Failure’s sixth album and third since their 2014 comeback is considerably scaled back compared to their previous outings. At just under forty minutes long, Wild Type Droid (Failure Recordings) is their shortest full-length since their debut, 1992’s Comfort, and a far cry from the hour-plus ventures that have come to define them since the classic Fantastic Planet. This setup suggests a more casual approach than usual but instead results in one of their most focused releases to date.
Classic Alt-Metal and Rock legends Failure have confirmed they will perform their first three albums, Comfort, Magnified and Fantastic Planet, in their entirety in a trio of July residencies: July 9 to 11 at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, July 16 to 18 at The Echoplex in Los Angeles and July 23 to 25 at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. These performances will celebrate the released of the April 7th 2020 release of the Vinyl Box Set: Failure 1992 – 1996. The four-piece vinyl box set featuring the three ‘90s-era albums. With the original masters finally being unearthed, Comfort, Magnified and Fantastic Planet have been meticulously restored, remixed, and remastered by Ken Andrews to a new level of sonic fidelity that eclipses all previous iterations of the band’s early work. Newly discovered will be unreleased songs from each of these classic 1990s albums, making this a must purchase set for fans and collectors. Continue reading
L.A. Alternative Rock trio Failure never quite made it the same way some of their cohorts did. In another world, they could have been as big as Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins or even touring buddies Tool. Alas, it wasn’t to be and the band parted ways in 1997.
Fast forward to today, however, and Failure are back with a new album. Crowdfunded via PledgeMusic, The Heart is a Monster (INresidence) is the band’s first album in 19 years – and first since 1996’s critically acclaimed Fantastic Planet (Slash). The trio – Ken Andrews [vocals, guitar, bass], Greg Edwards [guitar, bass, keyboards] and Kellii Scott [drums] – have rustled up an hour long journey of retro grunge/alt rock.
A combination of new tracks and recordings of songs that actually predate the band’s 1992 debut, the album fits in well with the group’s legacy without sycophantic rehashing, but also lacks focus. The album’s 18 tracks clock in at just over an hour and with six short ambient-style instrumental interludes, there’s an excessive amount of fat that could have been trimmed.
Considering the personnel involved, it’s no great surprise the band blend the quieter moments of Queens of the Stone Age and A Perfect Circle, and when it’s good, it’s an enjoyable journey, managing to be abrasive and challenging without being aggressive. The likes of ‘Hot Traveller’ or ‘Atom City Queen’ blends darkly melodic with dissonant guitars and wouldn’t have sounded out of place on QOTSA’s …Like Clockwork (Matador) ‘The Focus’ is as close to a straight rock song as they get, while ‘I can See Houses’ could almost pass for shoegaze.
However there’s also plenty of moments that are largely uninspiring or plain forgettable. The likes of ‘Otherwhere’ feels like filler while ‘Come Crashing’ sounds like soft grunge that wouldn’t have stood out back in the 90s. Overall, it’s a dense and at times tiring listen while the large number of ‘Segue’ instrumentals become fatiguing, especially in the final third of the record.
Though it will no doubt please the fans who have been waiting almost a lifetime for a new record, I can’t say I’m overly impressed. Maybe I’m missing the nostalgia factor, but this is a really disappointing listen. After a gestation period to rival Chinese Democracy (Geffen), The Heart is a Monster is mostly underwhelming, and slightly depressing.
7.0/10
DAN SWINHOE