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UK metallers Fail The Enemy return with new music and a heavier, synth-driven sound. The band will release a new EP, Sandcastles, out Friday 9th October, alongside their current single, Borrowed Hope, which is out now.
Since reforming in 2023, the three-piece have been rebuilding their sound from the ground up, bringing together modern metalcore, anthemic rock, and 80s-inspired synth textures. The result is a sound that’s heavy, melodic, and built on contrast and atmosphere.
Connect with Fail The Enemy below:
What are the origins of Fail The Enemy, and how long have you been playing together?
A. The band started originally back in 2015, but as the three of us, we’ve been playing together for about 4 years.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Fail The Enemy?
A. We are still finding our feet when it comes to our sound, but we are a band that writes music that speaks to us. It’s been a way of releasing feelings and emotions and saying the things that are usually the most difficult to say. When people check out our music, they can expect groove, poetry and power and we also hope that they hear something that resonates with them and that they can relate to their own lives and experiences.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
A. We loved our first gig with the three of us. It had been 4 years since our last gig after a hiatus. We were a little rusty, and after that amount of time, you wonder if what we do will still stand out to people and if people will turn up to watch. The gig went really well, and we had a lot of people who had seen us before come down to watch us, which was a great feeling. It was just great getting back to doing what we love doing.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
A. We have our brand new EP ‘Sandcastles’ coming out on October 9th. We have released 3 songs from that EP already, which people can check out on any streaming service.
Regarding a similar audience, which band at the moment do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
A. Maybe someone like Being As An Ocean. I feel like the topics we write music around are the same as theirs, and they use a mixture of genres to create their unique sound, which really resonates with us and something we, as a band, try to achieve.
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
A. There’s a lot of bands on the scene at the moment that we have come across that we’d love to see do well. Versus, Breather, Kintsugi, Least We Got Shoes, Stand Alone, Breathing Below & Repentless are just a few that we’ve met that are all great and definitely worth checking out!
What frustrates you about the music business?
A. Trying to keep consistency up with social media, I’m thinking about how it wasn’t like that 25 years ago and how people had more attention and patience with new music, you would just go to a music shop, buy an eye catching album and take it home to listen to before deciding if you like it or not, or you’d hear something on the radio or MTV and think “Oh thats cool, I might try find their music in my local shop”. People used to just attend gigs without knowing what they were in for and would end up discovering something new; people still do that but not as much. Now it kinda feels like you have to beg for people to check you out, but it’s not all down to the business; people’s attention spans have dropped so low since the introduction of social media. But we’re all guilty of it. Apart from this, organising gigs seems to be getting more and more difficult. The costings of things means people can’t afford to go out as much anymore, so they’re not committing to buying tickets for events in advance, which unfortunately leads to events being cancelled.
What are your first musical memories? And what lightbulb moment made you say “I want to do that”?
A.
Nathan: I’ve always loved music I think it’s a medium that’s engrained in everyone’s lives in some way or another, I’ve also always loved gaming, and I remember vividly playing need for speed most wanted on the ps2 and the soundtrack just being my coming of age moment at the time, I loved it, it’s honestly still one of my top 3 soundtracks in gaming, but as far as realising I wanted to do this it had to be when I saw frank carter and the rattlesnakes at stylus in Leeds, I fell in love with the atmosphere and since then I’ve tried to replicate it as much as I can, it was surreal.
Elliot: For myself, it was watching my mum’s Bon Jovi VHS tapes from Wembley when I was a toddler. I had a toy guitar and used to copy Richie Sambora as I was watching. I remember thinking, that’s what I want to do and I’ve never stopped wanting to do that. As a young kid, I knew the words to Bon Jovi lyrics before I knew the words to nursery rhymes, and they are still my favourite band today. Richie Sambora has been my idol all through my life, and if it wasn’t for him or Bon Jovi as a band, I wouldn’t be who I am or doing what I’m doing today.
Leah: Well, my mum would usually have music videos playing on the TV, and as a toddler I’d just sit and watch them. I remember watching a particular video of a woman walking down the street singing her song to the camera; I’d watch it all the time. Years later, I rediscovered that video, which unlocked that early memory; that woman in the video turned out to be Amy Winehouse. The lightbulb moment was probably when I was 13, already having drum lessons in school. I attended my first Download Festival in 2015. I was watching Slipknot, and I just thought, “that looks pretty damn fun for a job”
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
A.
Nathan: I believe it was Of Mice and Men again at the Stylus in Leeds, I went with Ell and my brother. It was a great show; they were a favourite band of mine back in the day, so it was great to finally get the opportunity to see them live.
Elliot: My last gig was the Download Festival. I go every year, and it’s like a home from home. I have friends that I met there and that I only see whilst there, and not just about the music, it’s a community, and I absolutely love it.
Leah: Last gig I attended as a fan was April 2026. I went to see a band called Skynd that I fell in love with in 2025.
What current social issues are you particularly passionate about?
A.
Elliot: The topic of mental health is something really personal and important to me. I am currently a facilitator for Andy’s Man Club, which is a charity dedicated to giving men over the age of 18 a safe place where they can talk with no judgement. It is all about smashing the stigma around men’s mental health. I attend the group every week not just to help myself, but any man who walks through our door. It is something I am very passionate about and proud that I can be a small part in helping people.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
A.
Elliot: I wouldn’t say I’ve got anything that anyone who knows me would be surprised about, but the one that stands out for people that don’t know me is ABBA. I am a big fan, so I have lots of their songs in my library.
Leah: Probably a Beatles album or Pink Floyd or Mamas and Papas purely because they’re very old bands now and people don’t expect many young people to be into that music.
Everybody is a fan of something; who or what are you a fan of?
A. Elliot: I love wildlife. Since I was a kid, I have watched nature documentaries and always been a lover of big cats. I love being out in nature too. Going on a walk through the woods is a really peaceful thing for me.
Leah: Hard question, maybe travelling. I’d like to see more of the world, and I finally started making efforts to do that this year.
What new music have you enjoyed so far this year?
A. Elliot: I’m really enjoying Being As An Ocean’s new music. They have gone back to creating music like their debut album, which is great. I love the raw emotion that goes into it and how real it is and feels. They definitely deserve more people to hear them. I’m also loving the new Motionless in White album. I used to listen to them a lot growing up, and it’s got me back into them.
Leah: Again, I would have to say Skynd. For someone who’s in a band, I don’t venture out as much as I should with new music and new bands, I need to sort that out!
What does the rest of 2026 hold for Fail The Enemy ?
A. With our EP coming out, we are hoping to book in some more shows to support its release. We are also planning on a few more days in the studio and carry on with songwriting for more new music.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
A. The best social media for us at the moment is Instagram. That’s where we are most active, but we also have a Facebook and TikTok account where people can connect with us.
