The Fall of Troy is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

Mukilteo, Washington Mukilteo ( ) is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Puget Sound between Edmonds and Everett, approximately north of Seattle. The city had a population of 20,254 at the 2010 census and an estimated 2019 ...

. The band is a trio consisting of

Thomas Erak Thomas Joseph 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 member of the band Just Like Vinyl; as well ...

(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. The trio is known for their technical and dynamic style, unorthodox song structures, energetic stage presence and also for their song "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." which was featured in several video games. The group has released six full-length albums, two EPs, and two singles. 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.

History

The 30 Years War (2002)

Late in his freshman year at

Kamiak High School Kamiak High School is a public high school in Mukilteo, Washington, United States. It was the second high school in the Mukilteo School District when it opened on September 8, 1993. The first and only high school within Mukilteo city limits, i ...

, Erak provided vocals and guitar for the band The Tribune. The band recorded one EP but disbanded by mid-2002. Erak and classmate Mike Munro 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''. 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

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

found a selection they liked".

Self-titled debut album (2003–2004)

In May 2003, the trio entered The Hall of Justice in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

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 This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2003. Specific locations * 2003 in British music * 2003 in Irish music * 2003 in Norwegian music * 2003 in South Korean music Specific genres * 2003 in classical mu ...

) on

Lujo Records Lujo Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 2001 by Erik Aucoin in Louisiana.2006 in music) by

Equal Vision Records Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. The label originally existed solel ...

. 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''.

''Doppelgänger'' and mainstream success (2005–2006)

The band was invited to submit a new demo for Equal Vision, which saw the band working 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 Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from 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 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 ''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...

'' for

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

and in '' MLB 2K6'' for

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

, 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 Matt Bayles (born October 19, 1972) is an American record producer, Mixing engineer, mixer, Audio engineer, engineer, and musician, based in Seattle, Washington. Bayles (pronounced 'Bay-Less') is known for his work with bands such as The Classic ...

(

Minus the Bear Minus the Bear was an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound was described as " Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticate ...

, Botch, Pearl Jam,

Mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

) 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 of The Fall of Troy - live 2007-2

Tim Ward of The Fall of Troy - live 2007-2

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

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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 Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

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 Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), ...

, 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". The trio went on tour spring 2008 with

Foxy Shazam Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio formed in 2004. , the band's lineup consists of lead vocalist Eric Nally, pianist Sky White, trumpeter and backing vocalist Alex Nauth, bassist Trigger Warning, guitarist Devin Williams ...

The Dear Hunter The Dear Hunter is an American progressive rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a member of the Receiving End of Sirens, before becoming his main band in 2006. The band's ...

and

Tera Melos Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...

''Phantom on the Horizon'' (2008)

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. A vinyl edition followed in 2009, with 1,000 clear copies sold through

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...

stores and 1,000 orange copies sold directly from the band's website.

''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 Terry Date (born January 31, 1956) is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in rock genres, especially heavy metal. He is well known for his work with Metal Church, Dream Theater, Soundgarden, Overkill, Pantera, Dark Ang ...

to record the follow-up to ''Manipulator'', which will include "a dozen or so songs" and should be in stores this summer. 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. '' 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. The trio did one of their final interviews with Mario Trevizo of Lexington Music Press. 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 Chiodos (, ) was an American post-hardcore band from Davison, Michigan. Formed in 2001, the group was originally known as “The Light-hearted Carpet Knights” before changing their name to "The Chiodos Bros," the band's name was a tribute to fi ...

. 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. 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

. 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 double 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.

Reunion, ''OK'' and ''Mukiltearth'' (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. During the VIP reunion show, the band announced they would continue making music in 2014 by releasing an album free of charge. In December 2014, Thomas Erak announced that he left Chiodos to focus on The Fall of Troy's new album and his family. The Fall of Troy went on a 10th anniversary U.S. tour of their second album ''Doppelgänger'' in September and November 2015 with

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and

Kylesa Kylesa is an American heavy metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by the former member ...

as direct support for each respective leg. 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 Pay what you want (or PWYW, also referred to as value-for-value model) is a pricing strategy where buyers pay their desired amount for a given commodity. This amount can sometimes include zero. A minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggest ...

model in addition to a limited-edition vinyl version. 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". The group further released ''OK#2'', ''OK#3.1'', and ''OK#3.2'', all of which are alternate/

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

versions of ''OK''. In July 2020, The Fall of Troy announced a new album entitled '' Mukiltearth''. Released in August of that year, the album consists of six re-recorded tracks from ''Martyrs Among the Casualties'' (an EP released when the band was known as The 30 Years War), alongside four newly written tracks. Two songs were posted to YouTube and streaming services following the announcement of the album, titled "We Are The Future" and "Chain Wallet Nike Shoes", with the latter being a re-recording from ''Martyrs Among the Casualties.''

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. Its music has been described as "danceable", however, and the band members have stated to pay as much attention to the

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

as to complex structures. The Fall of Troy is usually categorized as mathcore, post-hardcore,

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

, and

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...

. At the beginning, the main influences of The Fall of Troy were local bands from the Seattle area, including Botch, The Blood Brothers,

Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate is an American emo/indie rock band from Seattle, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran (gui ...

, Raft of Dead Monkeys and Unwed Sailor, in addition to the Texan post-hardcore act

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...

. They have expressed admiration for New Jersey mathcore group

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time si ...

as well: Andrew Forsman singled out drummer Billy Rymer as an inspiration, while Thomas Erak lauded their 1999 debut album, ''

Calculating Infinity ''Calculating Infinity'' is the debut studio album by American metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. Recorded at Trax East Recording Studio in South River, New Jersey, it was produced by engineer Steve Evetts with the band's guitarist Ben Wein ...

''. Forsman has been particularly influenced by

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

artists such as Aphex Twin. Among the artists who have cited The Fall of Troy as an influence are

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and

Closure in Moscow 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 ...

Band members

Current lineup *

– lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion (2002–2010, 2013–present) * Tim Ward – bass guitar, unclean vocals (2002–2007, 2013–present) * Andrew Forsman – drums, keyboards, percussion (2002–2010, 2013–present) Current touring musicians * Jon-Henry Batts – bass guitar, unclean vocals (2019–present) Former members * Frank Ene – bass guitar, unclean vocals (2007–2010) Former touring musicians * Drew Pelisek – bass guitar, unclean vocals (2017–2018) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Compilation contributions

*"Mr. Moustache" (originally by

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

; tribute album ''

Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach ''Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach'' is a tribute album to Nirvana's 1989 debut album, ''Bleach'', performed by various artists. The album was released by Robotic Empire for Record Store Day on April 16, 2016. It also concludes a series Robotic Em ...

'') (2016, Robotic Empire)

Videography

* "Tom Waits (Demo Version)" ( Equal Vision, March 11, 2005) * "Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man's Bones" ( Equal Vision, October 21, 2005) *"F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." ( Equal Vision, May 26, 2006) *"Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them" ( Equal Vision, August 8, 2007) *"Ex-Creations" ( Equal Vision, January 16, 2008) *"The Fall of Troy: Live At The Glasshouse" ( Equal Vision, February 21, 2011) *"We Are The Future" (Self-released, July 17, 2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fall Of Troy, The Musical groups from Washington (state) Equal Vision Records artists Musical groups established in 2002 American musical trios American mathcore musical groups American progressive rock groups American post-hardcore musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 2002 establishments in Washington (state) People from Mukilteo, Washington Metalcore musical groups from Washington (state)