The Fall of Troy is an American post-hardcore band from Mukilteo, Washington. The band is a trio consisting of Thomas Erak (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Andrew Forsman (drums, percussion) and Tim Ward (bass, screamed vocals) who was later replaced by Frank Ene following his departure from the band in late 2007. Ene would remain in the band until their initial break-up in 2010, but Ward rejoined the band in Ene's place for their reunion in 2013. Drew Pelisek, formerly of CHON, has been touring with the band on bass and backing vocals since 2017 and both he and Ward are considered to be official members
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been applied to a broad constellation of groups. Post-hardcore began in the 1980s with bands like Hüsker Dü, Black Flag, and Minutemen. The genre expanded in the 1980s and 1990s with releases by bands from cities that had established hardcore scenes, such as Fugazi from Washington, D.C. as well as groups such as Big Black and Jawbox that stuck closer to post-hardcore's noise rock roots. In the 2000s, post-hardcore achieved mainstream success with the popularity of bands like My Chemical Romance, AFI, Hawthorne Heights, The Used, At the Drive-In and Senses Fail. In the 2010s, post-hardcore bands like Sleeping With Sirens and Pierce the Veil achieved success and bands like Title Fight and La Dispute experienced underground popularity.
Mukilteo is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Puget Sound between Edmonds and Everett, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. The city had a population of 20,254 at the 2010 census.
Thomas Erak is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Mukilteo, Washington, best known as a founding member of the Seattle-based progressive mathcore band, The Fall of Troy and as a former member of the band Chiodos.
The trio is known for their technical and dynamic style, unorthodox song structures and energetic stage presence. The group has released five full-length albums, two EPs, and one single. Prior to The Fall of Troy's formation, when each member was about 17 years old, all three founding members were in another group named The 30 Years War, who released two EPs.
An extended play record, often referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. EPs generally contain a minimum of four tracks and maximum of six tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well.
History
The 30 Years War (2002)
Thomas Erak live in 2007
In his late freshman year at Kamiak High School, Erak provided vocals and guitar for the band The Tribune. The band recorded one EP but disbanded by mid-2002. Munro and Erak then started a four-piece hardcore band under the name The 30 Years War. The band was rounded out with drummer Andrew Forsman. The group had originally intended a much mellower sound than employed. Erak stayed on guitar and vocals, Munro moved to second guitar, and bass and drums were filled by Tim Ward and Forsman respectively. During the life of The 30 Years War, two EPs were independently released, entitled Martyrs Among the Casualties and Live at the Paradox.
Kamiak High School is a public high school in Mukilteo, Washington. It opened in September 1993. The school was built to accommodate overflow population from the overcrowded Mariner High School, and was the second high school in the Mukilteo School District.
Just as The 30 Years War were about to go into the studio to record again, Munro quit, stating that school commitments rendered him unable to continue playing with the band. After Munro left, the band changed its name to "The Fall of Troy" using the same method with which they had chosen their previous name: "opening a history textbook and pointing at a random location until [they] found a selection they liked".
Self-titled debut album (2003–2004)
In May 2003 the trio entered The Hall of Justice in Seattle, Washington with producer Joel M. Brown to record their first full length. They were all about 17 and a half years of age, and the album was recorded in one take over their spring break in one week. The album was released on November 4, 2003 (see 2003 in music) on Lujo Records, and reissued on August 22, 2006 (see 2006 in music) by Equal Vision Records.
The Fall of Troy is the debut studio album by The Fall of Troy.
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2003.
Lujo Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 2001 by Erik Aucoin while he was a student at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. In 2004, Lujo Records moved to Washington, D.C., and Jocelyn Toews bought 50% of the label. In 2006 Aucoin and Toews married and in 2008 they moved the label to Palo Alto, California. Lujo has released records by The Fall of Troy, Look Mexico, The Dark Romantics, Baby Teeth, Pomegranates and more.
The trio also recorded their independently released Ghostship EP shortly after the release of the self-titled, in 2004. Early versions of the demos included keyboards by Jesse Erickson of Mukilteo, WA and had no vocals. The demos on the Ghostship EP; Part I, II, IV, and V, showcase the Phantom on the Horizon concept album, while "Macaulay McCulkin" is on 2005's Doppelgänger.
Phantom on the Horizon is a concept EP by American progressive rock band The Fall of Troy that was released on November 28, 2008 through Equal Vision Records. It is the completed version of the Ghostship Demos EP that the band released in 2004. This rerecorded version of the original demos features five "chapters" and was produced by Casey Bates.
Doppelgänger is the second full-length album from American mathcore band The Fall of Troy, which followed up the band's bootlegged Ghostship Demos EP from 2004 as well as their self-titled LP from 2003. Four of the songs were re-recorded versions of tracks from the self-titled album, hence the name Doppelgänger. "Macaulay McCulkin" was taken from the Ghostship Demos EP.
Doppelgänger and mainstream success (2005–2006)
The band was invited to submit a new demo for Equal Vision, which saw the band hooking up with Ghostship producers Gordon Edward Greenwood III and Dustin Kochel once again. The resulting two tracks were "Tom Waits" and "Laces Out, Dan". Equal Vision used these tracks as promos for the yet to be recorded album.
In March 2005, the band entered the studio to record their second album, titled Doppelgänger. It was released on August 16, 2005 in Compact Disc and vinyl format, which also had alternate artwork. The trio started touring extensively from the release of Doppelgänger through the first quarter of 2006.
"F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." was released as the only single from the album, and has led to some recent mainstream success. The music video was released June 6, 2006 and received massive airplay on MTV and FUSE. The song was featured in Saints Row for Xbox 360 and in MLB 2K6 for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP and Xbox 360. The song is also featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Manipulator (2006–2007)
In mid-December 2006, the band entered the studio with producer Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Botch, Pearl Jam, Mastodon) to begin work on their third full-length album Manipulator. The album achieved 4 out of 5 K's in Kerrang! magazine and 7 out of 10 from Metal Hammer magazine.
Tim Ward in 2007.
The album features Nouela Johnston of the Seattle band People Eating People contributing vocal and keyboard parts to many songs. The album includes the previously written, "Seattlantis," and mostly all new material, including songs such as, "Problem!?," "Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them," and a song with the palindromic title, "A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama." Before its release date the band stated that the first single from Manipulator would be "Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them," which was also the first song released to the public on the band's MySpace. The music video for this song was released August 8, 2007, also on the band's MySpace.
To support Manipulator, the band went on tour with and opened for Deftones in the summer of 2007. Footage of this tour was used for the single, "Ex-Creations," which was released later on January 16, 2008 on MySpace as well.
In late November 2007, during their tour with Coheed and Cambria, Timothy took a break from the band. It was later confirmed by the band that he had left the band due to stress. He was replaced by Frank Ene of the band "...Of Stalwart Fads".
On November 28, 2008, Phantom on the Horizon was released. The EP features all five Ghostship parts, with interludes. Erak has described the album as "one song separated by tracks." The album was played in its entirety on their West Coast and East Coast tours, followed by some "deep cuts" from the group's catalogue each night of the tour. Only 3,000 copies have been pressed (despite the misprint reverse side of the Phantom on the Horizon CD casing numbering the CD's out of a total of 3,300) and were sold online and at shows. After the 1500 physical copies held aside for online ordering sold out on December 1, an MP3 version of the album became available online retailers such as iTunes.[1] A vinyl edition followed in 2009, with 1,000 clear copies sold through Hot Topic stores and 1,000 orange copies sold directly from the band's website.[2]
In the Unlikely Event, break up and new bands (2009–2013)
On February 26, 2009, The Fall of Troy confirmed on their website and their MySpace profile that they were entering the studio that week with producer Terry Date to record the follow-up to Manipulator, which will include "a dozen or so songs" and should be in stores this summer.[3] It was revealed on April 30, 2009 that Rody Walker, lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, Protest The Hero, would make a guest appearance on the record.[4]In the Unlikely Event, their fourth studio album, was released on October 6, 2009.
On February 26, 2010, The Fall of Troy announced that they would disband after completing a spring US tour.[5]
The trio did one of their final interviews with Mario Trevizo of Lexington Music Press.[6]
Following Fall of Troy's breakup, Thomas Erak went on to form Just Like Vinyl. In January 2013, it was announced that Erak joined the post-hardcore band Chiodos.[7] Andrew Forsman replaced Erak as drummer of the local band The Monday Mornings in 2010. Tim Ward relocated to Idaho following his removal from The Fall of Troy and has been recording and releasing demos online under the monikers Messed Up Coyote, Cool Timmy, Trash Kids, Dorothey Valens, and Stranger Danger. Frank Ene formed the band Chineke in 2010 as lead guitarist and vocalist, who are currently working on releasing a full-length album. On February 21, 2011, Thomas announced the releasing of a live video named The Fall of Troy: Live at the Glasshouse. It was filmed in Pomona, CA, on October 12, 2009.
In August 2011, Enjoy The Ride Records reissued The Fall Of Troy's Doppelganger on vinyl. Only 1,500 copies were pressed, 1,000 of these featuring a black and red split coloring and sold at Hot Topic. The other 500 feature a black and red split with added "bone splatter" coloring and were sold online. In November 2011, Enjoy The Ride Records reissued 2007's Manipulator on vinyl as a douple LP. Only 1,000 copies were pressed with 500 featuring a blue, pink, and orange split on LP1 and a black, white, and grey split on LP2 exclusive to Enjoy The Ride Records' website. The other 500 were once again sold at Hot Topic featuring the same colors in a spiral swirl.[8]
Reunion and OK (2013–present)
The original lineup of The Fall of Troy reunited for three nights in December 2013 in Austin, Texas. Each night, the band performed one of their first three albums (The Fall of Troy, Doppelgänger and Manipulator) in their entirety.[9] During the VIP reunion show, the band announced they would continue making music in 2014 by releasing an album free of charge.[10] In December 2014, Thomas Erak announced that he left Chiodos to focus on The Fall of Troy's new album and his family.[11] The Fall of Troy went on a 10th anniversary U.S. tour of their second album Doppelgänger in September and November 2015 with And So I Watch You from Afar and Kylesa as direct support for each respective leg.[12]
After two years of teases and updates, The Fall of Troy formally announced its fifth studio album and follow-up to 2009's In the Unlikely Event. The new album, titled OK, was self-released on April 20, 2016 (three weeks after its formal announcement) through the band's website for a pay what you want model in addition to a limited-edition vinyl version.[13] Coinciding with the album's announcement, the band posted the track "401k" for online streaming followed by a music video for the track "Inside Out".[14][15] The group further released OK#2, OK#3.1, and OK#3.2, all of which are alternate/instrumental versions of OK. [16][17][18]
Musical style and influences
The Fall of Troy is characterized by a technical, intricate style, unorthodox song structures and energetic live performances. Thomas Erak's alternating guitar riffs and rhythmic chord work, paired with odd time signatures set the band apart from other post-hardcore bands. They also include abrupt transitions between melody and dissonance, as well as interchanging clean vocals and screams which was often split between Erak and Ward, respectively.[19][20] Its music has been described as "danceable", however, and the band members have stated to pay as much attention to the groove as to complex structures.[21] The Fall of Troy is usually categorized as mathcore,[22][23] post-hardcore[24] and screamo.[25]
"The Fall Of Troy: Live At The Glasshouse" (Equal Vision, February 21, 2011)
Related Research Articles
Through Being Cool is the second studio album by American rock band Saves the Day, released on November 2, 1999 by Equal Vision. The songs on Through Being Cool were written while the band members attended New York University. The album was recorded in 11 days and represented the band's transition from a melodic hardcore sound to a more pop punk style. It was produced by Steve Evetts at Trax East Recording Studio in South River, New Jersey. The band's members dropped out of college to tour alongside Snapcase, New Found Glory, Hot Water Music, and Face to Face, among others. A music video was filmed for the song "Shoulder to the Wheel" which the band later regretted making.
Converge is an American hardcore punk band formed by vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990. During the recording of their seminal fourth album Jane Doe, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. They have released nine studio albums, three live albums, and numerous EPs. The band's sound is rooted in both hardcore punk and heavy metal, and they are considered pioneers of metalcore as well as its subgenre mathcore.
Anthony Green is an American singer and musician from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He is currently the lead singer of Circa Survive, Saosin, and The Sound of Animals Fighting while also maintaining a solo career. He was previously in the bands Audience of One, Jeer at Rome, High and Driving, and Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer. Green is known for his distinctive, high vocal timbre.
Chiodos was an American post-hardcore band from Davison, Michigan. Formed in 2001, the group was originally known as "The Chiodos Bros," the band's name was a tribute to filmmakers Stephen, Charles, and Edward Chiodo, responsible for the film Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Chiodos released their first full-length album, titled All's Well That Ends Well, on July 26, 2005. Their second album, Bone Palace Ballet, was released in North America on September 4, 2007 and debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Independent Albums. Warner Bros. Records released Bone Palace Ballet on January 26, 2009, as part of a new distribution deal in the UK. They released their third studio album, Illuminaudio in 2010, and it was the only studio album to feature Brandon Bolmer as lead vocalist and Tanner Wayne as drummer. The band released their fourth and final album, Devil on April 1, 2014, which marked the return of original vocalist Craig Owens and fan favorite drummer Derrick Frost.
Andrew Forsman is an American drummer and percussionist from Mukilteo, Washington, known as one of the founding members of the Seattle-based progressive rock band The Fall of Troy.
Tim Ward is an American musician best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist for the Mukilteo, Washington based prog-rock band The Fall of Troy and as a singer and guitarist for the band Trash Kids.
Manipulator is the third studio album from Mukilteo, Washington's The Fall of Troy. It was released on May 1, 2007 through Equal Vision Records, and is the follow-up to their previous 2005 effort, Doppelgänger. The title of the album is taken from the song "Sledgehammer".
Closure in Moscow is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2006. The group is composed of guitarist-singer Mansur Zennelli, guitarist Michael Barrett, drummer Salvatore Aidone, bassist Duncan Millar and lead singer Christopher de Cinque. To date they have released one extended-play and two full-length studio albums: The Penance and the Patience (2008), First Temple (2009) and Pink Lemonade (2014) respectively. The band has reached notable success throughout the international rock circuit for their stellar live performances and avant garde sound.
Cinematic Sunrise was a pop punk American band signed to Equal Vision Records. It consisted of Craig Owens (vocals) and Bradley Bell (piano), along with Bryan Beeler (guitar), Marcus VanKirk (bass), Nick Martin (guitar), and Dave Shapiro (drums).
Craigery "Craig" Owens is an American musician best known as the former lead vocalist of Chiodos. He has also had an involvement in various projects such as badXchannels, Cinematic Sunrise, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Isles & Glaciers, and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows. He has recorded as a solo artist and appeared in the 2012 film K-11. He currently performs under the stage name badXchannels.
In the Unlikely Event is the fourth full-length album by American mathcore band The Fall of Troy, that was released on October 6, 2009. The album was recorded with producer Terry Date and is the only full-length album to feature bassist Frank Ene. It was recorded at Studio Lithio. The album featured a slightly less aggressive style compared to the band's earlier work, in turn facing mixed critical reception.
A Flair for the Dramatic is the debut studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil.
Kurt Thomas Travis is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Sacramento, California. He is best known as the former lead vocalist for the post-hardcore bands Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds. He is currently part of American post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over.
Illuminaudio is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Chiodos. It was released on October 5, 2010 through Equal Vision Records. Illuminaudio is the first and only studio album from the band with vocalist Brandon Bolmer, formerly of Yesterdays Rising, after the departure of Craig Owens. Owens would return to the band in 2012, replacing Bolmer. This is also the first and only album with drummer Tanner Wayne, formerly of Underminded. He would leave the band in 2012, to be replaced by former drummer Derrick Frost. This is also the last album with original guitarist Jason Hale. He would leave the band in 2012 to be replaced by The Fall of Troy's guitarist and vocalist Thomas Erak. As of March 2014, the album has sold 49,000 copies in the United States.
Devil is the fourth and final studio album by Michigan post-hardcore band Chiodos, released on April 1st, 2014. The album takes its name from the band's definition of the word "Devil." Returning vocalist Craig Owens explains:
OK is the fifth studio album by American mathcore band The Fall of Troy, released on April 20, 2016. The album was self-released for free on the band's website, and the first release since their 2009 album, In the Unlikely Event, and the first since their reunion in 2013. In May the same year released OK#2, an alternative and more raw mix of OK, which was also released for free. Two further versions, OK#3.1 and OK#3.2, instrumental versions of both OK and OK#2, respectively, were released for free on their website.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
