URNE Setting Fire To The Sky
URNE's Setting Fire To The Sky arrives as a rallying, often triumphant statement that pushes the band from underground promise toward broader recognition. Across five professional reviews the record earned an 82/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to the opening salvo “Be Not Dismayed” as the clearest exa
Be Not Dismayed is best for its relentless pace, huge chorus and immediate impact as the album opener.
The album's strengths are tight performance and improved production, but it is weakened by formulaic songwriting and excessive Mastodon imitation.
Best for listeners looking for anthemic heavy metal and groove and rhythm, starting with Be Not Dismayed and The Ancient Horizon.
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Full consensus notes
URNE's Setting Fire To The Sky arrives as a rallying, often triumphant statement that pushes the band from underground promise toward broader recognition. Across five professional reviews the record earned an 82/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to the opening salvo “Be Not Dismayed” as the clearest example of URNE's sharpened conviction and melodic heft.
Reviewers agree the collection balances old-school ferocity with progressive, modern metal touches. Praise centers on standout tracks “Be Not Dismayed”, “The Ancient Horizon”, “Harken The Waves” and “Breathe” for their blend of virtuosic riffcraft, anthemic choruses, and moments of genuine emotional catharsis. Several critics highlight the title track and mid-album epics as demonstrations of the band's growth and improved production, calling attention to the record's groove, technical musicianship and cinematic scope. At its best the album fuses epic melodies with aggression, producing passages that feel both primal and meticulously arranged.
Not all reviews are unreservedly positive. Some critics flag creative dilution and familiar metalcore or Mastodon-tinged templates that make parts of the tracklist feel formulaic rather than distinctive. Still, the prevailing critical consensus across professional reviews praises URNE's maturation: the album's grander structures and tighter production suggest a band finding its stride even as a few songs trade edge for accessibility. For readers asking whether Setting Fire To The Sky is worth hearing, the record's standout tracks and overall 82/100 score argue it is an essential, if occasionally imperfect, step forward in URNE's trajectory.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Be Not Dismayed
5 mentions
"From the opening moments, "Be Not Dismayed," "Weeping To The World," and "The Spirit, Alive" make it clear that this album was built with melodic heft"— The Spill Magazine
The Ancient Horizon
4 mentions
"The Ancient Horizon" so gorgeous technically is URNE’s ability to take these concepts and turn them into something more intricate"— The Spill Magazine
Weeping To The World
3 mentions
"Weeping To The World offers up a taste of just how good they are as songwriters."— Distored Sound Magazine
From the opening moments, "Be Not Dismayed," "Weeping To The World," and "The Spirit, Alive" make it clear that this album was built with melodic heft
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Be Not Dismayed
Weeping To The World
The Spirit, Alive
Setting Fire To The Sky
The Ancient Horizon
Towards The Harmony Hall
Harken The Waves
Breathe
Nocturnal Forms - Bonus Track
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
In a propulsive, chest-beating review Phil Cooper paints URNE's Setting Fire To The Sky as a triumphant arrival, with opening salvo “Be Not Dismayed” kicking the door down and the soaring title track asserting the band's claim to wider recognition. He highlights how songs like “Weeping To The World” and “The Ancient Horizon” balance unstrained force with captivating melodic leads, arguing these are the best tracks on Setting Fire To The Sky because they fuse groove, precision and thunderous chorus that demand attention. The closing “Breathe” is singled out as a sublime coda - a peaceful veil that makes the quietest track speak loudest. Throughout Cooper's excited, declarative prose the record is presented as both a banner for modern UK metal and the album that finally announces URNE to the broader metal consciousness.
Key Points
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Be Not Dismayed is best for its relentless pace, huge chorus and immediate impact as the album opener.
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The album's core strengths are irresistible groove, precise songwriting and a balance of thunderous riffs with melodic subtlety.
Themes
Bl
Critic's Take
URNE continue to astonish on Setting Fire to the Sky, and the best songs - notably “Be Not Dismayed” and “Harken the Waves” - prove why. The reviewer revels in the bands knack for marrying crushing riffs with emotive melodies, praising “Be Not Dismayed” as an opening song to cherish and highlighting “Harken the Waves” as a big, prog-metal showcase. The title track “Setting Fire To The Sky” is flagged for gnarliest riffs and melodic hooks, cementing these as the album's standout moments. This is music that bleeds from their fingers, voices and souls, and those three tracks best encapsulate its power and ambition.
Key Points
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The best song is "Be Not Dismayed" because it combines delicate acoustic intro, thunderous riffs, and a masterful solo for strong emotional impact.
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The album's core strengths are its blend of old-school bravado and modern progressive ambition, delivering memorable melodies and compositional depth.
Themes
Critic's Take
URNE’s Setting Fire To The Sky spends its runtime turning grief into grandeur, and the best songs - especially “Be Not Dismayed”, “Harken The Waves” and “Breathe” - show why. The record opens with triumphant melodies and urgent instrumentals on “Be Not Dismayed” and “The Spirit, Alive”, establishing the album’s melodic heft early. Mid-album epics like “Harken The Waves” and the cinematic title track expand the band’s palette, marrying technical gallop and delicate passages in a way that feels both primal and transcendent. Ultimately, these standout tracks make Setting Fire To The Sky feel bigger, bolder, and emotionally cathartic, the kind of album that rewards repeated listening.
Key Points
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Harken The Waves is the emotional centerpiece, featuring Troy Sanders and delivering a nine-minute, impactful odyssey.
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The album’s core strengths are its blend of melodic heft and heavy post-metal textures, and its emotional catharsis and technical growth.
Themes
Critic's Take
URNE have crafted something imminently triumphant on Setting Fire To The Sky, and the best songs - particularly “Be Not Dismayed” - explain why. The record feels like the one to push them out of the underground, not by chasing trends but by perfecting and expanding a long-carved vision. “Be Not Dismayed” detonates with authority, its riffs biting hard and Joe Nally’s roar carrying new conviction, making it the clear standout among the best tracks on Setting Fire To The Sky.
Key Points
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Be Not Dismayed is the best song because it detonates with authority, biting riffs and Joe Nally’s convinced roar.
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The album’s core strength is perfecting and expanding Urne’s vision, balancing modern heft with defining darkness.
Themes
An
Critic's Take
The review finds URNE's Setting Fire to the Sky to be a tightly played but creatively diminished record, where the best songs - notably “The Ancient Horizon” and “Nocturnal Forms” - actually cut through the album's pall. The critic repeatedly flags the Mastodon-tinged direction and generic metalcore templates that mar tracks like “Be Not Dismayed” and “Setting Fire To The Sky”, praising production and riffs but lamenting loss of spirit. The result is a record with a few high points that showcase the band's muscle, yet too many songs that feel soulless and radio-ready rather than distinctive.
Key Points
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“The Ancient Horizon” stands out as the best song because it avoids the album's metalcore pitfalls and features a massive, worthy lead.
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The album's strengths are tight performance and improved production, but it is weakened by formulaic songwriting and excessive Mastodon imitation.