demos that make up this "E.P." were never released in a physical form, but only available in downloaded format. They were perfected however for the actual 2008 recording of "Phantom of the Horizon".

I am reviewing this particular recording because of it's crazy raw sound that actually is quite impressive even if it is hard to listen to because of it's intensity, which is occasionally interrupted by musical break downs, only to be commenced again shortly after. For those that love unforgiving brutal music, this is a great album. I don't care for the screaming, I have to admit, but I do love the complexity of the music and the amazing musicianship here. I can easily give this 3 stars, but unless you want to search for the rawness of this collection, you are better off getting "Phantom of the Horizon".

The highlight comes at the end - 8+ min. "Macaulay McCulkin", a great trip on its own.

Progressive heavy-metal punk - at the 4 star level.

Like much artistic post-hardcore I have heard, my impression is often that of a mixed bag; although I sometimes find myself endeared to some of the musical aspects, other things tend to really deter from what would have otherwise been a very enjoyable experience. American power prog trio The Fall Of Troy is no exception to this rule. 'In The Unlikely Event' is the band's fourth and final record they released before deciding to call it quits, and for the fans of the band's style, it should not disappoint. Taking their technical approach towards post-hardcore for one last spin, they do not end things on their brightest note, but there enough things to like about the music here to be worth a spin for someone that's not entirely opposed to the style of music that the band plays.

I've never been entirely convinced by the music of The Fall Of Troy, often likening them to being a 'poor man's Coheed & Cambria', but 'In The Unlikely Event' does show that the band has the chops to stand on their own. Defined by the frenetic guitar playing of frontman Thomas Erak, many of the riffs here resound of much of the stuff happening in the mathcore scene, and manage to impress both on a technical level, and a weird sense of guitar experimentation easily reminiscent of Tom Morello, of Rage Against The Machine. Most of the songs here are upbeat, technical, at times noisy, and made melodic only by the higher- register vocal work of Erak, which is a very mixed bag. Although he is certainly a skilled singer for what he does, there are time when it feels he strains his voice too much, which ends up equating to sounding like something more akin to an adolescent wail than the frontman of a band who has been around for the better part of a decade. The screams here are fairly intermittent and sparse, but they are much less successful; always sounding fairly screechy and tending to ruin most of the parts they lead.

The songwriting here is inconsistent at best, ranging from rather noisy and aimless messes like 'Straight-Jacket Keelhauled' to more melodic success in the aptly-titled 'Single' and the surprisingly effective ballad track 'Webs'. It often feels though that in their attempt to make things sound dissonant and technical, they do lose some of the magic, and what melodic aspects they do try to incorporate often feel a bit weak. One of my favourite aspects of The Fall Of Troy's music is their highly technical approach to crafting riffs, but it does feel as if they needed to work the complexity in a little better to work with the melodies. The end result is something that lacks a memorable impact, leaving only a couple of tracks active in the listener's imagination after the album stops rolling.

I find myself impressed by some of the stuff heard on 'In The Unlikely Event', but it still feels as if The Fall Of Troy lacked some tightness on their swansong record. In any case, the band was one of the better post-hardcore acts of the '00s decade, and their fourth album does nothing to tarnish their reputation. I can only imagine that those who find that the band suits their personal tastes more will find much more to appreciate here than I did.

TFOT's self titled album is logically, and enjoyably, the best place to start if you are venturing into their music.

This debut is noticeably under-par in terms of the recording quality; the performances, although not lacklustre, are not as frenetic and polished as in their later releases. Along with this a number of the songs on the album (I Just Got This Symphony Goin'; F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P.; Whack Jacko Steals The Elephant Man's Bones; Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles) are all re-recorded as much improved versions in their second release, Doppelganger.

When I say that it is the logical and enjoyable place to start when venturing into TFOT discography, I mean that it is a good release and if you like what you hear on this album then things can only improve for you.

Rockstar Nailbomb! - 02:03

Oh yeah, be warned that if you don't like screaming/harsh vocals, TFOT aren't for you. The opener is a perfect demonstration of why. It is also a perfect demonstration of how they switch between more conventional riffing/singing/timing and snap into crazy/manic fills and solos.

Favourite Section: 00:00 - 00:22

Spartacus - 01:16

Starts with an odd muted-riff and fills that fall into place. I find the vocals to be a bit off on this one when it comes to the 'sung' stuff. Towards the end the guitar makes some superb noises and gives me chills, echoed by a Thomas Erak scream.

Favourite Section: 00:53 - 01:01

The Circus That Has Brought Us Back To These Nights (Yo Chocola) - 03:09

The song opens with a soothing riff that tends to be repeated throughout underneath the overlaying hook. It holds a somewhat normal song pattern for the first half before transforming to the usual insanity.

Favourite Section: 01:20 - 01:37

Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles - 03:52

This is one of the songs that is redone, much more successfully in my opinion, on Doppelganger. As it stands it is still a good recording, and still a strong song on the album. However, having listened to V2 this song sounds a bit slow and sloppy to my ears. The song is non-stop, guitar and drums are on some kind of adrenaline the whole way, a fantastic wall of noise. Just over halfway there's a little breakdown/bridge before it breaks out back into full force instrumental ensemble

Favourite Section: 02:00 - 03:52

The Last March Of The Ents - 02:59

As weird as it sounds I find this song to be a bit of a mess, while the chaos of TFOT is usually easily discernible and 'organised' this song seems to me to be uncoordinated. At 01:44 where it changes briefly I can relax for a bit. and again at 02:13. I think it's partly to do with the overbearing cymbal work on this song.

Favourite Section: 01:44 - 01:54/02:13 - 02:22

F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P. - 04:41

Another song bettered on Doppleganger (as 'F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.'), F.C.P. V1 is much slower than its younger brother. It does showcase Erak's normal singing voice (although not that perfected yet) better than any other song on the debut. If you want to experience a much improved version, I'd recommend the latter.

Favourite Section: 02:42 - 03:00

Whacko Jacko Steals The Elephant Man's Bones - 04:52

Number 3 of the re-recordings. The weirdly recorded drums to start this song confuse and put me off. Otherwise it's one of the re-recorded songs that doesn't sound that much worse than the second version. I love this song for the drumming (apart from the aforementioned introduction) and it's truly maniacal.

Favourite Section: 03:57 - 04:52

Reassurance Rests In The Sea - 03:59

As with a lot of their songs, the opening riff here has a lot of groove to it, providing a catchy opening before they descend into the madness. The chorus of this song I really like, it's kind of an inverse of the rest of the song: they switch from clean vocals/chaotic guitar to chaotic vocals/clean guitar, and the combo really suits their styles. I don't particularly, again, like Erak's clean vocals in this song, as they still require a bit of work at this point, and so come off sounding untrained and disappointing.

Favourite Section: 00:00 - 00:45

The Adventures of Allan Gordon - 04:07

The song has a really nice, building, intro that culminates into the full blown song magnificently via doodling guitar, and beating drum fills behind. This sounds to me like one of their more polished songs off the album and it shows. Everything in the song just seems to slot into place that bit more easily.

Favourite Section: 02:16 - 03:10

I Just Got This Symphony Goin' - 04:14

The final re-recorded song. It has a really upbeat frantic guitar intro, which are quickly caught up and replaced by frantic drum fills squeezed in all over the place.Not as good as the second version, but still awesome. At 02:10 the slower section for me sounds sloppy, but I may just be being picky.

Favourite Section: 03:15 - 03:34

What Sound Does A Mastodon Make? - 07:13

When I first started listening to TFOT, I was surprised to find that they were actually really good with longer songs. For me their strength had been in their bursts of frenetic, crazed energy. However, they have managed to prove me wrong on every release by putting in at least one substantially longer song that I always enjoy the most. This song is definitely fantastic and really showcases the talent and maturity of the band even at this early stage.

Favourite Section: 01:59 - 02:20/02:50 - 04:28/06:26 - 07:13

As I said at the beginning, this is definitely the weakest of the TFOT releases, but this may just be down to recording difficulties. There are many moments in this album where you can see the glistening potential the comes to fruition in the subsequent releases. Well worth a listen if you can get hold of it; I had some difficulty deciding between 2 and 3 star ratings, but I felt that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't quite match up to many other releases, by many other artists, that I would also give 3 stars to, so for me it's 2 although that shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

The Fall of Troy has so far released four studio albums, each with it's own little spritz of creativity and harshness, and this album is no different. Eccentric, crazy, eclectic, and many more adjectives, for better or for worse, could be used to describe this album. From beginning to end, the album hides multiple creative "easter eggs" of style and insanity. From one intense song, you might find screaming "emo" vocals, and then suddenly a calmer melodic section. It's a good album, but nothing incredible.

Panic Attack opens the album with a poppy riff, which continues throughout the intense song. The vocals are a little harsh and are hard to bear, and so is the all-over-the-place music, but the track, overall, is acceptable and can be listened to without your ears bleeding. This is mainly because of one of those "easter eggs" appears on this song, where the intense riffing breaks into a little guitar diddy that is nicer to listen to, unlike the next track.

Straight-Jacket Keelhauled is just horrible. Absolutely horrible. The intro is atrocious, and is barely listenable. They make it blatantly obvious they are trying to connect to their hardcore metal/rock fanbase on this track, with screechy screaming vocals and intense instrumentation.

Battleship Graveyard is still intense, but is miles better than the previous track. The track is actually somewhat enjoyable to listen to, with Mars Volta-influenced intricate riffing backing the vocals. Still, the screaming vocals do not fit this would-be good music when it is present.

A Classic State of Transference is one of the better tracks on the album, with more intricate riffing backing the vocals, which really makes this type of music really unique. Much less intense loud instrumentation is heard, which is welcome on the intense album.

Single is most likely one of the best tracks on the album. Fantastic melodic guitar work, backed by positively intense instrumentation really makes this song great. Although the "prog" element in this track is still lacking, the great creativity put into creating this track is obvious and is a bright spot on this so far dour album.

Empty the Clip, the King Has Been Slain, Long Live the Queen is one of the wild card songs you sometimes find on albums. The interesting name draws you in, but the song itself is very hard to get into. The pop element is obvious, but it is minutely catchy. Overall, this track is weak in comparison to Single.

People and Their Lives is another great song. It is one of the most definably "progressive" songs on the album, with a longer running time, more creative melodies, rhythms, and harmonies. Creativity really oozes out of this song. One of the best!

Dirty Pillow Talk is a very odd song. Heavily effected guitars really alienate any real musical value, even by Mars Volta standard. The vocals are still eccentric and screechy, which also alienates any listener.

Nobody's Perfect is a nice more melodic song. It is one of the better songs on the album, with creative rhythms and bluesy guitar breakdowns. It still has that sprig of intense insanity, but on this song it's just right. The song starts out slower, but near the end of the song, it quickly picks up to a level of intensity welcome in the slower song.

Webs is a very bluesy rock song, with a very bluesy opening riff. The entire song has this bluesy riff prevalent, and is probably the slowest and easiest track to listen to on the entire album.

Walk of Frame is another intense, heavily intricate riff-based song. It has a nice balance of intensity and melody, and begins the nice ending of this generally good album. Breakdowns are very nice, and the track leads nicely into the last track.

Nature vs. Nature is a great ending. It really synthesizes all the good things about the album, with intense riffing, bluesy guitar work, positive poppy instrumentation, and the good side of the singer's vocals. Overall, another one of the good songs on the album.

ALBUM OVERALL: A good album. Often times when people see a 3 star album they immediately dismiss it as garbage, but people must recognize that 3 stars means "good, but non-essential." So yes, this album is good, but it isn't a "must have." Creative guitar work and odd rhythms and harmonies are positive points, but screechy screaming vocals and often very (very) odd song writing is a negative point. 3 stars.

While it would be unfair to say that Fall of Troy is a Mars Volta clone... the inspiration is very, very clear. Fast, catchy, ambitious rhythms with frenzied guitar creativity abound through Doppleganger, and the virtuosity displayed by these three musicians is genuinely impressive. It's amazing how many sounds they cram into these short tunes, the first half alone giving us a first rate combination of trash, hardcore, atmospheric, melodic, and poly- rythmic coolness. Bass and drum work is first rate. Erak's vocals are almost as busy as his guitar playing, as he changes between his clean, high-timbre singing voice and intense screams constantly. The listener should be prepared for lots of screaming, very much out of the modern hardcore movement-- which I generally dislike; however, there is a genuine fun to his melodic choruses and screams which I think elevates above the emo-crowd considerably. Still... be prepared for screaming.

Songwriting is generally good, though I do feel like Doppleganger is still showing the band in their adolescence. It feels like the group is exploring their potential, and the quality in songs declines in the last third or so of the album, where Erak's vocals get a bit excessive. Also, there's the huge shadow of Mars Volta sound looming over this entire album, which certainly doesn't detract from its enjoyment, but shows that the group is wearing its influences on their sleeve.

Bottom line-- much of Doppleganer is crazy awesome. The band's musicianship is amazing, as is their energy and intensity; there is a lot going here, especially given the band's youth at the time. Highly recommended to fans seeking something a little hardcore to smash away the quite for an enjoyable 40 minutes. "Heavy prog" is almost a misnomer here. I look forward to seeing where this group goes next!

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 5 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 5

In its broad concept you can call this album progressive. It certainly has some unusual song structures and all, but I really don´t like it. it´s simply too technical and freakish for my liking. Lots of heavy guitars, tempo changes and screaming vocals. Sometimes they even deliver a more ´song´ oriented parts, like on the beginning of Quarter Past, quite bluesy. But I can´t stand the vocal style: sometimes high pitched, sometimes growling like in a death metal band. You can see this trio has the chops, the production is excellent and is awesome how they do not to get lost in all this frenzy. But the style is clearly not for the ones who loves symphonic prog or even ´traditional´ heavy prog like I do.

Definitely for the ones who enjoy something hardcore. I´ll pass this one up.

I remember not expecting much, but then I put on the song The Dark Trail, and when the falsetto vocals came in, I nearlly died.

This is just one of those albums that is perfect in anyway, not one boring or pittiful moment, every song is incredibly catchy, the instrumental work is amazing and the vocals are just o wide in diversty, you can't help but be drawn in by them.

This album also comes with a bonus live cd, which isn't bad.

And there is also really cool and cartoonic artwork.

1. Cut Down All The Trees & Name The Streets After Them - Love playing this song on guitar. Amazing chorus and unbelievable vocals. 10/10

2. The Dark Trail - Their best song ever in my opinion. The falsetto is very cheesy, but so awesome at the same time. The instrumental section also is incredibly impressive. The lyrics are very smart as well. 10/10

3. Quarter Past - This song starts off quite slow and jazzy, before turning into a whole lot of crazy. Infectious chorus. 10/10

4. Problem!? - Short, sweet & catchy. Do I need to say more. 10/10

5. Semi-Fiction - Another amazing chorus, along with some pretty amazing instrumental work. 9/10

6. Oh! The Casino!? - Again, another short and cathcy song. 9/10

7. Sledgehammer - No, this is not a Peter Gabriel cover. Amazing instrumental work, and quite experimental as well. 9/10

8. Seattlantis - There are so many times you think this song would end, but as always, they suprise you. There is also some thrash metal influence with the guitar riffing. 9/10

9. Ex-Creations - The most impressive song, guitar wise. Their are so many videos on You Tube of people playing (or attempting to play) this song. Great chorus, and what I know to be my brother's favourite Fall Of Troy song.10/10

10. Shhh!!! If You're Quiet, I'll Show You A Dinosaur - Weird title for an even weirder song. Great chorus and some werid lyrics. 10/10

11. Caught Up - Very laiback, with just clean guitar and vocals. Very jazz influenced. 9/10

12. A Man A Plan A Canal Panama - By far the most interesting song on the album. The instrumental work is just incredible. Quite lengthy, but not boring in the slightest. 9/10

CONCLUSION: This is deffinetly their best album. I am sad to say these guys have broken up a few weeks ago. They will be sadly missed.

RIP The Fall Of Troy

This being their second, and way better than their first, this album saw the band propell in to a new level of craziness.

With a crazy instrumenta section, werid lyrics and even funnier song titles, this album had me hooked from start to finish.

I did criticise these guys when I first heard them, but I regret doing so now.

They are a wee bit emo, with the slightly whiney vocals, but it's more of a matter of opinion, cause these guys were out when emo was only being birthed as a concept.

1. I Just Got This Symphony Goin - Amazing intro. One fantastic song. The vocals are amazing. Just kick ass, straight in your face. 10/10

2. Act 1, Scene 1 - Great chorus and arrangement of vocals. Instrumental sections are flawless, as usual. the lyrics are also hilarious. 9/10

3. F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. - One of their best chorus'. Just a fantastic song. 10/10

4. "You Got A Death Wish, Johnny Truant?" - Crazy as hell, but it flows perfectly.9/10

5. Mouths Like A Sidewinder Missile - Love the screams at the start. Great chorus. The instrumental section really shows how tight this band was. 9/10

6. The Hol[ ]y Tape - Pretty freaky. A hel'lot of influences in one song. 8/10

7. Laces Out, Dan - Thomas' vocals in this song are just mental. The music is also very derranged. 8/10

8. We Better Learn How To Hotwire A Uterus - Love the title. The lyrics are also very funny. The instrumental section is crackers. 10/10

9. Whacko Jacko Steals The Elephant Man's Bones - The lyrics have nothing to do with the title. Still a pretty kick ass and mental song. The instrumental is pretty freaky. The vocals really are incredible. 9/10

10. Tom Waits - The noisy parts are pretty cool. Again the vocals are amazing. 9/10

11. Macaulay McCulkin - Again the title is hilarious (that's not even how you spell his name, even though Michael did call him Mac, because of Mike's anniversary they repeated his home video's show, which was pretty funny...woops back to the music).The instrumental section is pretty funny, sounds a wee bit like the Pink Panther. Quite experimental and very cool. 9/10

CONCLUSION: This was a really enjoyable listening experience, and I recomend this album to everyone, even you Jesus!

The music on Doppelgänger(and of TFoT) can be described as something like Mars Volta on amphetamine. It's wild, it's intense and sometimes almost atonal. Thomas Erak's guitar work is very imaginative and fun to listen to; this coming from a guy who generally dislike guitar driven music. He plucks, strums and sweeps his way through the songs at a breakneck tempo, but unlike other guitar players of his extremely high standard, the songs never suffer from that fact, never torturing you with endless screeching solos that make your ears bleed.Everything on Doppelgänger has a place and a purpose.

The level of musicianship on the album is superb, with the bass actually taking a very prominent role in the mixing. The band being a trio does a lot for the overall sound and feel of the music; keeping the music from becoming to ecstatic, grounding the sound a bit.

Production is also something that must be mentioned, high lighted and elevated on this album. In an age of polish upon polish upon polish it's so great to hear production that keep the edges in the sound picture. Where their other albums focused on a more bland, main streamed production, Doppelgänger stands out as rough and gritty, something that helps the music a ton, as the open feel of the mixing gives the very hysteric songs room to breathe.

What makes me want to recommend this album, unlike their other works, is that I think that this release actually has some kind of musical relevance in this age. TFoT stand out from the masses with their rather unusual mix of hardcore, metal and rock. The mix in itself has been done, quite often by now, but the way it all comes together for Doppelgänger is amazing.

There's something in here for everyone and it deserves its spot in any serious record collection!

4,5/5