Fall of Troy @ Showbox

The tone for the evening was set before all the lights had been drawn, before the sound checks had fully finished.

Before you could run in line and grab a beer, the crowd surfing had already begun.

Fall of Troy took to the stage with an energy that matched the eagerness of the fans. Lead singer Thomas Erak’s spirited presence would be completely difficult to go unnoticed as he danced and careened his guitar high into the air. Still heavily strumming, he dropped to his knees as if to surrender to the crowd. Erak’s voice, however, never faltered.

As the surfing continued, Erak managed to fist pump many of the oncoming flailing body parts. A sea of fans rocked the floor, and at one moment he sensed his opportunity to join the wall of bodies. Erak jumped into the crowd while still managing to sing and play his guitar, and the elated fans around him fervently exchanged faces of did that just happen?! Not only were bassist Tim Ward and drummer Andrew Forsman backing up Erak’s vocals at this point, but the entire Showbox venue sang together. One got the sense that a unified army was approaching to destroy a certain city…

Fall of Troy’s intricate time signature is in step with their very complex guitar arrangements. When Ward’s howling screams and Erak’s clean vocals intertwined among Forsman’s beating pulse that was his drum set, the end result was a beautiful, melodic chaos.

Since disbanding in February of 2010, Fall of Troy had graced the stage only a handful of times late last year in Austin, Texas. The sighting at the Showbox was a rare chance to dust off an old favorite, and although the band has stated via their Facebook page that they do plan to tour and put out new music this year, for an avid fan this show was validation of the promises to come.

The opening bands for Fall of Troy were Sailor Mouth and Tacos! Sailor Mouth’s energy brought the crowd out and pushed the pit to a formidable size with their hard, metal sounds. The singer’s energy and skill with the mic stand were something to be reckoned with. The two person band that made up Tacos! created a mesmerizing visual. The drummer was on slaughter mode (while in a leopard skin leotard, I might add) while singing the weighty chorus lines. Both opening acts were nice complements to Fall of Troy and the show never left the audience out of anything but full swing.

Set List:

The Hol[ ]y Tape…
Laces Out, Dan!
Rockstar Nailbomb!
I Just Got This Symphony Goin
Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles
Act One, Scene One
You Got a Death Wish, Johnny Truant?
Reassurance Rests in the Sea
Quarter Past
Seattlantis
We Better Learn to Hotwire a Uterus
Sledgehammer
Semi-Fiction
Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them
Wacko Jacko
What Sound Does a Mastodon Make?
Chapter I: Introverting Dimensions
F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
Chapter V: The Walls Bled Lust