They say it takes three times to perfect the leap from underground titans to break into the main stream, and why wouldn’t you believe it with bands like Slayer, Motorhead and Green Day getting their foot in the door on each of their third releases. On the face of it, Urne should have gotten their foot not only in the door, but in the throne room with 2023’s A Feast On Sorrow, but looking back from then to now, it’s actually a good thing they stayed in the undergrowth as they’ve been stewing and writing in their collective juices since album two dropped.
Opening up with ‘Be Not Dismayed’, a soft acoustic guitar lulls you in before guitarist Angus Neyra’s crunchy guitar tone is rapid and precise throughout the song. For the next 48 minutes, Urne has you not only in their palm, but in a grip so tight it’s impossible to get out of it. Since …On Sorrow the band have upped their game exponentially. The musicianship has gotten tighter with the title track ‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ showing off their timing with drummer James Cook being slightly out of beat with the band, but it makes for an interestingly complex song that showcases Cook‘s shotgun blast snare in perfect condition.
Bassist/vocalist Joe Nally’s vocals are an integral part in making Urne as heavy as they are, and his vocals have improved tenfold since their last release. ‘The Spirit, Alive’ highlights his gritty vocal growls going from such, to a cleaner melodic affair then in an instant hitting his trademark wails. Doing this while his bass parts are as complex and fast as they can get is no mean feat, especially in the quicker passages within the album’s crevices.
Standing at just under ten minutes, ‘Harken The Waves’ takes the candle for longest song on the record. Filled with enough twists and turns from the genre-bending trio it also has Mastodon vocalist/bassist Troy Sanders making quite a lengthy feature. Other bands would use a feature for maybe a few lines and a chorus, but Urne recruited Sanders vocally for almost the entire duration, with Nally and Sanders’ vocals intertwining intermittently which makes for a compelling back and forth.
While less emotional standing next to their previous releases, you can still feel the emotion from band oozing across the album. ‘Breathe’, while slightly veering off the path the rest of the album has been going down is still a fantastic finish to the album, featuring innovative cellist Jo Quaill it adds a raw slow descent in comparison to the rest of the album which has been aggressive and powerfully ambient in some sections.
Setting Fire To The Sky is a masterclass in how to perfect upon a previous release. The songwriting, lyricism and overall musicianship across the trio have aged like a fine wine. If you’re looking for an almost perfect progressive genre-bending metal band, Urne have cemented themselves as the contenders for such a title.