By Jase Walker
I’m really getting my fill of bands I love playing their best albums in full this year and today is another entry in the ever growing list for this year. The Fall Of Troy, one of the most enduring acts in post-hardcore and a sound that is so very uniquely them due to the speed and technicality yet distinctly raw feel are doing a lap around the ÜK and Europe in celebration of their ‘Doppelgänger’ album.
Along for the ride are Boneflower and Meth. Two acts that are completely new to my ears but not totally unfamiliar due to friends of mine that like their music a bit weird have talked about on a few occasions so I’m quite excited for a solid night at De Helling over in Utrecht once again.
Anyway as strange as it sounds, time for a bit of Meth. Not much in terms of fanfare to signal their start other than a bit of an awkward silence as they seem to stare at each other in a form of Mexican standoff. Well, up until a flat “We are Meth from Chicago”, and then atonal chugs fill the room alongside shrill screams. With this sort of bizarre noise style I can see why these have ended up on some high profile prog festivals this year such as ArcTanGent and Complexity. I can see why they’re opting for a lighting show that is almost entirely just deep, crimson red too, there is absolutely nothing subtle about this band at all. The singers opted to eschew the stage as well and roams the venue, crouching down and screaming into the floor. I’ll fully admit this isn’t quite the sort of noise that appeals to me sonically but I’ll be damned if I say the live performance isn’t hugely engrossing.
Meth. operate on a level of audacious force that draws your attention and then beats you around the head with savage blows. This set is fucking terrifying, immensely visceral in its delivery and atmosphere. I feel like this is the sort of sound that would escape a gaping maw suddenly opening to the pits of hell, all the slow limbering force of a funeral doom band in parts and others echoing frantic blastbeats of black metal mixed with shrill screaming of bands such as Frail Body or Chat Pile. What a fucking ferocious start to tonight’s show, and quite the curve ball to begin with.
- Meth. play ArcTanGent tomorow (Friday 15 August).
Next up is Boneflower, following a super speedy changeover that I think barely clocked in at about 10 minutes? Either way it’s snippy and these guys fall much closer in line with Fall Of Troy’s sound, going in much harder on the math rock sound but with emo-vocals so I guess this fits the bill for Midwest emo but from… Madrid? Pretty sure they mean Spain as the ÜS does seem to like to nab city names from Europe (looking at you, Paris).
ANYWAY, this is very much more my cuppa and something about a fender being thrashed about by a guy wearing a shirt speaks to me on a much deeper level. I’m actually astounded how they’re managing to stay accurate with the amount they’re flinging their guitars around while playing. Boneflower has really taken me by surprise here, I’m instantly sucked in by their style and how bloody great it sounds, there’s just no other way about it, they’re exactly what I wanted to hear about now and I am fully on board with them.
I’m also astounded at how much layered noise they’re able to make as a three-piece but I can’t make out much in the way of backing tracks, it’s all just effective use of space between the guitars, bass, drums and vocals and a pretty hefty bit of post-rock style layering on the guitar pedals. I’ve already got their back catalogue of music prepared for tomorrow’s gym session because I fully want to get some melancholic screaming in my ears while doing a bit of lifting.
Boneflower covers all these possible angles of music I’m super into right now, raw and brash vocals, busy guitar work that dances between sparkly melodies and saturated layers, busy rhythm bits and just overall aggressively moody music, beautiful stuff. Boneflower has really surprised me and it’s why you should always support your support acts, you really never know when that band you take a chance on might be your next big thing.
- Boneflower play ArcTanGent on Saturday (16 August).
And finally, The Fall Of Troy. No big intro or anything here, no gimmicks, just an introduction about how it’s Monday night and it’s time to get a bit weird. The signature speedy tapping rings out across the room and the up until now, somewhat static crowd, bursts into life and movement is everywhere! While it’s nice that people turned up early for the support acts, I do wish people were a bit more awake for them, oh well.
Anyway the main course is now in session and it’s time to get stuck into FoT smashing out their best album in a cozy space. It’s also clear from the outset that my previous experience with these guys at ArcTanGent a while back was definitely an off-day for them because this set is tight as fuck. This is the right sort of vibe, energy and environment for FoT and a much more intense and personal experience than midday at a festival. Every single song they’re smashing out is met with whoops and cheers as if they totally weren’t expecting their favourite song off the ‘Doppelgänger’ album wasn’t coming soon, won’t hold that against them because I’m every bit as bad.
A brief guest spot of the singer from Meth. is a welcome little surprise before he semi-dives off the stage and instigates a pit in the process, classic. Every time a new noodly segment hits, a new melody, another speedy bit of riff, the audience loudly makes a “whoooooo!” as if they’d been waiting their whole lives just to hear that one segment and go absolutely mental, you genuinely can’t put a price on this sort of response. FoT are knocking it out of the park for how tight they’ve been playing tonight, even for a highly technical band that’ve been at this sort of thing for a super long time, it’s not that easy. Everything is on top form, each member of the band is killing it and the whole experience is elevated to a new level with the sound engineer tying it all together is doing an immaculate job in their own right.
The Fall Of Troy have absolutely fucking smashed this set, there really is no other way to put it. I’m so glad that my experience at ArcTanGent was clearly just an off-day and giving bands I love another shot is absolutely the right call. Absolutely phenomenal show!
- The Fall Of Troy return to ArcTanGent today (Thursday 14 August).