This is the third album from UK metallers Urne.
Urne are a great band. 2021’s Serpent & Spirit was a fantastic debut, and 2023’s follow up A Feast of Sorrow wasn’t too shabby either. After finally catching the band live at the end of last year supporting the mighty Orange Goblin, I was more than ready for Setting Fire to the Sky.
Setting Fire to the Sky reads as a synthesis of everything Urne have done so far, and then some; they’ve pushed themselves further, harder, and come up with a collection of tracks that hit the ground running. Fuelled once more by a heady mix of thrash, sludge, doom, and progressive metal, Urne’s charismatic and impactful brand of heavy metal goodness is great to hear once more in this freshly rendered form.
Urne know how to write a good metal tune, and Setting Fire to the Sky is packed with more than its fair share of meaty riffs, molten solos, and guitars that generally shred and burn. The songwriting is a strength of the album, but the performances and production values are on point too. All of the band put in the work, but the singer seems to be improving further and further, both in the range and quality of his vocals. I really like his voice on this new material. The production values on Setting Fire to the Sky have received an upgrade too; it’s akin to an updated version of the sound the debut had, which makes it a firm winner in my book.
Despite its beefy hooks and rampant metallic glory, Urne are best appreciated over time. They have an ability to craft music that has instant appeal, but that really starts to reveal its character as you get to know it properly – this is especially true for the more progressive parts of the music. Setting Fire to the Sky is clearly a notable record when you first encounter it, but it’s ultimately a grower. This is to the album’s benefit, as it reveals just how strong these songs are.
Urne have released exactly the sort of album I wanted from them. It takes the strengths from their first album, the lessons learned from the second, and uses them to forge something that stands out. Setting Fire to the Sky is a thoroughly enjoyable record that any fan of metal should check out.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 