In only a few short years, the Fall of Troy has gone from the underground to potentially mainstream stardom. The experimental rock trio released its debut self-titled album in 2003, and its latest release — Manipulator — came out on May 1. The Fall of Troy is currently supporting the new record by opening for Deftones on a nationwide tour, and will play shows on consecutive nights at Sunset Station beginning on Friday, May 18. Drummer Andrew Forsman recently talked to 210SA.
 
Are you surprised that you've captured so much attention in such a short amount of time?
I'm not that surprised, because I always thought we were really good. But I guess I'm surprised at other people's reaction. I didn't think others would think like I did.

What was the thought process going into Manipulator?
We just wrote songs that we thought would be cool, but I don't think we tried too hard to please everybody. At the same time, if you make something that's cool to you, it might be cool too others as well. We had a good time doing it, but we wanted to explore styles we hadn't done before. But at the same time, we wanted to still sound like the Fall of Troy. We wanted people that liked us to still see us similar to what we were at the beginning.

Why has Manipulator caught so much mainstream interest?
I think we tried to make songs that were a little bit more solid. On our previous albums we had crazy guitar parts, but on this one we tried to focus a little bit more on the actual songs and how all the parts fit together. It's a little bit more accessible for a normal person.

What do you think of opening for Deftones?
It's great, and it will be great exposure. I'm a little worried how the crowd will like us because we've got to figure they're all there to see Deftones. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope people like it.

The band started out as the 30 Years War, then changed to the Fall of Troy. How did each name come about?
We just flipped through a history book and pointed to the Fall of Troy. We did the same thing for (The 30 Years War). We figured if it worked once, it would work again.

The Fall of Troy has already weathered its share of adversity, including a show last year in which lead singer Thomas Erak walked off the stage and claimed it was the last show your band would ever play. What are your thoughts on that?
I think it's pretty average for any band starting out. Whenever we get bummed, we'll talk to our friends who have been doing this for a while. We hear stories that are way worse than the ones we have. You take your lumps, move on and hope it doesn't destroy you.

So can we expect more adversity in the future?
We all have the intention of doing this for as long as possible. We've settled down a little, but I'm sure there will be incidents and stuff. But we're all trying to do this at least for a while.

Clint Hale | 210SA