A beginner’s guide to post-hardcore #5
Lesson 5: The Fall of Troy
This week’s band have arguably had the most mainstream success out of all the bands that will feature in this series and prove that post-hardcore music, while perhaps a relatively niche genre, comes in various shapes and sizes.
The Fall of Troy split recently after their brief but fruitful career. They released their first full-length album when they were just 17-years-old, to vast underground success. This then led to them being asked to return to the studio to record their second release Doppelgänger and boy did they deliver. This album is a milestone in the history of post-hardcore and rock music in general. I truly can’t stress enough how much of a masterpiece this record is, and if you like any type of heavy rock then you have to listen to it at least once. When you listen to Doppelgänger, or any of their albums for that matter, you realise that The Fall of Troy don’t mess about. On putting the CD into the player, you’re ears are immediately graced with a wailing tapping riff from guitarist and singer Thomas Erak (who most fans consider something of a deity) and this opening explosion of noise seems to just continue for the duration of the album.
The band is known for Erak’s immense guitar playing skill with every lick being something special, whether it‘s a heavy breakdown or intricate math-style piece. For this reason, the band is widely loved by guitar players of all musical preference. Doppelgänger brought The Fall of Troy (relatively minor) mainstream success, mainly from the track ‘F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X’ which was featured in several video games including Guitar Hero III. Although this track is not one of their best, if you are new to hardcore then I would definitely recommend it to ‘break you in’ so to speak.
Their subsequent albums saw them drop such an aggressive line in the song-writing procedure, although they continued to show great musical skill. If you like your hardcore hard then stick to the older stuff and check out the recommendation below, if not then what the fuck are you doing here anyway you pansyman!? Nah, just kidding, try ‘F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X’ for something a bit softer and remember to come back next week when I’ll be cracking into the UK underground scene; it’s going to be a good’un!
Writer’s Recommendation
Listen to ‘Laces Out, Dan!’ – a personal favourite of mine, although a bit heavier than some of their other tracks.
