The Fall of Troy have made up for everything that was wrong with Manipulator. The Mulkiteo, WA trio are back with the Phantom on the Horizon, a five-track EP revolving around a story that his been brewing in the band’s mind for many years. This effort is different from anything the band has done before — rather than release a mini-collection of individual songs, Phantom on the Horizon is more like one “flowing” song divided into multiple tracks. I use the word “flowing” hesitantly because, if you’re at all familiar with the band, you know they’re not fans of traditional song structures. From “Chapter I: Introverting Dimensions” to “Chapter V: The Walls Bled Lust,” the EP traverses multiple moods and playing styles, ranging from the band’s traditional balls-to-the-wall prog-rock to more synthetic, effects-laden interludes. All the while, the Fall of Troy has managed to release a magnificent opus that can only truly be appreciated by listening to it all the way through. Phantom on the Horizon is one of the band’s finest releases and proof that they haven’t lost their touch.
MP3: The Fall of Troy – Chapter II: A Strange Conversation
Love,
Adrian
All Things Go 
I would listen to this solely because they titled something “The Walls Bled Lust.” Most awesome title in the history of titles.
You really liked it that much? Did you ever hear the original Ghostship Demos?
Well, fair enough – to each his own, and you make a valid argument.
My take on the album here: http://akissner.blogspot.com/2008/12/fall-of-troy-phantom-on-horizon.html
Andy, I agree with parts of your with your review. I think our expectations of the album were huge factors in our reviews of the album. I was thinking of Phantom as more of the next step after Manipulator, and seeing how that wasn’t their best release (and you’re completely right about the quality of the vocals), Phantom sounds all the more better. But that’s not to take away from it — I think it sounds great without comparing it to any of their previous work. With that said, I really need to listen to the ghostship demos again. Loved your review, thanks for reading!
Yeah I always have a problem separating expectation from reality, and sometimes my appreciation suffers.
keep it up, you’re a great writer
This is definitely a terrific album. It took what was great about the original “Ghost Ship Demos”, and added in their growth since then. From the slow tension build up of the intro to the entire album to the horrendously horrid (those words are used in a very positive light) breakdown in “Chapter V”, this album has it all. Check out my ‘review’ at my blog as well: http://crossenthelines.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/review-phantom-on-the-horizon-the-fall-of-troy/
I can’t wait for their next full length album because I want to hear what Frank brings to the style like he did in the “Vomiting Winter.”
There are a few points in your review I dislike. First off the first sentence, “The Fall of Troy have made up for everything that was wrong with Manipulator.” What was so wrong about it? Also, making up? Your making it sound like you had no clue of the previous ghostship demos they did before anything, these are mearly a “do-over” because the fans have longed for it for years. But aside from that, any review that doesnt put hate on TFOT is good review in my book
As far as Manipulator goes, I thought it was a worse album than Doppelganger. Having LOVED Doppelganger, it was a let-down for me. The quality of the vocals went way down, and some of the songs were just too weird (“Oh, The Casino!” — the obviously Weezer-like bit in that song felt completely out of place). It wasn’t a horrible album — I liked it, but it was definitely a step down from their previous work. As for the Ghostship demos, I’m aware they existed beforehand. Even though they’re only re-recordings of the demos, I thought that they did a job of putting the tracks into an official EP form. The demos were touched up in a way that in my opinion made a big difference, and the overall recording quality of the EP was better than that of Manipulator.
Thanks for commenting! Glad to see that TFOT fans are reading the site.
I thought Manipulator was their best. I loved the feel of the album. I liked Oh! The Casino?! but i tend to skip that song a lot.
But yeah, Phantom on the Horizon is really awesome. Kinda mad they slowed down everything, and Tom’s singing on the first part of The Walls Bled Lust sucks.
But i got used to it all, and it really is great.