Album Review: SETYØURSAILS - Nightfall

German, modern melodic, post-hardcore quartet SETYØURSAILS have returned with their 2nd studio album ‘Nightfall.’ They’re young, enraged and standing against hate which is a message they convey clearly throughout this record.

The record opens with ‘Ghosts’ which features vocals from Annisokay‘s Rudi Schwarzer. It opens with a distorted, key-lead sound accompanied by dramatic drumming before dropping in to a melodic guitar riff with Jules Mitch‘s soft vocals. However the tempo quickly changes and you’re suddenly taken by surprise with an atmospheric build up before slamming in to a breakdown of faster riffing and Schwarzer’s gutteral vocals.

The title track opens with a distorted riff and meaty drumming guaranteed to get you headbanging before slowing right down with atmospheric, upbeat and metalcore-esque drum beats. It features more gutteral vocals this time from Andreas Dörner of Caliban nicely offsetting Mitch‘s whisper of “so this is how I hit the ground” before descending in to another heavy breakdown.

This leads nicely in to the more mellow and melodic ‘Secrets‘ with light and ethereal vocals and harmonies finishing with a distorted breakdown and more gutteral vocals for a more aggressive ending. This aggressiveness continues straight off the bat with ‘Why‘ consisting of fast riffing, thunderous drums and more gutteral vocals.

SETYØURSAILS showcase a wide range of talents frequently alternating between clean and unclean vocals, lots of distorted keys and synth, various tempo changes resulting in a very smooth listening experience. Their talents are particularly noteworthy in the ability to take the song ‘Shallow‘ from the movie A Star Is Born and crafted it in to their own sound. As someone who only dips in to the metalcore world on a semi-regular basis, this was an enjoyable listen. The combination of melodic harmonies and ferocity is well balanced resulting in an aggressive passion that no one can deny. This is a band who will continue to cement their place in their genre and they aren’t going anywhere. I give this record 7/10.

Released By: Napalm Records

Release Date: 21st January 2022

For Fans Of: Spiritbox, Every Time I Die, While She Sleeps

Favourite Track(s): Nightfall, Why