Set on End - CD Review – Set On End – Means to an End
08 Jun 2009 // A review by CEOMong
An evocatively presented CD, deliciously rich yet understated; a dark reflection of the ills of society. 5 “real” tracks, plus one eerie intro piece that sets the mood quite nicely.
Beautifully mastered and engineered, this album has a hugely polished quality without sounding pompous or over the top. Real “metalhead” metal, the only problem I have is the short track list!
Track 1 – Macrocosm – Intro
Track 2 – Fire For Amber – catchy and tweaky, I’ve been humming this one for days without even realising.
Track 3 – Victim – awesome work, each verse kicking more ass than the last, nice little hooks throughout and beautiful gax work.
Track 4 – The Last Revelation – kick-ass rapid hook hauls me in, short and abrupt, yet flowing gax coupled with dominant bass and just the right amount of backing drummage provide another example of the power and skill at play here.
Track 5 – Fall Defiled – coasting in off the climax of track 4, the fall solidly rocks on up to the first of a multitude of peaks and valleys each with rapid and slow plateaus. A fantastic track.
Track 6 – Resist: Comply – an epic end to a great album. Gravelly and growly vox, boot tapping rhythms and staunch gax leave me wanting more!
The search continues …
CEO Mong
About Set on End
Forming in Auckland, New Zealand, Set on End released their debut EP, Means To An End in 2009, touring solidly and sharing the stage with a number of international touring acts. The band took a significant break in order to work on their creative direction, returning in 2016 with a new line-up and their first full-length album, The Dark Beyond, an evolution of the band's heavy, groove-oriented core.
Recorded between Mindset, and Zorran Mendonsa Productions in Auckland, The Dark Beyond was mixed and engineered by Zorran Mendonsa (Blacklistt, New Way Home, Saving Grace) and mastered by Ermin Hamidovic (Periphery, Plini, Haunted Shores) at Systematic Productions in Melbourne.
"The album explores humanity's journey as a species and as individuals, striving for a better world, striving to further our knowledge of who and where we are. Sometimes the path we should take is obvious, and at other times we simply wander into the dark, reaching out for the unknown."
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Set on End