Gravebound - Failure By Design Song & Video Review

Review by: Brittany Swigert

While delays and breakups take hold of the music industry in the face of the pandemic, Gravebound shows no sign of stopping. While things have certainly changed, after hearing their new single, "Failure by Design" it's clear to me it was a step in the right direction. In May, they announced the departure of vocalist Jarod Silvey and I had some reservations about what to expect from future releases. I liked his voice and had misgivings about who they would select to replace him. Guitarist Kyle Richards has taken up the microphone and shown that Gravebound is more than any one member.

The newest single shows a side of the band I didn't expect to see when starting up the track. It was a departure from thier former static sound, bringing variation in to thier music. This made for a much more engaging track than previous releases. It added much needed complexity that was never really present before. It hangs to be both lighter and heavier all at the same time. With deeper guttural growls and beautiful cleans Kyle is showing us he has what it takes to move forward in to this new era for the band. The instrumentals are ridiculously good. I have always loved Gravebound, but what they did here was so much better than what they have put out in the past. There are so many shifting arrangements that take you from one sound to another, and it is absolutely perfect.

The video utilizes does of the entire band with barrios close is on each member, highlighting every person who makes Gravebound what it is. With alot of solid color backdrops and some exquisite b lighting choices they have created something that could easy be used on a large screen for a live performance. It is personal and intense, and I'm pretty stoked to see them that way again. As much as I love videos that tell a story, bands who create videos like this know their music speaks for itself. They simply are not afraid to show everyone exactly who they are.

"Failure by Design" is out Friday, September 25 on all major streaming platforms. Be sure to check out this killer single and key us know if you liked it just as much as I did.