Urne - Setting Fire To The Sky - review
Urne - Setting Fire To The Sky - review
Tracklist
01. Be Not Dismayed02. Weeping To The World
03. The Spirit, Alive
04. Setting Fire To The Sky
05. The Ancient Horizon
06. Towards The Harmony Hall
07. Harken The Waves [feat. Troy Sanders]
08. Breathe [feat. Jo Quail]
09. Nocturnal Forms [CD and digital bonus]
A review by
omne metallum January 17, 2026
They say it takes three albums for a band to break out, to go from underground darlings to mainstream mainstays: be it Aerosmith, Slayer or Green Day, the third time is the charm. If, after Setting Fire To The Sky, Urne don't break through and continue to rumble around in the underground, there will be earthquakes across the European continent in 2026, for Setting Fire To The Sky is an album that should blow up in a big way.
After giving me long pause for thought in choosing my AOTY in 2023, A Feast On Sorrow seemed like a record that the band would have a near-impossible task of following up, given the quality and emotional depth imbued in the grooves of that album. Perhaps anticipating this, Urne sidestep what could have been a pitfall in trying to remake that magic, and instead alter their formula to produce a unique album in their discography with the same overall quality of the preceding releases.
While the overarching theme of preceding A Feast On Sorrow was the emotional journey that comes with losing someone to degenerative mental illness, Setting Fire To The Sky differs, in that the main theme seems to be "we really like Mastodon, like really, REALLY like Mastodon" (which must have made the band snagging a Troy Sanders appearance a highlight). While this had always been present in the band's preceding works, it was in measured doses (indeed, A Feast On Sorrow was more in service of its concept and occasional Gojira-isms), whereas such restraint has been abandoned here.
Unless you happen to dislike Mastodon, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, for Urne aren't merely imitating what they hear, but understand what made that band so successful on a songwriting level. "The Ancient Horizon" highlights how Urne blend their sound with Mastodon's to produce something (heavily indebted to, admittedly, but not coattail-riding) that stands out as their own. "The Spirit, Alive" recalls the Gojira-isms of the past, but imbues it with succinct guitar playing from Neyra (add in a short and sweet break in "Weeping To the World" that likewise does similar).
Aided by a production that finds the gap between sludge's hardcore roots and the pristine and perfected musicianship of progressive metal, tracks like "Harken The Waves" and the crushing "Towards The Harmony Hall" bridge both in a way that scratches itches that on face value are diametrically opposed.
That said, "Breathe" marks a drop-off for the record, where the almost unconscious flow that had run through the album is diverted harshly and disrupts what had been a seamless affair to that point. Whether purposeful or not, the album had felt that it had been building to something that ends up being a swerve that, rather than changing direction, sees the record come to a complete stop. "Nocturnal Forms" is a return to form, but at that point immersion has completely dissipated.
While the album effectively ends prematurely before limping out, this doesn't undermine what the band have built up before it, namely a record that deserves to be Urne's calling card to bigger things. Given this is the first new album of the new year I've heard, either 2026 has peaked immediately, or I'm going to have a great time hearing others match or surpass this.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 17.01.2026 by
Written on 17.01.2026 by
Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening. Comments
Comments:
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Posts: 214  |
Posts: 214
You raised the expectations too high, but I am intrigued! Too bad the album does not hit the streaming services for a couple of weeks.
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Posts: 1342
Exciting by the tracks already out. The previous album was amazing.
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Posts: 214 |
Posts: 214
Listened to the whole album today and it’s certainly ambitious with a very charming, heavy production! There are some great songs in there, but overall I was expecting more; some memorable melodies to make this a truly classic.
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 Posts: 11972 |
Posts: 11972
You've described it just like I heard it. A lot of Mastodon and definitely progressive. I dig it  Good review btw.
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