If you’re a fan of the Fall of Troy, you’ve probably heard their Ghostship demos, and those demos might be a big reason that you enjoy them so much. Well, that’s right, they FINALLY finished the album. They’ve been working on these songs for five years, polishing and nurturing them. You might think they look like just another band, but this three piece is different. They’ve put together a concept album that would make Rush proud.

Instead of reviewing songs like I want to, I’m going to cover different points of the album.

Vocals- I’ve been reading that some people don’t like the new vocals for these tracks. I don’t know about you, but I like it when people only scream when necessary. Oh? You’re a indiefuck scene asshole that only likes “post-punk” and “scene metal” so you like Underoath and their “screams”? Are they xxxhxcxxx? Do you like it in your butt?
The Fall of Troy is known for screaming a good bit in their songs, but the way they handle it on POTH is different. Thom and Frank sing and throw the occasional screech of death. Franks vocals work well with Thoms. (Frank used to be a lead singer/guitarist for Of Stalwart Fads I think, so he’s had his experience). Thom does better than he has done on any album, but the best vocals on the album are not his. Check out 2:25 on Chapter II. Yea- that’s the singer from Schoolyard Heroes, longtime friends of TFOT. She brings the intensity up to 11 with her operatic voice.

Lyrics/Story- All you need to know is that the lyrics are solid, and the story is crazy. It is about a group sailing when a Ghostship attacks, and at some point a demon enters Thoms head. Shit goes haywire. What is odd is that the lyrics even hold up when they go into a spoken word poetry section read by Thom’s girlfriend. “In the darkness of your mind, I’ll stand by your side and remove all your fear. I’ll eat you alive my dear.” Most spoken parts in songs sound cheesy (check out The Necromancer by Rush, you’ll lol despite it being a good song).

Guitar- Fuck me sideways. I’m really not even going to talk about this. Seriously. Insane. Insane. Insane. This CD has some quiet guitar parts that would make Dragonforce shake in their boots. Listen to this with headphones to get the full effect.

Bass- Frank has improved the quality of bass playing on this album. As simple and generic as that sentence is, it is fully true. And since he’s black, he obviously is good. (YAY RACISM!) But to be honest, Frank actually worked with and changed up some stuff occasionally, BUT they turned him down way too low in the mix. A little bit more volume would help, but still solid.

Drums- Second biggest improvement from vocals. In the four year time from the demos, Andrew has improved his playing immensely. Just check out the drum solo at the end of Part III. His work with Frank is better than it was with Ward’s, sometimes playing a more jazz style than punk with their bass and bass drum working together, which is how it should be in music.

Interludes- Trippy, intense, and fitting. At some point it kinda sounds a little bit like a solo Omar album…

Pros- All of the above
Cons- Franks bass turned down too low, and might be too crazy for you if you’re a wuss or you like shitty music.

No need to actually make this review any longer. Get this fucking album now. They only made 3000 copes to sell though. And if you missed out on the preorder (which sold out), and you cant make it to the west coast for their tour with Number Twelve Looks Like You (jazz fusion metal), then you gotta download this baby. But TFOT supports that, so who cares?

On a side note, go see these guys live. Did you think Rock and Roll was dead? (If you say that it isn’t dead, and that GH and RB revive it, just remember that Miley Cyrus likes Guitar Hero. Those games are ruining rock as we know it with the Jonas Brothers.) Fuck no! Thomas Erak is THE definition of rockstar. You might hear him playing something and think, “how the hell does he do that?” But then you realize he is singing at the same time. Then you see him live, watch him get a concussion on the first song, and then he plays an hour set anyway inside a 125 degree building, all the while jumping into the crowd and flailing around every single song… and he still manages to get many many hot chicks despite smelling and sweating more than anyone in the area. Not to mention, the band is very real, and will even do drugs with you if you bring them…