Failure

Failure’s metallic space-rock has always sounded ahead of its time—and out of this world. On their 1992 debut, Comfort, the Los Angeles trio—multi-instrumentalists Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards and drummer Kellii Scott—explored prog-metal, while 1994’s Magnified leaned into scalding hard rock. Things clicked into place in 1996 on Fantastic Planet, which became a cult classic thanks to the synth-tinted, grungy “Stuck on You”, a modest alternative-rock hit. Failure broke up in 1997 after Fantastic Planet didn’t live up to expectations, the band members moving on to other projects; among other things, Andrews maintained a busy schedule as a producer while Edwards formed the shoegaze-leaning Autolux. However, Failure reunited in 2014 and picked up right where they left off. They released a series of uncompromising albums, including 2015’s The Heart Is a Monster and 2021’s Wild Type Droid, as well as an updated take on their 1997 cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”. A documentary about the band’s history illustrates Failure’s influence, as it features avowed fans such as Paramore’s Hayley Williams and TOOL’s Maynard James Keenan.