IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT

In the Unlikely Event is disgusting at times, pretty at others; it's prog, post-hardcore, and virtuoso material all at once. There are keyboard breakdowns, southern riffs and impossible air-guitar-friendly bits aplenty. It's a little bit bluesier and crazier than anything they've done, and most importantly it's a completely new direction.

The Fall of Troy's Doppelganger and Manipulator both came off as hits in the scene, being catchy, smart and fun all at once, but some secretly despised Thomas Erak's three piece tour de force for being pretentious or unpalatable and many long-time fans couldn't stand the reimagining of 2004's Ghostship EP into the cleaner, more accessible Phantom on the Horizon this year. This is just the kind of set up for making TFOT a love or hate band, and Unlikey Event will likely reinforce that effect.

This album's got a real urgency to it and assures you from the first ten seconds that you've hopped on a different odyssey from any other. Erak's voice in "Panic Attack!" and "Single" is at the same time poppy and sardonic; his guitar better produced and orchestrated than Doppelganger but less eclectic than Manipulator. Andrew Forsman and Frank Black are there in all the right spots, carrying Erak's prodigious guitar with ease through schizoid-prog fun ("A Classic Case of Transference") and super fast semi-pop alike ("Empty the Clip, The King is Dead, Long Live the Queen").

But they seem to have made these improvements while making changes some long-time fans will not appreciate. A LOT is going on this album. Many of the catchy riffs and hooks they're known for are there; they just rely more heavily on effects and background vocalization. "Straight-Jacket Keelhauled" is fun and dance-y as hell, but harder than anything they've done before. Erak seems to be experimenting with the role of voice in his music, and it'll throw you off if you're expecting Doppelganger-era vocals.

We've come to expect that from these boys though; they're constantly learning and growing. If you don't dig this album it's understandable because it's different; most people will take several listens to process it. It seems that they are finding themselves, and that in itself brings a lot out of them. The last two tracks ("Walk of Fame" and "Nature vs. Nurture") merit the most attention of lovers and haters both, encompassing elements of their former work while clearly heading in a grander direction. The boys in The Fall of Troy may have finally found the right mix of style-switching, virtuosity, and catchiness. And they just might be on to something.