Mukilteo, Washington’s THE FALL OF TROY continue to hone their raw, youthful energy and scary level of potential with their latest Manipulator. The technical wizardy of the band, led by vocalist/guitarist Thomas Erak, is their hallmark. Erak’s nimble fingers don’t have any time to become stiff as he is all over the fretboard in his guitar work and kicks out seemingly hundreds of lightning fast licks. Stylistically, THE FALL OF TROY are rooted in math metal/dissonant hardcore. However, they have clearly branched out into prog rock, classic rock, and alternative territories. The album is very “musical” in the way that an unending abundance of riffs and time changes cascade through the speakers at every opportunity. Sometimes the band sound like a bastard child of LED ZEPPELIN or KING CRIMSON and sometimes sound like THE MARS VOLTA or BOTCH. And that is the only aspect of Manipulator that holds it back. There are too many times when it seems like there are a million parts to a single song and yet significant chunks just don’t fit together. However, THE FALL OF TROY create absolutely brilliant moments at numerous points in the album. They are so good that it truly makes you a believer in their talent. There’s no doubting that they will inevitably create a solid and absolutely amazing album. Until then Manipulator serves as a positive stepping stone. (Equal Vision Records)