Hey, do you like post-nu-metal? Oh.
[Video][Website]
[3.75]
Alfred Soto: My own, uh, failure to understand power chords + self-help cliche in nu metal doesn’t keep me from loving the same in a One Direction song. The dourness of the singing is responsible.
[4]
Micha Cavaseno: When Breaking Benjamin debuted, they were yet another band of also ran one-hit wonder post-Chevelle brats taking advantage of nu metal’s grace as Spectorian Singles Brigade as opposed to the generic ‘songwriting’ of the NWOAHM; they’d also managed a co-sign and the gift of some co-writes from Billy Corgan somehow, go figure. Recently, Benjamin Burnley decided that he needed to kick his bandmates and do it again, and for what its worth, they’ve given him tiny dips of update from 2005 to 2007 in the style fitting this sort of angst groove-riff-rawk. And personally I’m always happy to see less Toolisms in the world, one way or another. But tragically, that can only get you so far.
[4]
Thomas Inskeep: 2006 called and wants its triple-time drums and faux-scratched guitar riffs back. That said, this has quite a bit more melody to it than most of the denizens of its genre.
[4]
Patrick St. Michel: Not my thing, but it is going to work wonders in the right context; as the soundtrack to an agonized fans “Jacksonville Jaguars 2015 Highlights” video, or maybe a God Of War AMV.
[3]
David Sheffieck: The song as a whole sounds incredibly dated and even more unnecessary, but I appreciate that there are bands still holding tight to that nu metal vocal compression, which is truly the talkbox of the 2000s minus any sense of charm or interest. Keep fighting that fight, Benjamins: the longer you do, the better the chances that I’ll die before it’s ironically revived.
[3]
Tara Hillegeist: I sure hope Fall Out Boy’s fanbase are taking notes from this demonstration of how to write the kind of songs their favorite band keeps trying to write by a band that’s actually spent the past decade learning how to write them. This is nothing if not competently bland chugger-rock, and it has nothing to recommend it besides that empty fact — but at least it’s a song.
[3]
Edward Okulicz: This song really works for the most part, its minor angst in a very early 00s corporate rawk exoskeleton. I guess if Linkin Park decided they wanted to be more System of A Down without all the weird/good bits, it might sound like this. Then for some reason, where the song should surge into something else, it just recedes as the title of the song is sung apologetically because something had to go in there. It’s a fine line between satisfying emptiness and just emptiness and “Failure” tips over that line at exactly that point.
[6]
Ramzi Awn: The make-it-or-break-it moment in “Failure” is the chorus, and unfortunately, it breaks it. Bad. Another apt song title.
[3]