Conversation between musicians, no matter environment or
circumstance, inevitably leads to one undying topic: the ability of other
musicians. From there, that conversation takes the form of either praise or
condescension, reminding me that judgment is an unavoidable aspect of art. One
such conversation brought to my attention the band the Fall of Troy, as another
musician offered accolades to their incredible skills. Intrigued, I decided to
investigate, and picked up an album which firmly defined for me the difference
between playing music and making music: Doppelgänger.
One listen will assure you that composing Doppelgänger must have been a true feat of music; whether or not that composition is even worth that one listen is
entirely more subjective. The sound presented here is extremely technical,
relying on odd song structures, varying time signatures, and no small amount of
forgiveness from the listener. There are quite a few moments when this trio
really connects, producing songs and riffs that are catchy, energetic,
exciting, and damn good—the first five tracks are laden with headbanging riffs
and sing-along melodies that refuse to be ignored. Yet, for the most part, the
composition of the music is so focused towards being an ear-opening piece that
the Fall of Troy seems to have left out its humanity. The band’s attempt to
create a unique and challenging style of music was certainly successful, but at
the cost of their tunes sometimes having as much soul as dial tone.
Whether or not the songs on Doppelgänger are audibly pleasing, no one can deny that the Fall of
Troy is a unit of phenomenal musicians. In a review for Allmusic, Greg Prato
remarks that these musicians “have obviously logged significant amounts of time
‘familiarizing’ themselves with their instruments,”[1]
and indeed, these guys treat their instruments like extensions of the body. Thomas
Erak doesn’t play his guitar—he wields it like a weapon. His style of switching
between colorful chords and modal shredding is grounded by Tim Ward’s drawling
bass and Andrew Forsman’s energetic drumming. Yet while all three members of
the Fall of Troy certainly know their instruments, at times they seem to have
trouble putting it all together in such complicated compositions. Throughout Doppelgänger are buried slight but
noticeable tempo changes which seem more like chances for Tim and Andrew to
catch up rather than musical choices. Furthermore, some riffs are so high-speed
that the band is hard pressed to keep the tune from spiraling into chaos. Part
of the reason for this lies perhaps in how guitar-centric the compositions are.
With each listen, it becomes apparent that the driving force of this band—and
thus its songs—is Erak. His guitar is spouting flames 98% of the time, with the
bass and drums receiving no meaningful feature in any tune. Even the mix
reflects this, as the guitar is blatantly louder than anything else on the
record.
Despite the bog of band relations and technical riffs that
they’ve chosen to navigate, there are a few moments on Doppelgänger where the Fall of Troy really get it, producing a piece that is from the heart more so than the
hands. One such piece is “You Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?” which packs
enough soul to mark the Fall of Troy as a band with which to contend. The song
starts off with an interesting and harmonious guitar riff before collapsing
into a fast-paced melodic-punk onslaught. The band effortlessly switches time
signatures in every verse without losing the groove they’ve established, while
Erak and Ward toss us riff after danceable riff. Really driving this song,
however, is the complex yet graceful drumming of Andrew Forsman, who pounds on
each piece of his kit like a blacksmith. His percussion steers the feel of the
song, taking it from brutal to bouncing without interrupting the flow or
overriding the melody, marking him as a true rhythm-section man. Even the
vocals exude energy and fun, the simple and sparse melody locking down this jam
as a two-minute-masterpiece.
“You Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?” is a
simple and catchy tune, and thus an anomaly on the record. The musicality of Doppelgänger is complex to an extreme,
which unfortunately causes other aspects of the tunes to suffer, especially in the
vocal department. So much time and energy has been thrown into the music that
the vocals and the lyrics accompanying them are little more than footnotes.
With the exception of a chorus or two, every vocal part feels stuffed on top of
this musical casserole, as Thomas and Tim scrounge for melodies to complement
the audio hailstorm they've laid down. And while hard vocals might usually justify
weak melodies, unfortunately for the Fall of Troy, whoever is screaming simply
has no business screaming—the abnormally high range being explored makes the
hard vocals more laughable than respectable, and kicks out the legs from any
energetic excuse the band was relying on. Couple that with lyrics that
universally fail to communicate a story or even connect with each other, and a
massive connection point with the audience has been lost, to everyone's
detriment.
Though a lot on this record isn't working,
the Fall of Troy has one thing going for it: Doppelgänger is interesting. The sound provided by this trio is
certainly original, as they audaciously eschew musical conventions by pumping
this record full of blue notes, modal changes, and harrying time signatures. Most
songs deny any standard song structure, steering away from the mundane
verse-chorus attitude for a more eclectic energy, a factor that, according to
Scot Weber of AbsolutePunk, keeps the record from ever approaching a “cheesy
and predictable”[2]
feeling. Some songs even seem to be separated into small suites, where, to the
band’s credit, riffs are given the room to evolve into something more than
noise. Most notable is the last two minutes of “Act One, Scene One,” where the
band takes a simple chord progression and, though rhythmic and dynamic changes,
allows it to breathe and grow into the most beautiful part of the record.
With Doppelgänger,
the Fall of Troy shows itself as a band with potential and with a specific idea
in mind. As a whole, this record has a voice unique unto itself, an achievement
that cannot be taken lightly; yet few of the songs have enough strength or
appeal to stand on their own. Doppelgänger
testifies itself to the incredible musicianship of the Fall of Troy, while
reminding us while art can be approached and dissected as a science, it cannot
be felt as such.
Tunes to Check Out:
1) "You Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?"
2) Act One, Scene One
3) F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
ADDENDUM:
Tunes to Check Out:
1) "You Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?"
2) Act One, Scene One
3) F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
ADDENDUM:
During my research for this record, I came
across a video interview which featured live footage of the band performing “‘You
Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?’” The fact that these musicians are capable of
reproducing flawless tunes night after night is a testament to both their skill
and their commitment; furthermore, their performance lacks not at all for
presence or energy. Erak's employment of a loop generator offers an interesting
and unique approach to the live performance, as he is able to layer his guitar
riffs for a fuller sound, as well as keep it going while he abandons his ax to
join the crowd in a breakdown that is a brutal yet inviting whirlpool. This
video makes it clear that the music on this record has potential, but when translating
it from the stage to the CD, there are some things that fail to carry over.
