I Will Fail You

The somber vibe of Extremist tracks like this one and "Hell Don't Need Me" call upon Demon Hunter's specific brand of ballad. However vocalist Ryan Clark considers that they also introduce, for the first time, a certain element of slow doom that the band haven't really explored in the past. He told Decibel magazine: "In short, they're slow and brooding, but with heavy, usually muted guitar riffs that cut through, and slower, darker chord progressions." "The cadence is a little looser than what I usually end up writing," Clark added. "It feels different to me, and I like that. The chorus melody is in a lower register than the rest of the vocals, which is also unordinary for us, but nevertheless, I think it feels like the 'biggest' part of the song, which is ultimately the most important thing for me."

Guitarist Patrick Judge laid down the guitar solos for almost every Extremist track after they were otherwise completely finished. By this time Clark had already left Nashville, where Demon Hunter recorded the album, and was back at home in Seattle. The vocalist told Decibel: "Over the course of about a week, the guys would send me the songs with the finished solos, and each one just blew my mind." "I think this is one of the last songs they sent me, and I listened to it probably ten times in a row," he added. "It's absolutely my favorite solo on the record, and quite possibly my favorite of any solo Patrick's done. I still get pumped when I hear it. I just think it's incredibly tasteful and unique."

Clark explained the song's meaning: "'I Will Fail You' is about the scrutiny that a band like ours of tends falls under," he said. "No matter how many times we blatantly express our beliefs, there will always be someone ready to destroy their collection of Demon Hunter albums if they suspect we're not as 'holy' as they've managed to project. The obvious problem with this is that no one is truly holy, and we're all in need of perpetual forgiveness — a defining theme of what this band has been about from the beginning."