Review Summary: The most energetic album in post-hardcore
A somewhat unknown fact about The Fall of Troy is that they actually formed in High School as a four man band titled The 30 Years War. They were right about to enter the recording studio to create their first LP when their second guitarist left to focus on schoolwork. So they re-imagined the sound, dubbed themselves The Fall of Troy, and created their self-titled LP in one take during their spring break. They were all 17 years old at the time.
Perhaps it is their young age that gives the album so much power.
Members:
Thomas Erak – Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Keyboard
Tim Ward – Bass guitar, Screams
Andrew Forsman – Drums
The lyrics are incredibly creative; allusions to The Odyssey (“Rockstar Nailbomb”), an entire song dedicated to the Lord of the Rings (“The Last March of the Ents”), and angst and anger flow all throughout. The lyrics just grab you and thrust you into the song. The screams are addicting, something that is rather rare. Rather than simply accentuating a moment the screams are a major hook throughout the album. Tim Ward has a set of lungs, that’s for damn sure. His screams have this echoing depth to them that make it sound as if the screams are harmonized. They’re utterly powerful and amazing. When he alternates with Erak’s own screams it’s gorgeous. As for Erak’s singing voice? Passable. He’s not a trained singer by any means but it's not a turn off.
This is paired up with the absolutely frenetic guitar and drumming to demolish your headphones. Thomas Erak can shred on a guitar like no one else. Their signature mixture of rawness and technical ability is at 100% here. I honestly don’t know how to articulate how freaking good the guitar work is. There’s so much energy behind it. You’ll wanna headbang, dance, just wild out. Forsman doesn’t let up one bit either. The drumming is just as insane as Erak’s guitar work, delivering beats at a blistering pace. Make no mistake, Forsman isn’t just along for the ride; he’s leading the entire album along with his tightly wound pace. Meanwhile Ward keeps up a solid wall of sound effect going by echoing Erak’s licks to keep the noise at full blast. The result of the mixture of these three is the strongest sound of any three man band I’ve ever heard in my life, bar none. Ward is an incredibly skilled pick bassist and was already on top of his craft when this album was recorded.
This insanity does come at a little bit of a price, however. If you try to listen to this as a background album and don't have the volume up it is very easy to miss some intricate guitar licks or to even just hear it as noise. You really have to turn the volume up to get the full effect. Songs like "Spartacus" sound plain or boring unless you turn the volume way up so that you can hear all three instruments clearly.
It’s also worth noting that this album has four tracks that were re-recorded for Doppelgänger: “Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles”, “F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P.” (turned into “F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.”), “Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones,” and “I Just Got This Symphony Going.” If you’re a fan of the sophomore album, the more well known by the band, the transition to this more lo-fi and rough sounding premiere may be a bit jarring. But don't let that dissuade you. This is arguably their best piece of work. I adamantly believe that it’s the most energetic and raw album in the entire post-hardcore genre.
Top 3 Tracks:
What Sound Does a Mastadon Make?
Reassurances Rest in the Sea
The Circus That Has Brought Us Back To These Nights (Yo Chocola)
