The Fall of Troy

Table of Contents

Albums

eponymous (2003)

eponymous cover

  1. “Rockstar Nailbomb!”
  2. “Spartacus”
  3. “The Circus That Has Brought Us Back To These Nights (Yo Chocola)”
  4. “Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles”
  5. “The Last March of the Ents”
  6. “F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P.”
  7. “Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones”
  8. “Reassurance Rests In the Sea”
  9. “The Adventures of Allan Gordon”
  10. “I Just Got This Symphony Goin’”
  11. “What Sound Does A Mastodon Make?”

Imagine the Blood Brothers and the Mars Volta had a bastard love child who, naturally, was addicted to every drug possible. This would be the Fall of Troy, or at least they’d be mighty similar. After 41 minutes and 2 seconds, the Fall of Troy definitely succeed in defining themselves as a band to watch out for in the future. Within seconds of hearing the opening riff of “Rockstar Nailbomb!” you’ll be knocked back in your seat as the guitarwork explodes from the speakers along with guitarist/vocalist Thomas Erak’s shrieking voice. Soon enough though, the beat morphs into some queer hybrid of hardcore and dance-punk. The song continues this interplay between ultra fast guitar riffs and jazzy dance rhythm sections until it hits a brick wall and explodes into a heavy breakdown finishing off the track.

“Reassurance Rests In the Sea” is one of the better tracks on the album. It starts off with a simple enough start-stop rhythm which builds and builds as the guitar gets faster and faster until the soothing vocals break up your expectations of a hard hitting punch to the jaw. Just as you let your guard down you get kicked right between the legs with a powerful force of noise and screaming. The beauty of it is how the song then quiets right down after the chorus into a very down-tempo simple bass line. This then starts the whole cycle all over again building and building until...—silence—...it hits you right in the fucking face again with another chorus before disappearing without a trace.

The album finishes off with a seven-minute epic of dynamic rhythms and scattershot guitar riffs. A true masterpiece for any fan of insanity-inducing hardcore. “What Sound Does A Mastadon Make?” encompasses all of the different styles explored throughout the tracks before it in one giant recap. The song takes so many random left turns before coming to a close you wouldn’t even realise that you’ve been listening to it for seven minutes. Finally, as the final seconds close out, the pace breaks down to a slow, simple, lullaby-esque melody, fading the track and the album into the darkness.

This style of music may not be for everyone, but for anyone interested in broadening their musical scope, this is definitely a band to check out as you won’t be disappointed by their unique feel.

Jon Wenek

Last modified on Sunday, December 5, 2021.