Fail to Decay has a ruthless metal sound that ignites your ears and whisks you into this rippling blast of instrumentation. No matter the track.
Ripe with a precise stitching of all kinds of bendy string work, hammering sweepage, drilling drums that are all over the place in the best kinda way, and vocals that range from utter trash-can gutturals to skin-melting fry highs…FTD keeps their sound familiar but definitely makes sure to shake things up in terms of style, and that is wholly evident in their repertoire thus far!
To the Moved I present, this virtual sit-down with the fellas from Fail to Decay!
MBM: I feel like I always ask everyone this, but it’s such a darn good kickstart…how did y’all find each other and start making music together?
FTD: Jake (drums) and Joshua (vocals) are brothers and have been making music with each other since middle school. In late 2008, they pulled together some friends that became the start of the band. All four of us were in bands and played shows together before James joined to fill in on bass in 2012. Shortly after, Daren joined on guitar when the two other guitarists left. We played several shows within a short period of time as a 4 piece and decided to keep it that way after experiencing the chemistry on the road and on stage.
MBM: Delve was such a sick record…I see you guys still try to grab shows and get together, but is there any new music coming our way? (If this is top secret, feel free to answer creatively!)
FTD: The focus is just getting back in the game with playing shows at the moment. Covid halted the band for awhile, we just recently played our first shows in over 2 years. We have tossed around the idea of writing some new material and have a few demoes sitting around that may get back into the works. We’ve also all gotten our hands in different projects as well. 3 of us started tracking and have since released 2 albums as a grunge rock band called Comatose. Two of the members have also written several records as a black metal band called Blossom with one member doing mixing as well. So we've been playing some other genres and in other projects but all still together.
MBM: Who are some notable contemporaries (in your area of MN or otherwise) you feel like are really bustin’ up the game? (Feel free to be as long or short-winded as you want!)
FTD: It's been a little disjointed since we haven't been able to stay active playing as many shows. However, there are several long time stalwarts still putting out music and touring like Reaping Asmodeia, Rig Time!, Still Stayer (who have members of multiple bands we've toured with over the years and just released their first album in 2022 as this band), and some younger guns like Agony Reigns.
MBM: Outside of heavy metal and music in general, what other interests do you guys have? (Can be answered individually or as a band)
Joshua: It varies from playing video games to Magic the Gathering to hiking. It all depends on the season as Minnesota gives us winter for almost six months.
James: Music consumes about 90% of my time outside of my normal job, but I do enjoy American Football (Da Bears) and hockey quite a bit. I also have 4 dogs and like to do anything I can with them, even in the coldest, darkest days of Minnesota winters. I enjoy growing peppers and making hot sauce a lot as well.
Daren: The rest of my time is usually filled up with gaming, whether on pc or tabletop.
Jake: Outside of doing music I enjoy spending time with family and friends, getting out to shows, playing old school video games and catching the Vikes games.
MBM: Last but certainly not least, what would you say moves you the most about music? Why do you make it?
Josh: I can’t imagine my life without music in it. I’ve been making music in some form or another for over half my life. It is a passion that drives me and allows myself to be creative in a medium that is open-ended. The flame inside of me has yet to dwindle and I am confident that there will be many more years of music to come for all of us.
James: I feel that's a loaded question but the connection is always emotional. When it's listening to your own music, other people's music, music transcends cultures, languages, religions, and race. It's a language that everyone, everywhere, can understand, and that is what makes it so unifying and beautiful.
Daren: I can’t say much on what has moved me for music. It has always been an integral part of my life and has never really been separated. Being attached to my state of mind the inspiration for writing has always had an ebb and flow. As for the "why", making music has always been about the release of pressure. I can’t always find the right words but I know when I finish working on the song, the feelings behind why I started it comes into focus.
Jake: Making music became a part of my life as a youngen and really hasn’t paused since. Music fills a void that day-to-day life doesn’t. A real sense of accomplishment in creating something that will live on forever is ultimately what I’d say moves me most.
Minnesota, while I have never physically been, seems to be a mysterious enough land. According to Google Images, the summer/warmer weather looks exceptionally beautiful and then the winters…well, they look snowy and downright brutal. The only other aspect of Minnesota that seems to be as brutal as its winters, is its heavy metal. Fail to Decay follows suit with that statement. Honing a sound that bleeds key shifts as much as it does different styles of what is to be considered “heavy.”
That’s not to say that they just modge podge elements of different heavy metal genres together and call it a day. No siree! I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing them live and in-action, but I have admittedly been a listener for the better part of 7 years (since I heard their self-titled EP), and you can tell their sense of appreciation and devotion to their sound with this outfit shines through with that aforementioned brutality.
Many thanks to the fellas in FTD for having this virtual sit-down with the Moved. It was an absolute pleasure to sit-down virtually with one of Minnesota’s choicest heavy-hitters!
If you are into heavy metal to any capacity, check out Fail to Decay on Spotify, bandcamp, YouTube or anywhere else you happen to find them! You can also keep up with their motions and any announcements on Instagram or Facebook.
Until next time, everyone! Stay Moved!
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