“I feel like I’m in Metallica in 1988 with what we do.”
Big words from URNE’s Joe Nally there. In ‘88, Metallica had released …And Justice For All, which would go on to become one of the biggest-selling and widely-considered best metal albums of all time. URNE, by comparison, have done some great work and earned acclaim for it, though are yet to shake their ‘underrated’ label. But you know how these metal chaps are—get a bit of spirit in ‘em and they’ll run with it forever. It’s the kind of enthusiasm for all to see that nabs production from Justin Hill of SikTh, and Mastodon’s Troy Sanders lending talents to the nine-minute Harken The Waves.
Setting Fire To The Sky, then, could’ve only come from either a) the biggest metal band in the world, or b) a band who carry themselves like it. URNE have this so far in the bag now that, to the untrained ear, it’s nigh impossible to tell that they aren’t the former. And the wild thing is how that isn’t a new development at all. A Feast On Sorrow was brilliant as well in 2023, but now, you can hear the tweaks and tune-ups that always hit with metal bands of this stature. It’s practically a tradition at this point—the metal band, beloved and awaiting their big break, produce an album that gives no reason whatsoever why that shouldn’t be coming immediately.
It’s the intimate familiarity with URNE’s handling of metal that’s why Setting Fire To The Sky works so well. For the most part, this could be a lost Mastodon album from the 2000s, such is the size, breadth and mass of what’s brought to the table. Even looking past how more than half the tracklist features a vocal blend directly cribbing from that band (without even counting the song that Sanders himself is on), the feel is there is droves. These are spiralling juggernauts of compositions, never losing their way or becoming untenable to bring back around. It’s the perfect marriage of a sludged-out arsenal with true-blue, classic sensibilities, never swaying from that or finding itself stuck for progression.
If you do want to split hairs, the guitars on The Ancient Horizon could be hardened up a wee bit, and…that’s about it. As far as metal that swelters from its own scope and force goes, Setting Fire To The Sky is expertly put together to the point where it’s hard to even pull apart. It’s true from the very start with Be Not Dismayed, employing the age-old reel-in of a solemn acoustic guitar that gets obliterated by its unstoppable shredding and Nally’s hoary, unkempt growls.
Similarly impressive is how little space is wasted at any point. A tenacious churn at the centre of The Spirit, Alive is already great, but packing in the best hook on the album is a whole other level reached. A little later, Towards The Harmony Hall sports a deadly riff-and-drum combo (side note: James Cook’s drum tone across the board is mind-blowingly good), and even with shades of death metal and a hollowed-out bridge, it’s still as compact and free of extraneous fluff as a seven-minute piece gets. The title track uses its extended time to touch upon some prog-metal design space, and though it errs a little from the out-and-out slugging, it might be the most explorative the album gets. And, of course, there’s Harken The Waves, by default URNE’s newest opus for its sheer size, but also a nice bit of thematic torch-passing in its feature. Sanders’ presence truly does feel integral to the meat of the track, instead of just a stunt case, endemic in the carved-in-stone tone of his and Nally’s meshing voices.
Finally, there’s Breathe, the closer where, if you’re somehow still in doubt of URNE’s capacity for stunners, leaves no space for denial. It’s the ideal metal ballad—vocals with the crags and burns on full display; a production job that accentuates the regal timbre, not smothers it; and beautiful cello contributions from Jo Quail to perfectly tie it together. It’s also representative of the level that Setting Fire To The Sky is at. The threshold of proper, world-class potential has undoubtedly been crossed, something that URNE clearly take glee in capitalising on. Thus comes an album like this, encased in metal’s wonderment and inspired by it to move farther than ever before. URNE have always been good, frequently great; Setting Fire To The Sky looks upon something transcendent.
For fans of: Mastodon, Conjurer, Pijn
‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ by URNE is released on 30th January on Spinefarm Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
