Set To Break - Redemption
Set To Break hail from Bridgend in Wales, and are on a mission to do something new with the metalcore musical palette. This is a brave undertaking in what is a quite crowded landscape, where standing out and bringing something fresh to this genre of metal is not easy.
For a band only formed at the beginning of last year, it has to be said that Redemption is a remarkably confident debut EP. There is real power and intention driving their sound and musical aspirations.
Lost and Khan are for me the two tracks where the band clearly demonstrate they can fulfil their ambition, of bringing some radical and deconstructing sounds to metalcore. Lost begins with ethereal voices and a soft acoustic backdrop, segueing into some dynamic edgy guitar, and completely massive drums; and a fabulous growling vocal, contrasting sharply with the choir like voices. This is stunning and adventurous stuff.
Khan with its lovely gentle piano beginning, unleashes some beautifully lyrical guitar melodies, that create an underpinning continuity, needed to hold together the various shattering breakdowns and shifts within the song. The vocal is full of emotional power and very affecting. A real killer track!
The other tracks in contrast seem a little more constrained and hemmed in by the metalcore tradition. That's maybe okay though, as this band are at the beginning of developing their sound, which feels to be in an evolutionary place just now. In part, reflecting their roots and influences, but with an emerging and exciting sense of experimentation and boundary breaking.
This is a metal band to keep an eye on, and be intrigued by where their musical journey might take them next; and I would encourage the band to keep taking risks with their sound.