Bio

Mathcore trio the Fall of Troy formed in Mukilteo, Washington in 2002. Singer/guitarist Thomas Erak, singer/bassist Tim Ward, and drummer Andrew Forsman previously collaborated in 30 Years War, a screamo outfit they formed with fellow high school classmate Mike Munro on guitar. After a pair of self-released 2002 EPs, Martyrs Among the Casualties and Live at the Paradox, Munro left the group, citing day-job commitments, and the remaining trio continued as the Fall of Troy, selecting the name as before by randomly opening the pages of a history textbook. Their self-titled debut LP followed on Lujo Records in late 2003. At the time of recording, all three members were still under the age of 17, and apart from a handful of Pacific Northwest dates and a brief California tour, their live schedule was limited until the following year, when they self-released an EP, Ghostship. In mid-2005, the Fall of Troy issued Doppelgänger, their first effort for new label Equal Vision Records. A blistering and chaotic blast with ridiculous song titles, it became an instant classic of the genre. During their April 30, 2006 gig at the Columbus, Ohio venue the Basement, an angry Erak announced, "This is the last song the Fall of Troy will ever play together," but the trio later scotched rumors of their imminent breakup via their official website and entered the studio that December with producer Matt Bayles (Isis, Botch) to record new material. (One lineup change: Ward's place was taken by Frank Ene.) They emerged with the album Manipulator, which surfaced on record shelves in early May 2007, and spring was spent supporting the Deftones on nation-wide dates. The albums Phantom on the Horizon (2008) and In the Unlikely Event (2009) followed, before the group announced their disbandment in 2010. The members went on to form or join other projects, the best-known of which was probably Chiodos. Three years later, however, the Fall of Troy re-formed with a series of shows in which they played their first three albums in their entirety. In 2014, Erak left Chiodos to focus wholly on a new Fall of Troy album, which was finished and released in 2016. Titled OK, it was somewhat less heavy, less complex, and more straightforward than chaotic early classics like Doppelgänger. Their first album to be self-released, it was made available as a free download, with vinyl the only physical format. An alternative mix of the album, OK#2, dropped shortly thereafter. ~ Jason Ankeny & John D. Buchanan