From Yes to Dillinger Escape Plan, Blood Brothers to The Mars Volta, loads of influences, both contemporary and classic, The Fall of Troy is a band whose musical impressions are reciprocated with destruction, grace, and originality. The threesome seems to be suffering from multiple personality disorder, greeting you with deftly confrontational guitar acrobatics and soaring harmonies, then ambushing from a wooden horse, crushing you with mathematical breakdowns and fiery screams. Exhaustive and beautiful, their chaos gives way to free form, jam style instrumentation with eerily soft and ominous interludes, all the more jaw dropping considering they are a trio unable to buy a beer legally in the states.
Representin’ north Seattle, Thomas Erak (vocals, guitar), Tim Ward (bass, vocals), and Andrew Forsman (drums) formed in high school under the 17th century conflict moniker, Thirty Years War, soon opting for the more romantic, Greek tragedy inspired, The Fall of Troy. They soon recorded their self-titled debut full length on local label Lujo records, in one take no less. The record captured their frenetic energy and raw skills, but production suffered slightly, hindering them from fully realizing their potential.
In 2005, after a prolonged courtship, they signed on with Equal Vision and headed into the studio with producer extraordinaire Barrett Jones (Foo Fighters, Melvins, Jawbox) to craft Doppelganger, a glorious disarray of songs that finds them in defiance of modern musical conventions and refusing to adhere to any one path of expression. It is a case of art, reflecting the series of jagged snapshots found in daily life, coagulating into an organic mess, and single handedly toppling the towers of the contrived.
From the opening David Knudson-esque fret-board tap dancing notes of “I just got this symphony goin’,” to the dancy and melodic “Act one, scene one,” the compositions never let you up to breathe, and is one of those handful of records that come out each year that is stellar front to back.
If there is one knock, it’s that it could use another couple of songs, and that maybe there is TOO much going on musically, but for a generation riddled with ADD, it is a welcome soundtrack. Expect to hear a lot more from The Fall of Troy in 2005. It seems they can do no wrong, and with Fleetwood Mac and Outkast being staples in their tour van, how could you not love these diversified and handsome young men?
