A funk-infused, wah-drenched guitar riff surrenders to a prog-rock progression as lead vocalist/guitarist Thomas Erak screams, "I f*ing hate myself." With unmitigated audacity, the power trio of Erak, drummer Andrew Forsman, and bassist Frank Ene, smash through musical genres, declaring, "If I go down, I'm taking the whole world with me!" And that's just the opening salvo, appropriately titled "Panic Attack." Straight out of the shrink-wrap, it's clear that the Fall of Troy's fourth album, In the Unlikely Event, is not your average cookie-cutter collection of college-ready post-hardcore.

Without pause, Forsman fires a three-tap warning on his snare drum before the group launches into the snarling, punk rampage "Straight-Jacket Keelhauled." Whiplash ensues as the trio slams into the breakdown and back to warp speed a la Mastodon or the Dillinger Escape Plan. "I'm not willing to compromise," Erak scrapes the back of his throat to convey.

The group's musical dexterity is further fleshed out on "Battleship Graveyard." Erak's guitar hero fingers fly over the fret-board spewing a dizzying, Gatlin-gun barrage of single notes. His high-pitched, melodic vocals, which evoke Rush and Coheed & Cambria, ride over the top of the musical mayhem. Pained screams effectively punctuate the melody.

The momentum crumbles on "A Classic Case of Transference," due to pedestrian lyrics, such as "Get me off, then get off me," but things get back on track with the catchy "Single," which exemplifies the album's over all blueprint of a manic guitar riff coupled with a hooky vocal. The one exception is "Webs," a surprisingly subdued blues-inspired ballad.

With In the Unlikely Event, the Fall of Troy creates an engaging musical mash-up of mathematical anthems, melodic rock, punk, metal, and pop. Endowed with creativity and musical prowess, the members are able to tie their influences together into a cohesive and rewarding sonic stew.

• Album title: In the Unlikely Event
• Artist: The Fall of Troy
• Label: Equal Vision Records
• Songs: (1) Panic Attack (2) Straight-Jacket Keelhauled (3) The Battleship Graveyard (4) A Classic Case of Transference (5) Single (6) Empty the Clip, the King Has Been Slain, Long Live the Queen! (7) People and Their Lives (8) Dirty Pillow Talk (9) Nobody's Perfect (10) Webs (11) Walk of Fame (12) Nature Vs. Nurture