Can You Still See What You First Saw in Me?

It saddens me to hear that the Fall of Troy has decided to call it quits.  Although the latter half of the trio’s career didn’t produce any really good albums (with the exception of the final version of the Ghostship demos, Phantom on the Horizon), the band had released what for me were some hardcore classics when I was a young lad back in high school.  Their self-titled debut introduced me to the spastic, calculated side of hardcore music, showing me that even loud, catastrophic music can be reined in using unconventional song structures and intricate, original guitarwork.  Doppelganger did the same thing, although under the guise of better production.  From then on out things began to go downhill; Manipulator and In the Unlikely Event just didn’t impress me the way their earlier work did.  However, the band still killed it with their live shows.  My only complaint is that they never played my favorite song of theirs, “What Sound Does a Mastodon Make?”, when I saw them.  That song’s the reason I got into them and perhaps a significant influence on what I listen to today.  It feels good to post this kind of music again, but sadly it must be at the expense of the band’s demise.  RIP guys.

MP3: The Fall of Troy – “What Sound Does a Mastodon Make?”

Love,
Adrian

The Fall of Troy – Phantom on the Horizon

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