Album Details

• Artist: The Fall Of Troy
• Album: Manipulator
• Label: Equal Vision Records
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: symphony on 2007-05-09

Media

Equal Vision, it can be said, is consistent in two major ways. One, they always manage to sign a band with a high-pitched vocalist (ie: Chiodos, Circa Survive). Two, these bands eventually mature and demonstrate exponential growth with their sophomore album (ie: Circa Survive, the Fall of Troy). This is the case with the junior release of The Fall of Troy, with their second release off EVR. For those aware or slightly unaware, The Fall of Troy are 1/50000 of the Greeks that collapsed the city of Troy (Ilium). Just kidding, they are a three-piece out of Multikeo, WA and their two previous albums were prime examples of some of the most exceptional post-hardcore releases in the genre.

If you were expecting the insane yet familiar screams of Thomas Erak, insane riffs, and odd song titles as you ripped apart the packaging, I'm sorry. You will only be blessed with the odd titles. The riffs, though still insane, are a more sensible level of insane. This is general theme to the album. The music is much cleaner, less cluttered, and less uncalculated. The screams are more calculated and don't dominate every song now. They've changed from what we've grown used to with Doppelganger and are as diverse as the death-metal growls of Enter Shikari and the high-pitched, horror movie falsetto scream of the Blood Brothers. This can be detailed in songs like "The Dark Trail" and "Problem?!"

Even more unique is the fact that occassionally Thomas Erak isn't trying anything elaborate with his vocals and he is just serenading us (though he is no Barry Manilow) like in "Quarter Past" and the intro to "Semi-Friction." Don't believe the difference? Listen to "Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles" off Doppelganger and then listen to the noticeable difference in "Cut Down the Trees and Name the Streets After Them." Without the overproduction, the difference is extremely noticeable. The musical cleanness is also vastly apparent. Intros like "Ex-Creations" are so much more controlled then say "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." At the same time, yet on another totally different spectrum, they can be just as messy as they used to be with "A Man. A Plan. A Canal. A Panama."

I think everyone walked into this release expecting this to be Doppelganger with an occassional twist but in reality it's radically different. They've grown up but proof stated tells you that they've still clung to their old foundations. This is their strongest assembly of of songs yet. They are still capable of assembling memorable epics with memorable touches from the past yet they can also compile new epics new touches of a new kind of messyness (ie: "Seattlantis" I didn't get to mention this song throughout the review, but it is too good to leave out) that just leave you wanting more, more, more.

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2007-05-29 blackxdan Said:

I completely agree with this review. Although I must agree, I was one of the idiots expecting another Doppleganger, I was surprised with Manipulator. I was a bit skeptical when I heard the first couple of track from the album, I didnt really know if I liked it or not. But after listening to the album some more, I have learned to like it. You're right, there are small traits of Doppleganger in this album [the solo in Semi-Fiction] I think the thing that surprised me the most, was that there was more song structure, whereas there was no song structure before. But yeah, if you give this CD a chance, then I believe it could become one of your favorite albums.
Rating: 7/10

on 2007-05-04 dscanland Said:

I thought this was a great album.
Rating: 9/10