Artist: The Fall of Troy
Album: Manipulator
Label: Equal Vision Records
Purchase: SmartPunk
Release Date: May 1st, 2007

Overall: 9.0
Music: 10
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 9.0

It’s almost seven thirty in the evening and my feet are cold after walking outside without any shoes on. The house is silent and empty, like a pirate ship sitting at the bottom of the ocean. The sun is disappearing and the glow from the television is radiating into the living room. My headphones are placed over my ears and the sudden ensemble of a three-piece band enters my left and right eardrum. I am now descending into a brightly lit cave with a new sensation of musical brilliance sitting in the center, waiting to be discovered.

Records tend to be overly anticipated and when the record is released, everyone is let down and left in a state of perplexity. The Fall of Troy created a name for themselves with the impressive guitar work, catchy chorus, in your face screaming, and melodic screaming. With two releases under their belt, the band has a cult following with message boards overflowing with speculation and gossip from fans of all walks of life. “Manipulator” was a familiar word in the fans’ vocabulary and the hype was overpowering. The record was released and the hype was over. “Manipulator” is a work of masterpiece that is both career-defining and impressive.

The Fall of Troy still incorporates their familiar elements, but they have progressed, matured, and overall grown as musicians. It’s as if the band decided to throw all the genres this world has seen into a bag, shook it up to make sure a mixture is created, and spilled the contents on the recording equipment. There is everything from a little jazz to fast-paced, catchy melodies that will wrap its arms around your memory for weeks.

“Manipulator” is a progression of The Fall of Troy’s last two releases, but also showcases what they are capable of. The heavy parts are heavier. The melodic parts are catchier. After listening to the record, you begin to realizing that a band doesn’t need eight members to have a full-sounding record. The Fall of Troy has three solid members. Three members that are above most bands in talent and creativity. The singing has improved and is a lot cleaner. The screams have a wide range and are a lot heavier. Some lyrics will make you laugh, other lyrics will make you sit down, reread them, and think about what they mean.

The Fall of Troy has become one of those bands that fans can easily identify because of their unique sound. The band is ahead of the curve and doing something most bands are too terrified to do. The Fall of Troy is making the music that they want to, but also putting every ounce of creativity into the riffs, beats, yells, and singing. “Manipulator” is a perfect example of what music should sound like, with enough experimentation to drown the state of California.

The Fall of Troy’s “Manipulator” is impressive, first-rate, and shaping out to be a cult classic. The songs are catchy and diverse, leaving you wanting to replay the entire record all over again. “Manipulator” is like the Chipotle burrito you eat after eating peanut butter sandwiches for eighteen years straight. Refreshing and so filling.

Track Listing
1. Cut Down All The Trees And Name The Streets After Them
2. The Dark Trail
3. Quarter Past
4. Problem!?
5. Semi-Fiction
6. Oh, The Casino!
7. Sledgehammer
8. Seattlantis
9. Ex-Creations
10. Shhh! If You’re Quiet I’ll Show You A Dinosaur
11. Caught Up
12. A Man A Plan a Canal-Panama