Style: Metalcore, Alternative Metal, Octanecore
Recommended for fans of: Skyharbor, Thornhill, Northlane, Octanecore Bands
Country: UK
Release date: 19 June 2026

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The early 2010s were a magical time for progressive metal, particularly for the genre’s djent-ier side. The scene was in the midst of an explosion of creativity, innovation, and all the controversy that came with it. After all, these newfangled bands—Periphery, Erra, Veil Of Maya, Volumes, Monuments, The Contortionist, After The Burial, Born Of Osiris, TesseracT, and many more—were dangerously close to—gasp—metalcore. Each one of these bands eventually went on to carve out their own niche, defining the sound of their respective sonic corners of djent. Of course, these are all household names today, but there was a long period of time where each and every one of them had to get there—a period of time which largely coincided with perhaps the longest stretch of musical curiosity and discovery in my own personal life. Of all the groundbreaking classics released during this time, one in particular still stands above the rest. One. 

That is to say, One. TesseracT’s One to be specific. One wonderful One to rule them all. One won the number one¹ spot of my all time favorite albums all those years ago, and even now it’s certainly in the conversation. At the time, there was simply nothing like it—grooves that stretch over massive sixteen bar phrases, enveloped in the haze of floating, atmospheric ostinatos, obfuscated by the mind-bending drumming of Jay Postones. And of course, Daniel Tompkins strikingly patient legato vocal lines soaring over and contrasting the busy work of the instrumentals. Tompkins was at the forefront of ‘best prog vocalist’ conversations at the time, continuing to stay relevant to this day. Now, Tompkins has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Paul Ortiz— another early 2010s djent legend best known for his solo project Chimp Spanner—under the banner of Prince of Failure, a pairing that would have had seventeen year old me foaming at the mouth. 

Thankfully, my rabid teenage years are behind me, so my mouth only betrays the slightest of suds creeping out the corners. Prince of Failure is the debut release from our dynamic duo, a release which, according to the Bandcamp page, ‘marks a significant shift in Daniel Tompkins’ creative world’. Ominous. After a moody intro track, “Dream Stealer” slowly fades in, building tension for the first reveal of this new chapter for Tompkins, and… oh, this just sounds like Skyharbor, huh? 

Alright, alright, I’m being reductive. But it does sound quite like Skyharbor, especially the chorus. I do believe that starting Prince of Failure off with a bit of familiarity is a purposeful choice, though, as the following ten tracks run the gamut of modern metalcore experimentation, allowing Tompkins to put his own spin on trends and textures which wouldn’t fit in any of his other projects. To this end, Ortiz is the perfect partner, his knack for beefy guitar tones, crisp production, and electronic soundscaping providing a satisfying aesthetic foundation for Prince of Failure, pulling from an unexpected scene: octanecore. You know, that shit they play on the radio? Often used in a derogatory manner, octanecore is a slang term for the sound of many of the popular metalcore bands who enjoy airtime on SiriusXM’s Octane radio station, bands who are often accused of formulaic and uninspired songwriting. Verse-chorus-verse song structures; a focus on production; downtuned guitars and textural riffing; predictable breakdowns; mixed vocals; electronic elements… it’s a winning—if hackneyed—formula, one which Prince of Failure takes full advantage of. 

Thankfully, they really pull it off. Ortiz understands his role perfectly, keeping the instrumental side of things relegated to providing a foundation of grooves, tones, and textures, building a sonic playground for Tompkins to vocalize in. Early standout “Phantom” most fully epitomizes the octanecore formula; a stank-face inducing downtuned guitar groove rolls through each verse, climaxing in perhaps the heaviest section Prince of Failure has to offer about two thirds of the way through the track. “Saturn’s Shadow” shows us the other side of the octanecore coin, a slow burn drenched in reverb and blanketed in bright synths, the anticipated massive breakdown replaced by chilled out guitar solo. Later, “Horizon” flexes the production muscle, electronic beats and textures leading the way in lieu of guitar, which only shows up during the chorus and ending breakdown and, even then, only in support of the electronics. In fact, Prince of Failure is significantly synth oriented, each track’s identity wrapped up in its own mostly unique electronic soundscaping. Over it all, Tompkins continues his career long streak of subtle experimentation. “Dream Stealer” plays with light, breathy falsettos; “Prince of Failure” features grunts and yells directly inspired by Deftones’ Chino Moreno; and “Jaded Mantra” utilizes perhaps the fullest range of Tompkins vocal abilities ever recorded in a single song. Ortiz and Tompkins really are a great pair, each taking advantage of the others strengths while simultaneously catering towards them.

So, Prince of Failure makes a compelling argument in favor of the octanecore formula.

But…

I mean, cmon. It’s still octanecore, and it still suffers from the pitfalls the scene is so infamous for. To start, the album is relatively frontloaded, though I’m unsure how much of this is because of my tastes and how much is because of the formulaic nature of the songwriting. While “Dream Stealer”, “Moonlight”, and “Phantom” are the perfect 1-2-3 punch of engaging melodies and rhythms to start Prince of Failure off, the rest of the album largely blends together in my mind outside of a couple standout tracks, even after nearly a dozen listens. I also straight up dislike a couple of moments, most notably the vocal cadence of Tompkins and guest vocalist Kristyn Hope during the verses on “Horizon”, which leans a bit too far into R&B territory for its own good. Really, octanecore can only take one so far, though Prince of Failure elevates the style through particularly strong performances and the members prog backgrounds, reaching higher highs than any other attempt I’ve personally heard.

So, sorry teenage me. Prince of Failure isn’t the mind bending prog vaccine for your insatiable music exploration rabies. What it is, though, is a solid slab of sing-a-long-able, head-nod-able, blast-while-driving-with-your-windows-down-able metalcore. Tompkins pulls off his creative world shift with ease, and at this point I’m convinced that I’ll enjoy literally anything he features on. If you’re a seventeen year old prog snob reading this, I implore you: give these old dogs a chance with some new tricks. Prince of Failure may not satiate your desire for polyrhythms, complex harmonies, or whatever other traits Tompkins and Ortiz’s other projects are known for, but it very well may scratch some other itch you didn’t even know you had.

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Recommended tracks: Dream Stealer, Phantom, Prince of Failure
You may also like: Kadinja, The Afterimage, Ions, Ihlo, Only Human
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Kscope

Prince of Failure is:
– Dan Tompkins (vocals)
– Paul Ortiz (uncredited, though assumedly everything else)
With guests:
– Krisyn Hope (vocals on “Horizon”)

1. Sorry ↩︎