The Fall of Troy is, for all intents and purposes, a progressive metal band.

Not unlike Rush, the trio's music is characterized by technically brilliant instrumentation, obscene vocal range and even some literary references (although singer Thomas Erak probably screams a bit more than Geddy Lee ever did). The Fall of Troy even has a song in Guitar Hero III.

But drummer Andrew Forsman doesn't think the band can be pigeonholed so easily.

"I've never heard other stuff that sounds like our music," Forsman said. "We just make music we enjoy listening to and making."

Although the Fall of Troy, which will be headlining Sunday night's Asylum-organized show in HUB Heritage Hall, has obvious metal and post-hardcore influences, Forsman said the band is more diverse than a cursory listen might suggest.

"We're pretty big pop fans," he said. "There were songs on our last album that were straight-up pop songs, and we're pretty happy with the result."

The band, Forsman said, is constantly trying to change things up and hopes to continue evolving from album to album.

The Fall of Troy's studio sound is also different from its live show, which Forsman said includes a lot more guitar improvisation.

"I consider us a live band," Forsman said. "Someone that only knows the songs from the record might be surprised."

One thing that won't change, however, is the way the band balances the more melodic parts of its music with its heavier elements.

"It's always good to have a juxtaposition," Forsman said. "We enjoy dynamics. A soft part followed by a heavy part makes the soft section softer and the heavy part heavier."

Asylum President Andy Pool (junior-psychology) said the reason he booked the band was simply because of how much he liked them.

"One thing we stress in Asylum -- you book the bands you want to see," Pool said. "For being only a three-piece, the Fall of Troy has a massive sound, and their guitar player is a virtuoso."

Pool said all four of the bands on the bill for Sunday night were diverse, both in comparison to each other and within their own respective catalogues, adding there would be something for everyone.

The Dear Hunter, which Pool saw in Altoona a few weeks ago, is good enough to headline its own show, Pool said.

Casey Crescenzo, the lead singer and guitarist for the Dear Hunter, said his background is primarily in pop music, but after spending time playing guitar for the Receiving End of Sirens, he was exposed to heavier stuff, and it has worked its way into his current band's music as well.

"I guess I really like the extreme-to-extreme dynamic," Crescenzo said.

Crescenzo also said his goal as a musician was to constantly evolve, and the biggest progression the Dear Hunter has made in the last year or so has been its shift toward a more communal creative process.

"It used to be just me writing by myself and showing everyone," he said. "But now it's a more collaborative effort, as opposed to having one spark try to start a fire. I was comfortable being the center of it all, but eventually you need collaboration."

To continue to challenge himself as a musician, Crescenzo has big ideas. In addition to the six-album set of full-length concept records he has planned (two of which are already released), Crescenzo plans to self-release nine different three-to-five song EPs, each centered around a different color (the seven colors of the rainbow, plus black and white).

He said the EPs would be released primarily digitally and on vinyl.

"We wanted to challenge ourselves to do an artistic exercise, as opposed to a commercial release," Crescenzo said. "It's just for people to hear, not to make a profit."