Introducing: Inside The Trojan Horse

Mysterious American newcomers Inside The Trojan Horse have honed a thrilling, atmospheric hard rock and punk metal-tinged sound that they describe as a “pure, reflective release.”

The trio’s foundations were established over a decade ago when NoOne (vocals) and NoThing (guitars and bass) began writing and recording together in Los Angeles. They were introduced at a Perfect Circle show at the Universal Amphitheatre, which NoOne was scouting for members for previous band, Loser, by a Virgin Records rep. NoOne and NoThing were band tour roommates and, after Loser broke up, NoOne bought a Pro Tools rig and they began learning and honing their craft. The band was completed with drummer NoBody, who NoThing met when their previous bands toured together.

On the sound they’ve crafted together, NoOne told us: “Our music is bathed in tones of Hard rock and metal, with the attitude of punk, in progressive forms of sonic expression. The lyrics capture deep and personal moments usually hidden under the covers for no one to see.”

Our latest taste of this is the band’s fifth single Blood and Teeth, which was released on Christmas Day. It starts with laid-back vocals over light guitars and a bubbling bassline. The vocals gradually intensify towards before plodding guitars feed into a huge chorus with powerful vocals supported by chunky guitars and a darting high-pitched lick. Dreamy guitars jump in alongside high-pitched vocals, and a big drum roll leads into intense screamed vocals and piercing guitar, which drops into another big chorus.

On the track, NoOne said: “Blood and Teeth is my favorite and has been graciously received worldwide with open arms and ears. You never know how people will respond to your music until it lands, and we feel very fortunate for the universal love. I remember getting the music and having my mind blown in real time as I wrote and recorded the vocals. The cinematic soundscape tapped a nerve in me, digging in hard, releasing a confession, a tale of unrelenting, knock-down, drag-out, repetitive, back in the ring life, existing purely on tenacity and sheer willpower.” Check it out in the video here:

The release of Blood and Teeth marks the conclusion of the band’s debut EP, ITTH. The EP is packed with more rock goodness, including their excellent debut single Burn, which opens up with a cool riff and big vocals that drop into light guitar and a busy bassline under engaging vocals. It gradually builds to more big cried vocals over a bouncy riff, before dropping into another laid-back but atmospheric verse. The song intensifies with big booming guitars and wild screams giving way to intense vocals, then a funky little riff loops into a final blast of the big wailed vocals. Check it out here:

The EP is completed by the equally excellent Savior, which features a fun piercing guitar solo, the powerful How They Run, which may be a personal favourite, and the moody Stay Alive. On the five tracks released, Joe told us: “After years in the making, the three of us are relieved that our first EP is finally out. We are grateful that every song has universally received worldwide critical acclaim.

“For creative artists, it does not get much better than this. With so much incoming respect and words of encouragement, we are humbled to the core. This collection of songs we have shared with the world is very personal. It takes the listener down a path of loss, self-discovery, rebirth, the threat of omnipresent forces pressing down, and ultimately redemption by default of the last man standing.

NoOne is keen to impress that musical styles mean nothing to the band, it’s all about the sound and the feeling. That said, they draw on collective influences like Soundgarden, Audioslave, Deftones, Tool, Underoath, Periphery and Tesseract, while NoOne cites influences like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, DRI and Slayer to Bob Marley, Massive Attack and Gorillaz.

And on what motivates them to write music, he told us: “Our inspiration derives from observing life in general and the never-ending pursuit of truth, justice, fulfillment, and happiness. Our human condition is a path filled with uncertain highs and lows as we reflect it all in real time.”

We love the atmospheric rock sound of Inside The Trojan Horse and there’s much more to come from this exciting new band. They’ll be releasing a three-track EP Origins in the Spring, which NoOne tells us is “punk and volatile and contains the tracks Dog’s, Fifteen, and Children.” They also have plans to be touring shortly, so keep an eye out for that.

You can follow Inside The Trojan Horse on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.