For a certain subset of the metal fandom, URNE are one of the most exciting acts out there: the band’s commitment to fusing uncompromising death and groove metal with progressive song structures and unconventional melodies sets them apart from their contemporaries in a big way, making 2023’s ‘A Feast On Sorrow’ one of the most crushing and memorable records of that year. Now in 2026, new record ‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ only solidifies their place in the scene. This is URNE at their most grandiose and impressive— it’s their best work yet.

The group’s desire to follow up the dark and claustrophobic style of ‘A Feast On Sorrow’ with something a little brighter absolutely shines through on their new record, though ‘brighter’ is very much a relative term: ‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ is a much more melodic and versatile record than its predecessor, but URNE’s commitment to pulverising groove metal and barbaric displays remains in full force. The record may open on some gorgeous classical-inspired acoustic guitar work, but it’s not until the ferocious distorted riffs of ‘Be Not Dismayed’ enter the fray that the album reveals its true colours. This is a massive LP, and not just due to its lengthy song structures— in classic metal fashion, URNE seek to bury the listener under wave after wave of auditory anguish, and they frequently succeed at that very task. James Cook’s vibrant tom work and pounding snare hits slice their way through a mix that balances clarity and grit extremely well: Neyra and Bagley’s guitars, together with Nally’s rumbling bass underneath, are a dominating presence that demand your attention in every moment.

The tracks that have made their way onto ‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ are absolutely deserving of that muscular presentation (so much so that a poor mixing job might’ve undercut them altogether). URNE are taking heavy inspiration from legendary acts like Mastodon and Gojira here— probably a little too much inspiration, if we're being honest— filling their latest release with pummelling guitar chugs, flowing melodic passages and a varied host of exciting riffs and transitions. The title track really is the centrepiece of the album, capturing exactly what the four-piece were hoping to achieve here: the song takes a full-minute to build to its climactic opening riff, and then only grows loftier and weightier from there on the part of its slamming rhythmic choices and thunderous breakdown. URNE return to this collection of writing devices many times throughout the album, but if it’s a formula, it’s a damn versatile one. ‘Towards The Harmony Hall’ and ‘Harken The Waves’ feel like out-and-out exhibitions of the band’s prowess, as if each member knows they’ve come into their full power— both are stuffed with electrifying performances and exciting changes, though the cinematic post-metal build and intriguing use of Mastodon’s Troy Sanders on the latter take things to a whole new level.

This is hardly an exhausting listen though, and neither was it supposed to be: URNE throw in a number of softer sections and moments of relief across the album that only further speak to the versatility and flexibility of their sound. ‘The Ancient Horizon,’ ballsy as its guitars may be, becomes almost meditative thanks to its stomping grooves and instantly memorable melodies— it’s a simple song, perhaps the simplest on the record, and feels perfect placed in-between the monstrous title track and the towering ‘Towards the Harmony Hall.’ Similarly enthralling is ‘The Spirit, Alive,’ which wears its Gojira influence on its sleeve so plainly as to suffocate in it: the track’s gruff vocal delivery and syncopated guitar chugs feel ripped straight from the French four-piece’s handbook in a manner that, honestly, overshadows URNE’s own contributions. Still, we’d absolutely be lying if we claimed that the track didn’t work for us anyways— the absolutely intensity with which Nally screams the song’s title is something that deserves to be heard (even if his other vocal contributions, particularly on the plodding ‘Weeping To The World,’ are more hit-or-miss for us).

URNE are definitely cutting a little too close to their influences here, that cannot be denied— still, putting ‘Setting Fire To The Sky’ up against the best work of either Mastodon or Gojira, it’ll hold its own. This is a record that feels triumphant, all the way until closing ballad ‘Breathe’ sucks the air out of the room: you can tell that the four-piece knew they were onto something special here, and my goodness were they. The riffs of ‘Be Not Dismayed,’ ‘Towards The Harmony Hall’ and ‘Harken The Waves’ feel almost opulent, falling onto you with a real, physical weight that every metal band dreams of capturing, but few truly have in hand. This might just be URNE’s magnum opus— how they’re planning on topping this, we can’t imagine.