| | Full Review | Ratings (1503) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | Wemo | April 30th 07 |
Due to some error on Merchnow.com's part I received this on the 26th, just so nobody thinks I pirated it. Manipulator is far from more of the same from the band. There are some songs like "Cut Down All The Trees..." and "A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama" that are very reminciscent of their older material, but for the most part their music has been completely revamped. The songs that take the bigest departure from their old stuff are Quarter Past and Caught Up. Both of these songs sound mainly influenced by good old-fashioned blues. Its hard to explain. In my opinion, its their best work yet, although some might dislike their slightly new sense of style, even though the crazy technicality and brutal parts are still in there if you look hard enough... (not sure what to rate it yet so I'll do that when I write the full review in a day or two) Edit: I just wrote a full review for this and fomr reason it erased it. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
5 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | IsItLuck? EMERITUS | May 1st 07 |
The Fall of Troy provide a lackluster effort with their latest release "Manipulator." The unenthusiastic start to the album, (first six songs) are essentially the downfall. In contrast, the last six songs are filled with energy and creative songwriting. In fact, it may be some of their best work, but the production quality fails as a whole to showcase these talents. The last key problem is their sound is nothing new in comparison to their previous releases. While they do try to incorporate new sounds, it is all fairly similar. If you can manage to get through the first six songs, you may enjoy this release as a whole. Otherwise, it is a snoozefest that struggles to regain composure after it's painful start.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | | April 30th 07 |
This does not sound like fall of troy at all..... they got poopy , oh so poopy, The vocals are some of the most irritating i have heard in a long time...... Even when he screams i want to punch myself in the nads..... The music is not to impressive either, it sounds sloppy , yes theyve always sounded sloppy but this is just crappy sloppy..... It seems as of late that good bands change into bad bands.... Its sad.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | doom. | August 17th 20 |
This is probably my favorite The Fall of Troy album. Hands down the most mature and cohesive efforts in their discography. I''ll take this over any rubbish that spews from swancore anyday.
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| 4.5 superb | CyanBlue | December 26th 15 |
A VERY superb album. Top 10 in my opinion. I also think it's better than Doppelganger. Maybe that's just because I've listened to Manipulator first. The songs have a lot of variety and have many pop influence. Doppelganger seemed more focused on the single genre of Post Hardcore/Mathcore, while Manipulator is more of a free album. Ranging from Blues, to Jazz, to Punk. Also, the vinyl is GORGEOUS.
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| 4.0 excellent | Jared Floryan | December 21st 14 |
Contemplating decisions in life are about as frustrating as they are a cakewalk, very much akin to the predicament Manipulator got in. You see, with The Fall of Troy's third full-length studio album, they toned down the technical wizardry of the outfit's last two releases, made bassist Tim Ward's screaming less prominent, and focused on halfway reinventing themselves from the inside out. This action understandably pissed off many, especially the people who breathed down Doppelganger's contorted neck. If anything, TFOT's 2007 offering shows that Thomas Erak and the other two stooges can be very effective when expanding upon their songwriting, and Erak's vocal performance is downright petulant and obnoxious - thereby suiting the overall direction the band took in the process. So what if Manipulator lacks deep lyrical content? So what if the record should've been more mathcore-oriented a la its predecessors? The feeble point I'm trying to make here is that The Fall of Troy's third combatant excels at having some brilliant arrangements and a sense of compassion which is rather alien to us in quite a solid manner.
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| 0.0 | Bitchfork | May 1st 10 |
The Fall of Troy manipulate pop and progressive aspects in an attempt to create a catchy and innovative sound, but neither goal is achieved. Instead, Manipulator is a dry attempt to reinvent The Fall of Troy's sound wrapped in a neat little faux-hardcore package.
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| 2.5 average | TRMshadow | February 13th 10 |
It sounds like a bunch of guys trying to impersonate The Mars Volta........and utterly failing.
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| 3.0 good | TheBumbino | February 9th 09 |
Thought by many as the fall of troy's worst album ill agree with them on that. Although it's not all that bad there are some good songs on here 2 among some of my personal favorites (Quarter Past, and The Dark Trail) but ultimately it is victim of a bad mix for the most part bass is barely audible on a good deal of songs and the vocals at some parts are just atrocious. For the most part manipulator is all about Thomas Erak with some crazy guitar work throughout.
Overall not terrible but could be better...
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| 0.0 | deathbysexywtf | January 15th 09 |
As a big TFOT fan ive got to say that this is my least favorite album. however, it is a really good one.
Doppleganger was atleast 20x better than Manipulator but this album had some really good songs.
Also, this is an album i dont mind hearing from beginning to end (as is the case with most fall of troy albums). If youre a fan of progressive music than this album will probably impress you. all in all it is a pretty good album, the fall of troy undoubtedly does a great job of writing more phases in one song than most bands do in an entire album. Thomas Erak is getting a little better at singing too ( i think ) but ive never had a problem with his singing style.
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| 2.0 poor | camdizzle | January 15th 09 |
Tom Erak is an incredible guitarist. The bands sound revolves almost entirely around his erratic shredding, and Maniuplator shows some of his and the rest of the bands best musicianship. The album itself though is not fun to listen to at all. A big part of FOT's appeal is their progressive style, but most of the album lacks any focus as they refuse to stay on a single riff or progression for more than a few measures. In some places it's hard to tell when one song stops and another starts. Variation is nice, but this album severely lacks instantly catchy songs like "I Just Got This Symphony Goin," "What Sound Does a Mastadon Make," or "FCP," which are certainly not cliche or unoriginal. It's great to listen to good musicians play incredibly technical music every once and a while, but it gets old fast.
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| 4.0 excellent | Pastor of Muppets | December 27th 08 |
It's really annoying to see this album not getting the rep it deserves. Espeically when all the bad reviews seem only to mention one song, "Quarter Past", which might be the best song on the album. Reviwers are right when they say the first half is different from the last half, you can tell the songs in the first half from one another. The second half all blends together like Doppleganger did, and not in a good way. THOT actually shows off a range of musical talents and tastes in Manipulator, and it bleeds awesome.
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| 4.5 superb | kylepianoman | December 3rd 08 |
I was a bit wary of this album when I first purchased it.
It's a lot different from anything they've ever done, especially vocally, and I think that's why the album is great.
At first I wasn't too keen on it, but the more I played it, the more I realized, it's not another doppelganger, but it's nearly as good in a league of it's own.
Fall of troy is an experimental band... this album is just that. It goes anywhere from pop-rock (casino), to blues (caught up, quarter past), to stuff you would expect, but in a new light (dark trail, sledgehammer, dinosaur, panama)
Personally, I feel Seattlantis is the weakest song, but it's still not horrible.
Each FOT album is distinct, and if you can't appreciate them for that, why bother listening?
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| 4.5 superb | EleventhHour | September 25th 08 |
A bit disappointing compared to Doppelganger, but Manipulator is a fine album nonetheless.
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| 3.5 great | applesoup | June 11th 08 |
I think this album is great. It was a good listen, i think that ex-creations is probably IMO the best song off the album. They have changed without changing their whole sound, if someone put this record on, you'd know it was the fall of troy. People tend to dismiss a bands more recent releases, but this is a pretty solid record.
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| 4.0 excellent | mozartv | July 16th 07 |
Although Manipulator is a great album, I don't believe it is as strong of a release as The Fall of Troy or Doppelganger. TFoT decided to go with a more pop influenced approach, which has extreme hardcore (insert expletive)s crying foul. I appluad TFoT however for trying something different, and not just rehashing the stuff they have been successful with. All in all, Manipulator is a great album, and a must have for any TFoT fan, but for those who are just getting in to them, I would suggest that you start with some of their earlier stuff.
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| 4.0 excellent | Mastodon_2007 | May 16th 07 |
I think this album is awesome, Thomas Erak's vocals have improved greatly...its both a good thing and a bad thing, the good thing is that the vocals sound more powerful, and the bad thing is that he goes too far with his new vocal range, sometimes it doesnt even come close to fitting the songs like in The Dark Trail. Not as much technical guitar in this album as in their other albums, but Thomas' guitar skills have gotten tighter though, for example Seattlantis. Best songs are, Problem!?, Semi-Fiction,Sledgehammer,Seattlantis,Ex-Creations, and Shhh!, if You're quiet ill show u a dinasour.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | camelworm | May 5th 07 |
I believe it doesn't sound sloppy at all. The guitar playing seems tighter, the bass merges well with the guitar, and Andrew's drumming is on target as always. I love Thom's falsetto voice, and his normal singing has really improved. Both Thom and Tim's screams have also took a step up, and the song-writing is great. There are so many different styles at work here.
and to foreverlostandfaded:
"Punk rock should mean freedom, liking and accepting anything you like. Playing whatever you want, as sloppy as you want, as long as it's good and has passion."
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| 0.0 | Tacos | May 3rd 07 |
if you were to put this face to face with doppleganger, you will notice a lot of key differences. thomas' vocals have improved a lot, which is evident on the track Quarter Past. there's no real radio friendly songs on here, unlike on doppleganger where you had FCPREMIX. but hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing. the overall sound on this release is more progressive in my opinion, with only half of its songs falling under the 4 minute mark. if you're into the fall of troy, it's a worthwhile listen. if you're new, i suggest giving doppleganger a listen before trying this.
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| 2.5 average | qt | August 23rd 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shamus248 CONTRIBUTOR | July 2nd 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Glovoc | April 13th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | bSmith | March 29th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Timmy | January 24th 23 |
| 2.5 average | Jadari | June 7th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | nnpoc | April 12th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | kevbogz | March 20th 22 |
| 2.5 average | Get Low | February 28th 22 |
| 2.5 average | Elynna | February 6th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | LoKii | December 12th 21 |
| 5.0 classic | TSI3 | October 15th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | xlev | August 7th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Halez | July 24th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | vheissu | March 29th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Oobaloo | March 18th 21 |
| 3.5 great | anvium | February 24th 21 |
| 3.5 great | Grandpa | February 13th 21 |
| 3.5 great | solrage | December 11th 20 |
| 3.5 great | rbck225 | November 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Cormano | August 11th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Sowing STAFF | August 10th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Mac | May 9th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ziggity | April 14th 20 |
| 3.5 great | tellah | February 28th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | IzzyTomy | February 25th 20 |
| 2.5 average | peahat | December 12th 19 |
| 3.5 great | john | August 5th 19 |
| 3.5 great | josh | June 10th 19 |
| 3.0 good | crab | February 16th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Josh | November 5th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Revarf | July 31st 18 |
| 3.5 great | Sebe | February 24th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Tib | January 12th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | YakNips | December 10th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | dctarga | August 5th 17 |
| 3.5 great | nbats | June 7th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | heftyt | March 17th 17 |
| 3.0 good | 2ool | February 15th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Wildwood | December 17th 16 |
| 3.5 great | El Olam | December 11th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Smorge | November 27th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Moksha | November 3rd 16 |
| 3.5 great | A257U2 | October 9th 16 |
| 3.5 great | MOCAM | October 1st 16 |
| 2.5 average | jtswope | August 30th 16 |
| 3.5 great | YANJ | June 15th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | SB129 | May 16th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | hsb | April 4th 16 |
| 3.5 great | ryan10 | January 28th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Nemeton | December 20th 15 |
| 3.5 great | jbus | November 6th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | mzeet | September 13th 15 |
| 3.0 good | Aeri | August 14th 15 |
| 2.5 average | nbrick | May 3rd 15 |
| 4.5 superb | "Tab" | March 5th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | hortanz | November 5th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | KaNe00 | October 17th 14 |
| 3.5 great | TJM1992 | September 13th 14 |
| 3.0 good | eXxist | August 17th 14 |
| 2.5 average | RYANGP | July 22nd 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | foxxxy | June 26th 14 |
| 3.5 great | Henry | June 12th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | rg9 | April 3rd 14 |
| 3.0 good | akimbo | January 2nd 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Skreemo | November 2nd 13 |
| 3.5 great | Suddy | October 29th 13 |
| 3.5 great | oskrr1 | October 24th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | aircycle | September 28th 13 |
| 2.5 average | llll | September 3rd 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Alaska | August 26th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | ilkb | July 10th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ulshad | July 3rd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | mew151 | June 27th 13 |
| 2.5 average | tlhk | June 14th 13 |
| 3.0 good | Feels | May 29th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Zamora | February 5th 13 |
| 2.5 average | kb36 | January 22nd 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Tywuhh | January 16th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Skoj | December 26th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Ecotone | December 23rd 12 |
| 3.5 great | juninja | December 18th 12 |
| 3.5 great | urzadek | December 17th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | romosho | December 7th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | brunch | November 11th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Epeich | September 20th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Tabble | August 11th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | SethEZ | August 8th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | JoshTh | July 15th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | NBA | May 30th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | foxxxy | April 27th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | stevo510 | February 26th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Aberjam | February 11th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | irkalla | February 10th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Custy | February 3rd 12 |
| 3.0 good | Damon | February 1st 12 |
| 3.0 good | mrnic3 | December 31st 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Kaozz16 | December 17th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | SRB829 | December 9th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | jbassp | November 14th 11 |
| 3.0 good | JJwins | November 5th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | MFer | October 16th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Intake | October 2nd 11 |
| 2.5 average | Uranium | September 10th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Demasses | September 9th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Gunnar | September 7th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | TenWar | August 30th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Olson | August 29th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Totes | July 20th 11 |
| 3.5 great | elry2k | July 14th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | junyi15 | June 12th 11 |
| 3.5 great | sehguh | June 10th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Spec | April 23rd 11 |
| 3.0 good | TanMan | March 26th 11 |
| 3.0 good | gwh45 | March 22nd 11 |
| 3.0 good | Matski | February 15th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | bmaddock | February 10th 11 |
| 3.0 good | batcat | February 6th 11 |
| 2.5 average | frankie | February 4th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Cryio | January 28th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Asterio | January 27th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Karii | January 20th 11 |
| 3.0 good | Scoot | January 20th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | LOL poo | December 26th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Thane | December 20th 10 |
| 3.5 great | c0ffee | December 19th 10 |
| 2.5 average | incompl | December 4th 10 |
| 3.5 great | elry12 | December 1st 10 |
| 3.5 great | bryn | November 21st 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Curse. | November 11th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Dev518 | November 10th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | devink5 | November 8th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Hep Kat | October 30th 10 |
| 3.5 great | IN64 | October 28th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Dalaul | October 19th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Ben H | October 12th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sun2Moon | September 29th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Emyr | September 27th 10 |
| 3.5 great | jmh886 | September 13th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Texture | September 12th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | ti0n | September 7th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Ire | September 3rd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | ess | August 15th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Veldin | August 7th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | btbam42 | July 31st 10 |
| 2.5 average | m4nny | July 27th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | cur7is | July 27th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sealk | July 18th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Thef | May 31st 10 |
| 3.0 good | lakku | May 19th 10 |
| 3.0 good | ap070 | May 11th 10 |
| 3.5 great | dnor | April 28th 10 |
| 2.0 poor | JohnW | April 26th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Valle | April 4th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Oceanus | March 25th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | gonzab | March 20th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Xzaeon | March 4th 10 |
| 2.5 average | WolfAmI | February 28th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Lexnard | February 8th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Siraxta | February 4th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Award | January 28th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | cumverg | January 26th 10 |
| 1.0 awful | qwe3 | January 22nd 10 |
| 3.5 great | cirq | January 17th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Markk1 | January 6th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | derekkp | December 21st 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Emim | December 12th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | gombo | November 24th 09 |
| 3.0 good | ausjim | November 12th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | wexenhex | November 11th 09 |
| 3.5 great | x31942 | October 24th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Ragez | October 17th 09 |
| 2.0 poor | kitsch | October 1st 09 |
| 3.0 good | soma | September 30th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Smiley | September 28th 09 |
| 3.5 great | rodigo1 | September 15th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | kfilly20 | September 11th 09 |
| 3.5 great | d00derz | September 11th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Maes | September 7th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | fignuts | September 7th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Stones99 | September 6th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Mevz | September 3rd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | JesusV4 | September 2nd 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Nick15 | September 2nd 09 |
| 3.0 good | X3ni92 | August 17th 09 |
| 3.0 good | roofi | August 4th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Faint7 | August 4th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Lions | July 25th 09 |
| 3.5 great | ebay | July 12th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | hykudos | June 30th 09 |
| 3.0 good | TREO5 | June 23rd 09 |
| 3.5 great | mkCII | June 17th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Matte | May 29th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Taxt | May 29th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Unapt | May 21st 09 |
| 3.0 good | GBJ | May 13th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | idbz | May 13th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | reverie | April 27th 09 |
| 2.5 average | Wael | April 21st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | mash | April 1st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | SE262 | March 30th 09 |
| 3.0 good | DaTwig | March 19th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | [Fonya] | February 18th 09 |
| 3.0 good | postmo | February 12th 09 |
| 3.5 great | bc013 | February 6th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | omgbees | February 2nd 09 |
| 2.5 average | slan | January 21st 09 |
| 3.0 good | camw | January 19th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Dirk32 | January 5th 09 |
| 3.0 good | benhxc | January 1st 09 |
| 2.5 average | AlKal | December 21st 08 |
| 3.5 great | Groink | December 19th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Napes | December 15th 08 |
| 3.5 great | f2f | December 14th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | bfddhf | December 4th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | sethdb1 | December 3rd 08 |
| 3.5 great | red0 | November 30th 08 |
| 3.5 great | Sconza | November 29th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mendross | November 21st 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | dukes | October 27th 08 |
| 3.0 good | Bosn | October 19th 08 |
| 3.5 great | pumi | October 18th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | pettri | October 4th 08 |
| 3.5 great | ACM | September 27th 08 |
| 1.0 awful | APJotun | September 23rd 08 |
| 4.5 superb | ffbadd | September 14th 08 |
| 3.5 great | gafel | September 10th 08 |
| 3.5 great | Scionix | September 4th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | dieto | August 31st 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | btbam99 | August 28th 08 |
| 1.5 very poor | cejecj | August 24th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | koecim | August 22nd 08 |
| 3.5 great | Bea | July 15th 08 |
| 2.5 average | Smooz | May 21st 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | ghost5 | May 7th 08 |
| 3.5 great | jward | March 25th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | natey | March 22nd 08 |
| 2.5 average | Robbins | February 28th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | skitz | February 16th 08 |
| 2.5 average | Saetia | January 30th 08 |
| 3.5 great | Feenex | January 24th 08 |
| 2.5 average | RJayZ | January 24th 08 |
| 3.5 great | mana20 | January 19th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | evans | January 10th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | Anubis | January 8th 08 |
| 3.0 good | donovr | December 12th 07 |
| 3.5 great | barr27 | December 9th 07 |
| 1.5 very poor | Ramambo | December 9th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | racerX71 | November 29th 07 |
| 3.0 good | Ferz5 | November 24th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | 123NESS | November 23rd 07 |
| 3.5 great | John L | November 22nd 07 |
| 2.5 average | tuff | October 30th 07 |
| 2.5 average | celtic | October 18th 07 |
| 2.5 average | tuk | October 6th 07 |
| 2.5 average | silvr | September 8th 07 |
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