entertainment
Fall of Troy rise again on 'Horizon'
By DYLAN JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
DJJSO43@PSU.EDU
Progressive, hardcore veterans
The Fall of Troy have released
their latest album. "Phantom on
the Horizon," which will knock
your teeth out over and over
again. This selection of songs
might be their best yet.
The concept behind the album
follows the voyage of a Spanish
galleon and the events that occur
when it meets a ghost ship from
an alternate dimension. From the
opening build-up to the closing
breakdown, the Mukilteo, Wash,
three-piece's music does not let
the listener down while it takes
them on a story told through the
mind of The Fall of Troy.
Five years ago, front man
Thomas Erak began composing
material for an early EP known
as "The Ghost ship Demos."
However, the songs were put
on the backburner in order for
the band to complete their full
length release "Doppelganger."
Now, after five years, Erak has
By AMY KIRI3Y
STAFF WRITER
AMIC4O7@PSU.EDU
The Twilight saga for teens has
swept the nation. The saga was
written by Stephenie Meyer, and
is a modern Romeo and Juliet
tale with an unexpected twist.
How do a vampire and mortal co
exist without one destroying the
other? This is what "Twilight,"
"New Moon," "Eclipse," and
"New Dawn" explore.
According to USA Today's
"Top 100 Books of 2008," the
Twilight saga holds the first four
slots The first book, "Twilight,"
was recently made into a major
motion picture, which according
to Ew.com grossed 70.6 million
dollars.
By writing the book in first
person perspective Meyer was
able to explore a young adult's
mind and inner workings. The
brought back the "Ghost ship"
back from the dead. The deck
has been swabbed, the sails set,
and there is even a new crew on
board.
"Phantom on the Horizon" opens
up with "Chapter I: Introverting
Dimensions". The guitar tones
paint an atmosphere of thick fog,
black water, and life aboard the
seven seas. After a three-minute
crescendo, the thunderous drums
of Andrew Forsman beware the
listener of the stormy seas ahead.
From that point on, there is no
turning back.
The song does not follow the
structure of a standard song. It
is divided up into segments that
rise and fall with the events
of the story. For example, as
the Galleon is being attacked,
a climactic guitar solo breaks
through and single-handedly
destroys the ship. After the
chaos, the music slows down
as if being pulled underwater.
Seamlessly, the track ends and
the next begins.
"Chapter II: A Strange
Conversation" furthers the story
In defense of 'Twilight'
story starts with a young adult,
Isabella Swan, "Bella," leaving
her mother's home in Phoenix,
Arizona and moving to Forks,
Washington. Bella describes
Forks as a place where the sun
rarely shines and the normal
weather forecast often includes
along telling about the crew's
encounter in unfamiliar territory.
They have been whisked into a
realm where reality is not what
they once knew. Here, The Fall
of Troy utilizes the new talent
of bassist Frank Black. He and
Erak trade vocals as if they were
the characters. This technique is
one that I enjoy throughout the
album.
As the listener moves onto the
keystone of the album, "Chapter
HI: Nostalgic Mannerisms",
they will hear a brand new
composition from The Fall of
Troy. This track also includes
my favorite moment of the
It is in Forks where she
encounters the Cullens, a family
of "vegetarian vampires" opting
to hunt animals rather then
humans to quench their "thirst."
Carlisle Cullen is the father of the
family, and the youngest of the
Cullens is Edward, who captures
Bella's attention the most.
entire album. Erak launches
into a frenzied riff on his guitar
that does not seem to end. His
technicality is paramount to any
guitar playing I have heard in
my life. The rising action of the
entire album culminates halfway
through "Chapter III," and after
a short resolution, panic mode
sets in.
The opening guitar of "Chapter
N: Enter the Black Demon"
gives a sense of urgency that is
also reflected in the lyrics, "I
hear that dark masked voice that
I thought I only dreamt about/It
tells all of my fears to everyone
else."
At first Bella and Edward's
relationship seems like a
roller coaster of emotions and
adventure. From when Bella first
understands what the Cullens are,
to them trying to be "human," to
the suspenseful chase of James,
a tracker, whose specialty is the
hunt.
Black's vocal work on this
song is classic hardcore. He belts
out intense exclamations of,
"MURDER!" which contrasts
Erak's high-pitched shrill of
mercy. The Captain pleads to
no avail and finally accepts his
defeat in a calming of music that
transitions the album to set up
its finale, "Chapter V: The Walls
Bled Lust".
After a raw twanging of strings,
the song picks up into a catchy
verse riddled with tones of
acceptance and compromise
that "this is just not me/ at this
point you see/ we are finally
satisfactory." Erak tells us that
the only thing left for the Captain
to do is "pick up the pieces".
Then, all hell breaks loose. The
band leaves the listener with an
in-your-face breakdown that is
sure to make the earth tremble. It
is the unexpected and unsettling
conclusion that only The Fall of
Troy could pull off.
"X" marks the spot on "Phantom
on the Horizon" and The Fall of
Troy just dug up gold.
Not only is the first
book "Twilight" full
of suspenseful scenes,
but it also depicts
typical teen emotions
and hormones across
each page.
. The last three books
are equally fascinating
as Bella begins to
encounter werewolves,
and the relationship
they have with the
vampires living on
their back door steps.
Bella also discovers
an ancient clan of
vampires, that live in
Italy, who seem to be the royalty
of all vampires.
The Twilight saga is a series
for those who are not faint of
heart. It is full of adventure with
the right amount of romance to
balance the book.