Composer/Musician Reacts to The Fall of Troy - A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama. (REACTION!!!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2020
- Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on
ORIGINAL VIDEO: • The Fall of Troy "A Ma...
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Appreciate the honest opinion of our band my man. That song was kinda a jarring step into our band. It wasn’t meant to be a wild opus and was the last song of that record. Check out our record “OK”. It’s newer and after our hiatus. Or check out “Doppelganger” which was the record before this one, and had cleaner production. Hope you check more stuff out! - Thomas Erak
I'll definitely be checking out more. I totally understand that no one song can truly encompass or display the width of skills, writing or performing, that a band has. Not only can a band be created varied art across a single album but most bands evolve, leading to a variety of styles and mastery throughout an entire works. So yeah, this one didn't quite hit me but I'm sure there are plenty of others that will. :)
Fair play to you for commenting on this video Thomas, I can't even begin to comprehend how hard it must be to watch someone analyse, assess and interpret your music, especially in the circumstances in which this record was written. For one I can particularly relate to the topics on this album and the difficulties i'm currently going through. I saw you guys in Manchester in 2009 but was too young to comprehend anything other than what is shown on face value. Upon re listening the lyrics and the musical complexity involved is awe inspiring and the songs now have such a deeper meaning. I do love Bryan's videos (otherwise I wouldn't be here!) and I hope he will follow your recommendations! It's nice to know that in these dark times, personally and globally, that I can jump on youtube to see your words on the same video that i'm watching, it really put a smile on my face! All the best dude. I look forward to seeing more from your channel. :)
No way it's Thomas! Dude, it frustrates me when people get recommended one of my all-time favorite bands but it's a song that's not really representative of the band overall. Excreations, Semi-fiction, Act One, Scene One, Macauly McCulkin, Ghost Ship Part I, and so many more would have been a better choice!
So when zi hear the band I completely hate it, any tips?
On the other hand there's me, and I absolutely love The Manipulator Album and a Man A Plan a Canal Panama
For TFOT, I think Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles off of their second album Doppelganger, The Dark Trail or maybe Sledgehammer off of their third album Manipulator, or perhaps something off of Phantom on the Horizon, which probably had some of the most time and attention as far as writing those songs to their final form.
A man. A plan. A canal. Panama reads the same backwards
It's the longest palindrome in English
AMANAP LANAC A NALP A NAM A
I absolutely LOVE The Fall of Troy.
Doppelganger is a masterpiece
Sounds really like the opposite of talent
@@TheDeathOfLucifer bet you couldn’t do it lol
The name is a palindrome. Also, they are only a 3 piece. Which is amazing to consider. Very talented musicians
So much respect for the 3 piece. Band is legendary. I hope to see them live one day.
@@danxargo dude I've seen like them 12 times over the past 20 yrs. Even flew across the country to see them in back to back nights lol. Always an amazing show.
You need the Pythagorean Theorem and a graphing calculator to write the drum chart.
For me musicaly this is beatiful and perfection. You don't know what it's going on and you can not predict almost
anything. Long live to chaos.
I absolutely love how disjointed this song is, and it works a lot better as the closer to this insane album. I’ve became so familiar with every left turn that I anticipate ever little quirky sound, characteristic, change, and variation. Every time I put it on in the car I go through all the wild motions, and it energizes the hell out of me. Its composition, speed, power, fluidity, & transparently cheap production, makes it a masterfully performed chaotic piece of music to a courageous degree. Someone less creative or more business minded wouldn’t dream of doing anything close to this because that kind of originality or genuine expression isn’t worth the time it takes to create (because in the business it’s near career suicide). Because it’s so aggressively different this song is like the rollercoaster at the theme park that I can’t wait to ride again because it’s the most wild.
Only the most hardcore will ride with me because it’s sharp turns make the casuals rider sick QUICKLY. I can totally understand why you don’t like this song for the same reason why I fucking hate rollercoasters 😂😂.
Fall of Troy really has a wide variety of songs, A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama is one of their more hectic songs, and I would definitely suggest looking into a few of their other songs.
This is still one of my favorite TFOT songs. It perfectly embodied the chaos and manic phases of my life when this album came out.
Songs like this are what keeps the genre(s) interesting. When everything is starting to sound the same, bands like this emerge. If you're looking for toe tappers, look elsewhere. Huge fan of them and they've always been a big influence on me. Top 3 track of theirs as well.
My first time listening to this band, I'm definitely checking out more of their stuff. They scratch that Protest the Hero itch too!
Night owl!
Doppelganger is a good album to start with, it's a classic.
Ha! The first time I heard about Protest the Hero was at a Fall of Troy show. PTH became one of my favorite bands!
Bro, the Fall of Troy and PTH were my high school favorites. Definitely check out doppelganger
They have more cohesive songs but traditional and fall of troy can never be uttered in the same sentence
The Fall of Troy and The Number 12 Looks Like You were contemporaries (and I guess they are again now contemporaries as they are both out of long hiatuses). The disjointed song structures, jumping from place to place, seemingly with no direction, was something I struggled with at first. Tera Melos used to do something similar. They’d start a section, I’d love it, then abruptly switch to something else. It was frustrating. Then after a while I grew to love that you never knew what was to come next.
Btw, Brian, coming back to this 3 years later, it’s a palindrome
On your first live stream I had you listen to, "I Just Got This Symphony Going". The Fall of Troy has always been a favorite of mine. Anyone in the discord can tell you I LOVE bands that can't be really stuck into a genre. And these guys are sooooooo different and experimental. Plus this is all done by a three piece! The vocalist is also the main and only guitarist. So he plays all these technical little riffs and sings at the same time. Such awesome instrumentation and writing style. No one sounds like them.
Edit: daggumit Bryan. Gonna say it again. Genghis Tron: there is method to the madness. And you listened to two songs from their first EP. They have three LP's after that. They grew a lot, even added singing. Blended things better. (Steps off soapbox.) Don't worry I still love you, I just have a special place in my heart for them :)
My main comment if you didn't see , I think (from this song at least) there's quite a few similarities between this and the devil wears prada 🤟,
but for sure I will be checking more from them, I think I heard a little back in the day
I totally forgot about the stream....still gotta get the videos uploaded from that. I'll agree that they sound like nothing else.
Genghis Tron.....G-Tron....I certainly need to give then another try. 😅
That’s one of my favs. It’s chaotic but the chorus (?) is so dang catchy. Also love The Last March of the Ents.
@@deminybs nice! I highly recommend their first album "Doppleganger".
@@CriticalReactions seconding just got this symphony going! Really almost any song off the Doppelganger album would be better start with TFOT
When Manipulator came out I remember thinking “Thomas Erak must be binging copious amounts of Mars Volta”. Hearing a lot of Cedric in the vocal delivery. Some of the song structures harken back to early TMZ as well.
There are songs on this album with a far less disjointed structure. Semi-fiction for instance.
I mean, they were contemporaries, but TFOT was obviously inspired by At The Drive In, and Glassjaw, Refused, etc.
What Sound Does a Mastodon Make
Chapter IV: Enter the Demon
seconded
"Hear that dark masked voice that I thought I only dreamt about..."
Yes! I got so happy when I saw the title haha. Glad that you finally got to The Fall of Troy (even if they weren't completely to your liking) they're my absolute favorite band & a massive influence in my own writing/playing style lol I got to hang with their bassist Tim Ward with some friends of mine after one of their shows a couple years back, super chill guy. Also Thomas Erak is a beast guitar player, composer, drummer & killer vocalist (though his style can take some getting used to for some). They fall within the Math-Rock/Post-Hardcore genres. The band was a Major part of the scenes & has influenced many bands including CHON (who played as a backing band with Thomas together for a live solo gig before at SxSW). Thomas has also played in the band Chiodos & has played in projects with some Dance Gavin Dance members (Push Over, Royal Coda).
I'm sure if you check out another more accessible track like 'F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.', 'A Classic Case of Transference', 'Single', 'Panic Attack' (their Guitar Hero songs) or something like 'Oh! The Casino!?' (their Weezer tribute song lol), you'd possibly enjoy it more. Their whole 'Doppelgänger' album would fit your production value criteria I believe as well. Songs like 'Mouths Like Sidewinder Missles', 'Act One Scene One', 'Nobody's Perfect', 'A Single Word', 'Semi-Fiction', 'What Sound Does A Mastodon Make', would be cool or possibly one of the chapters off their concept album 'Phantom On the Horizon' from them as well.
Also another good band to check out is Red Museum (try 'Exhibition A: A Past Life'), they play the same Math/Post-Hardcore style of music as TFoT sans harsh-vocals, they even went to the same highschool as them & are good friends but didn't get quite as big unfortunately. They might hit your soft spot better
That song is definitely the Heavy Hitter Surprise Epic at the end of the album that kinda acts like a Non-sequiter/weird sum-up of the album. It's in my top 5 TfoT songs for how intense and syncopated it is
7:38 ❤
This song mostly consist of 3 main movements, this is more prog than anything. Def one of the more chaotic/epic songs.
I'm haven't listened to this in so long. I absolutely loved it back then. Getting older, I don't love the relentless chaos as much as my younger self. But damn. I love what these three guys do all the way through this album. Side note, this entire album feels like an acid trip and its lovely. Thanks for helping me relive this 💚
Thanks for the reaction, Brian! I thought about suggesting a more cohesive song by TFOT, but I figured a little chaos would make for a better video. Haha
Always loved this song. This is one of my favorite bands and has been for a long time.
love fall of troy. their more chaotic math-core songs scratch that caveman itch i have for crazy music, but their calmer (only relatively, they're all pretty wild) songs are so emotional and dramatic, and always, always catchy.
Haha I love this band and this song, and I loved the reaction...even if you had some mixed feelings on it. Brings back a lot of good memories listening to their old albums.
You should check out Phantom on the horizon album by these guys. It's essentially one song. Great stuff. Maybe Cassandra Gemini by the Mars volta for another long song.
Nice, one of my favorite bands!
it is so cool seeing someone go through a lot of my old music tastes that shaped my outlook on it. Love your work. Always insightful and gives me nostalgia.
It's a huge palindrome. The riffs are palindromes of themselves. There's a lot of mirroring of riffs back and forth.
How does this work? Sonically at least wouldn't it just be a repeated riff?
@@Isaiah_McIntosh You play something forwards and then backwards. Not repeated, but inverted.
@@Jimmy9298 but if the riffs are a palindrome they should be the same thing forward and backward.......
what an intro into The Fall of Troy
Maybe you need something catchier like FCPREMIX to ease you into this band.
And then you mentioned that song moments after I left the comment.
the unpredictability is what makes their music so fascinating
FCP was the start of an acronym for "Fuck Condoms Premarital Sex Is The Shit Get Em Pregnant Get Em Pregnant Get Em Pregnant" before it was remixed 🤣
Just thought people should know that...
Funnily enough, I JUST started listening to this band and put their discography on a new playlist. I haven't listened to this track yet, but this sounds pretty typical for them. Very fun band in general. I get your ambivalence and I think your criticism of it lacking coherence is valid, but with bands like this I tend to just buckle up and enjoy the various sections moment-to-moment and the constant surprise of what's coming next. Surprisingly enough, I think it's been my listening to a lot of modern classical that's acclimated me to this kind of stuff since it's very common with avant-garde composers like Elliot Carter who don't do much (if any) repetition. Interesting commentary about production too. I think like with most things in music I can appreciate both clean and dirty mixes depending on the band and what they're going for. A good example of where dirty mixes is necessary is a genre like stoner rock/metal where the muddiness/fuzziness is meant to be the sonic equivalent of marijuana smoke.
Might be late to the party, but I just learned they released a new album roundabout a month ago, so check that shit out, called Mukiltearth. I know what I'm listening to now, and wish someone had told me, so I'm here to spread the news.
Ahhh...the fall of Troy. They were one of my first metal bands. Love the hectiness of the song writing! Definitely recommend The Phantom on the Horizon EP. fantastic concept album.
You got me thinking of the name. The name is a palindrome- it is spelled the same forward and backwards. The name seems random but there’s some sort of order in the chaos...not exactly sure but interesting nonetheless.
Thanks for the video!
Ps sorry been so silent lately but a busy week
good name there 😘
These guys were also one of my first semi-experimental/more technical metal bands. I second their Phantom on the Horizon EP. In my opinion it's their best work and while I personally love the frantic chaos of their work, Bryan would probably enjoy that EP more as the composition is more cohesive.
Also was looking through the comments for someone to mention the song title being a palindrome.
I saw someone else mention the palindrome and I'm curious if any part of the song incorporates that concept.
Critical Reactions yeah...idk. I’ve been listening for years and haven’t really thought about it till now. Even then, not sure if I’d even be able to catch anything.
@@deminybs Yeah, I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy the Phantom EP!
Aw man. Can't wait for whenever we get to math rock week to see you react to some seriously zany stuff. Never heard this song before, which is probably sinful, but these guys land right around the stuff I love except I'm not the biggest fan of the vocals. Otherwise this the kind of stuff that just makes me want to grab my guitar and grind.
yesss. love the fall of troy. gotta get in on--- hail the sun - Ow! (SPLIDAO!) I Like It, Though
"Saraaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Love this song
Manipulator is an amazing album, it's the first album in music that I can sit down and enjoy all the way through!
Thanks for doing TFOT! Plesse do "Roundhouse" on their latest album Mukiltearth!
??? What?? You dont like it because the name??? I love the changes and diced up rhythms and rudiments all lined up real nice
Please do Between The Buried And Me - Selkies
Its an amazing song and its not written into the next song like a lot of their other material
one of my all time favorite songs
Circa survive - Stop the fucking car
The name of the song is the quintessential example of a palindrome -- it's the same forwards as it is backwards. Makes me wonder if the song structure has some relation to that.
I knew that I had heard this title somewhere before!
Oh man! I did not catch that!
I think youd reall enjoy their more straightforward stuff like FCPREMIX
Good stuff as always
The fall of all other bands once I found these dudes in HS💗💗💗
Just but these dudes are top top tier
I didn't like the Manipulator album when I first heard it. I loved TFOT, but I only liked the Doppleganger album. Recently, I changed my mind. Now I love three more of their albums that I listened to including Manipulator.
Same mate. At first I could only listen to FCPCREMIX as a kid coming off guitar hero ha! Now I’m 25 and started listening to the whole doppelgänger album... now I’m listening to all of their albums and songs and appreciating almost each and every one of them. I’m slightly obsessed, I need to find more people to talk about TFOT with
How the hell does this guy keep doing reactions of bands within 2 weeks of me re-discovering them from 10 years ago!
I'm watching your listen history. This channel is 100% designed around and for you 🤣
Critical Reactions - If thats the case, i’d definitely revisit some bungle. Ars Morendi or anything off California really. Much less whacky and more focused! :)
try Sikth, I have a feeling they'll hit where this missed. recommend Pussyfoot as a first listen
still hoping you'll find time to do The Quantum Hack Code
I'd also recommend Bland Street Bloom, Another Sinking Ship, & As The Earth Spins Round
The lyrics are improvised after watching prison break (i heard from thirds), the name can be read backwards and it gives the same words, it has no meaning but its cool. The song is among the pinacles of creativsms, so is the record Manipulator. :D
Mouths like sidewinder missiles or FCPREMIX is the best intro to this band imo. Fall of Troy is amazing. Vocalist is the guitarist btw.
All the things you disliked about the song are the things I adore about the song. But hell, I am a super chaotic person so it makes sense.
This is actually one of my top 3 favorites by this band. But I will say, this is not really representative of the entire scope of this band's work. What I will say is, this band is full blown progressive math rock. Many of their songs are free flowing like this, there are only a handful that are more traditionally structured. One EP that I think would be great to listen to is Phantom On The Horizon. It's a concept EP that has consistent theme throughout, and while it still maintains the progressive style, each song flows into the next very smoothly. But I totally understand your points, this is the type of band that either grows on you or it doesn't.
Wow i almost forgot about this band i surely need to check out more of there stuff. Hey if anyone get a chance can check out some of my music and give me some feedback, we just started making music recently and would love to your people's opinions on it
"You've Got a Death Wish Jonny Truant" is their best song imo... a little 2 minute whirlwind
The other band with the same syndrome for me is "Icarus The Owl". On paper, they're my favorite band. Super catchy, super technical, mathy, fun music. But there's some disconnect and the execution just doesn't land for me personally. I know exactly the frustration you're talking about - it's *so close* to being something you love that it makes you brain want to understand why.
"Am I the problem? Nah..."
I've never listened to these guys a ton, but some of their stuff in this song really reminds me of the devil wears prada..even the wild song titles , nice video 🤟
Rolo Tomassi - A Flood of Light
do “open your eyes and look north” by dance gavin dance!!!
The song name is spelled the same backwards and forwards
Lmao yeah this song is a just outrageous in general haha. It is actually kind of funny, there are some killer parts in it but its all just kinda pieced together haphazardly but I aint even mad.
I humbly disagree. This song is so epic. It’s has so many phase changes. And they all come right at the perfect time... I’ve spend to many hours and probably days, listening to this album, even my friends who hate FoT know this song, cuz I’ve forcibly blasted it in my car. It’s legendary.
And: ‘A Man A Plan A Canal Panama’ is a palendrome. Read it backwards
thats a big tripod 🧐
Those cleans are a little hard to love, I'd probably like an instrumental of this better :P
I prefer the second album vocals. It's weird how different the vocals sound in each album. But give him a break, because he's both playing the crazy guitar parts and singing, they're a trio.
The title is the same backwards as forward
More more more
I felt the same way towards jazz and math rock when I first listened to the genres. I was always bothered when they would play something really pleasant and then shift to something so jarringly and quickly, whether it was a solo or riffs being shuffled all the time, I wished they were way less spastic and fleshed out the last idea instead of showing off.
I love that stuff now but it took time to just get used to the chaos.
You'd enjoy anything off of Doppleganger much better. The production value is lot cleaner too.
3:40 Uhhhhhhghhhhghghghhghghghhghgh sex to my ears.
It's insane how Thomas Erak is able to play these mind blowing guitar parts and sing at the same time, though the screams are made by the bass player. I think the second album vocals are better, each of their albums have very different vocals.
If you ever do another FoT song you should do Ghostship Part I. Not Phantom on the Horizon I, which is a remaster of the same song, but the original.
EDIT: Also, I have a hard time believing you've never heard them before, unless you're like a super metal guy or EDM guy or something lol.
Mostly jazz, classical, pop, and radio rock up until starting this channel. Basically, if it wasn't on the radio or something I learned about in my studies then I probably didn't know about it.
@@CriticalReactions Hey, fair enough! Fall of Troy have tons of songs that are a lot more rhythmic, melodic, and groovy. This song is best understood in the context of the entire album as a sort of crescendo where they're just going nuts. What I should really recommend is the first song of theirs I ever heard, "Rockstar Nailbomb". The first time I heard that song everything changed for me musically. It's like how people talk about when they first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, and they knew that hair metal was over, and everything was different now.
I know I already commented but wanted to recommend a sweet group in this time period and genre...The Number Twelve Looks Like You. Highly recommend checking out Jay Walking Backwards, Grandfather, or Gallery of Thrills.
If you want a sweet drum cam, check out their old drummer Jon Karel- th-cam.com/video/M9mBq9RPBhI/w-d-xo.html (not a cover of their music but wonderful video!).
You should of listened to the demo version of Ghostship IV instead of this.
I love TFOT but I think this is a REALLY bad first song to listen to. There are at least 20 better options. All of Phantom on the Horizon for starters.
I agree. Once you get used to their style, this song is an absolute banger.
All of his reasons for not liking the song are my same reasons for absolutely loving the song, guess not everyone has the same preference. 😭
For some post-hardcore vibes, I love to return to Tool's "Bottom", "Crawl Away" and "Flood".
Yo, banana boy!
Don't nod.
I think I'm missing the reference here.
@@CriticalReactions Lol, both Palindromes.😊 I did, did I?
Ah. I have a difficult time reading palindromes that don't also mirror punctuation and spacing. I also firmly believe that palindromes must be readable in pure mirroring. For instance, I don't see race car as a palindrome since backwards is "rac ecar."
Unpopular opinion but ITUE is one of their best albums
The title is the same forwards and backwards bro, that's the point of it
Terrible track to introduce tfot..
And im already tired of seeking fcpremix..
A good introduction track off this album coulda been quarter past or dark trail.
Holy shit way to pick some of their worst songs as intros to their music 😂
@@haigaiz19 Dark Trail is by far one of their best songs. ;) Obviously opinions are things and I'm glad everyone has different ones.
Less than the division of it's whole.
That works literally but doesn't really imply that the individual sections were better on their own than what they formed together.
@@CriticalReactions I'm not sure if its a linguist versed in semantics or a quantum physics mathematician needed to resolve it. But I felt an intuitive stab was required.
My girlfriend says I'm an intuitive stabber.
Awful choice for a introduction to this band
A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama. is a Palindrome, you mega missed the point of the name, it's the same thing backwards.
And the lyrics are loosely related to the construction the the Panama Canal and Teddy Roosevelt, "The turn of the century, it's turning out wrong. No matter the words they say, you can rest assured." It all ties in and stuff, I like the video overall but I will admit you missed the point of the name and theme of the song.
Damn this sucks check out some good prog like intronaut lol
While this definitely isn't the most top shelf math rock for me you'll be thinking about this stuff the wrong way if you consider it a part of the prog rock lineage too strongly. Given you're a fellow prog fan I'm hoping it's fine to recommend a full album but check out giraffes giraffes- more skin for milk mouth. Another good album is terra melos- untitled.
Isaiah Mc Intosh yeah I’m really not into this style of metal at all but I can appreciate the technicalities of this style. And I will definitely check out giraffe giraffes!