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The Fall of Troy helped to shape a lot of the progressive and math rock leaning post hardcore sounds in the early to mid-2000s, as their 2003 self-titled effort and follow-up Doppelgänger emphasized frantic yet memorable riffs and screamed/sung vocals that had some sass to them. Following 2009’s rocky outing In the Unlikely Event they would disband for a few years but return in 2016 and continue tweaking their approach. Since the reunion singer/guitarist Thomas Erak has hinted at solo material, releasing singles and EPs under a few different names that all sounded fairly different from each other. This year that long hinted at album has finally come to fruition under the band name Thomas Erak & The Ouroboros, and (AU) feels like a natural distillation of the genres Erak helped shape twenty years ago while also pushing into new territory. It does run a tad bit long, but the amount of ground (AU) covers distinguishes it from his other work.
Some of The Fall of Troy’s post-reunion material lightened things up a bit, but Thomas Erak & The Ouroboros heads towards a darker and heavier direction throughout its first half. There’s still plenty of post hardcore DNA to (AU), but this is also the most metallic Erak’s work has sounded in some time and it proves to be a lot grittier than listeners might expect. Opener “Unlawful Assembly” has a bouncier rhythm and denser melody that gives off Converge vibes, but opens up into a wall of proggy instrumentation around the three quarter mark. “Conjugal Visits” initially sounds much closer to The Fall of Troy with its sudden tempo shifts and jagged edges, but it too transforms around the halfway point and unleashes some lead guitar that is closer to black metal in its tonality. While the first half goes for a lot denser and darker instrumentation, there are bright spots and when the melodies do kick in they have that same catchiness as Erak’s other work. There’s a lot to take in, and it often feels like the instrumentals are fusing a little bit of everything progressive and post hardcore from twenty years ago while still retaining a unique identity. “DCLXVI (666)” initially comes off as a mixture of Bedlam era The Mars Volta fused with earlier The Fall of Troy, while “How High Is Your I.Q.?” has some hints of mid-period Coheed and Cambria. But there are always twists and turns that shake things up, whether it’s the extended period of noise on “Colic” or shoegaze leaning direction of closer “Wormhole”. There’s a good balance of the complex and more straightforward hooks, though some of the tracks overstay their welcome and do drag a bit. But the amount of standout moments outweigh those that come and go, making (AU) an album that has staying power.
Erak’s vocal performances have had some ups and downs over the past two decades, as the self-titled through Manipulator had plenty of high points while In the Unlikely Event just sounded off when it came to both singing and screaming. His screams may not quite be as razor sharp as they once were, but (AU) makes up for it with sheer variety and Erak showcases he’s got plenty left in the tank. “Unlawful Assembly” has yells that are similar to Jacob Bannon’s cleaner ranges, but there is plenty of higher pitched screaming and mellower singing. The screams do sound a bit hoarse compared to some of The Fall of Troy’s discography, but they get the job done and work well with the instrumentation. It’s the singing that really sold me on the album though, as Erak sounds fantastic when it comes to this pitch. Tracks like “How High Is Your I.Q.?” soar towards more of an alternative sound, while others find him sounding very close to Cedric Bixler-Zavala. It’s clear that just as much time has been spent fine tuning the vocal work, and even with some limitations on the harsher side of the spectrum there’s plenty to like about what (AU) brings to the table.
No matter what Thomas Erak does there is always going to be some riffs and vocal cadences that capture the same feel as what he did with The Fall of Troy. But (AU) genuinely pushes past that foundation of frantic riffing and harsh/melodic transitions, pulling in some much heavier and metallic tonality alongside ideas that feel like a love letter to everything post hardcore and progressive from decades past. Some songs do drag and occasionally the mix gets a little muddy, but much of this album brings me the same sense of spontaneity and surprise as Doppelgänger did twenty years ago and that’s something to be celebrated. (AU) is available from Equal Vision Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg