Review Summary: Not as bad as people make it out to be, the genre is called progressive for a reason, people.
The Fall of Troy's newest release
In The Unlikely Event will no doubt be seen as a regression in some (probably most) fan's eyes. However much their style has changed up, their new album should be judged on its merits alone, not just as another cog in the FOT machine. Its called Progressive for a reason, people.
In The Unlikely Event isn't the band's strongest offering, nor it is their weakest. Actually, to rank it among their catalogue would be kind of foolish, as this is FOT like we've never heard before, for better or for worse. The spastic guitar wankery fans have become accustomed to is still present, albeit in smaller, more subtle passages. Thomas Erak has switched up his trademark screaming for some singing that his French vocal coach girlfriend assures him is good. Uh huh... More on that later. The drumming here is pretty good, but nothing exceptional by FOT standards, which is still damn good in comparison to most bands.
Erak has adopted singing as his primary vocal delivery. At first its horribly grating, but after a few spins of the album, I've come to enjoy the low key way he delivers the lyrics. Sure, his voice isn't the greatest, but it isn't terrible (Jag from A Skylit Drive, Eddie from Arlington Sleeps). The screams are still here, and they are essentially the same, maybe a bit better produced.
The album starts off with "Panic Attack," and is one of the more enjoyable overtly pop tracks present on the CD, and effectively blends Erak's singing with his screaming. The guitar technicality is there, but as mentioned before, it is certainly subdued. With a wah-tastic introductory riff that continues and provides the backbone of the song, the first track is for sure a choice cut from the album. The following track, "Straightjacket Keelhauled" is about as close as
Doppelganger fans will get to nostalgia here, as the track sports some frantic guitar work, dueling scream vocals between Erak and new member Frank Ene, and a hefty solo to close things off.
"Battleship Graveyard" is a damn cool song, with some nice guitar leads and impressive drum fills. A lot of people seem to think that Erak is off key here, but i actually find this track to be a personal favorite, as he mixes some screams in here and there that just work within the track. There's even a breakdown-esque guitar bridge around the 1:45 mark, which is certainly interesting to hear in a FOT song.
Unfortunately, after "Battleship Graveyard" the album begins lagging. "A Classic Case of Transference" and "Single" bring little more than some cool guitar wankin' to the table amidst their pop based format. "Dirty Pillow Talk" briefly picks things back up with some awesome vocal spots from Protest The Hero's Rody Walker and some more of Erak's signature fretwork. "Webs" starts off with a tranquil guitar riff that catches your interest, but once you realize its the same riff throughout the whole four plus minute track, it just turns into tedium.
The final highlight lies in "Walk of Fame", which has time signature changes and vocal delivery as spastic and unpredictable as anything else FOT has done before... well, maybe on
Manipulator. Album closer "Nature vs. Nurture" is okay enough, but the laughable spoken word passage breaks up the momentum of the song and turns it into a joke.
In The Unlikely Event is a worthy addition to The Fall of Troy's discography, and while it may alienate some fans, anyone willing to give it a chance could find a great album under the surface.
