Happy Birthday to me! I celebrated my 32nd birthday this past Sunday and treated myself to finally listening to Set It Off’s self-titled new album released last Friday that I have been waiting so patiently for! Of course, I’m crazy about it, especially since I’m a huge metalhead and love the newfound heaviness the band has explored with the record! Here are some personal highlights without spoiling the entire album! 😉
Pathological: What a powerful opener to the album! The rap element was a total surprise here but it flows with the song so well! What an in your face “F- You” to what Set It Off’s lead singer Cody Carson describes as “[people who took advantage of his kindness] to get ahead, according to When The Horn Blows. It’s a headbanger for sure!
Rotten: See my review of the new single, here!
Switch: This is another lyrically creative song about not trusting people who are pretending to be genuinely kind “I can’t help but think when will you turn on me?” and “Make it quick, throw me the rope you wanna hang me with.” The buildup in this song is fantastic and the musical interludes in the track are top-notch energetic, very reminiscent of both Cinematics and Duality. This track is a standout on the album for sure!
Creating Monsters: This track has got to be my favorite on the album, playing like a horror movie soundtrack with haunting imagery and a killer chorus! It’s got the classic high energy pop-punk sound while venting about the demons created in our own heads, something every pop-punk and emo kid can relate to. 10/10.
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Reborn): While I don’t always love remakes of classic songs that help define a band, I appreciate the maturity and heaviness done to the remastering of this track originally released in 2014. I love both versions of the song, of course, and while I miss the exciting instrumental bridge in the original track, I LOVE the metal-inspired breakdown at the end of the chorus in the new release. It feels like this song grew up with the band and I’m here for it!
Parasite: This track has the classic Set It Off sound with upbeat energy that explodes with anger all at the same time. it is super catchy and is absolutely a hit. It’s another great track to listen to when you need to vent about someone who wronged you, just like an evil parasite. I highly recommend this one!
Punching Bag: The opening instrumentals to this song are FIRE, extremely Cinematics-esque and the the energy in the chorus is suuuper heavy and contagious…“Goodbye to you Mr. Nice Guy, you got your wish he’s rotting in hell!” The song is super motiving when you need a pick-me-up from a hard time and will be stuck in your head for days. I can’t get enough!
Fake Ass Friends: Lord, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this song on repeat in the car. While initially I thought this single was just okay, needless to say, this song really grew on me. I love the classic Set It Off pop-punk sound and the lyrics about calling people out who lie and manipulate their friends are so damn relatable. I love the breakdowns in the track and the chorus is so catchy, I will continue to listen to this song over and over for years to come!
While the self-titled album has so much more good stuff to offer, overall, I love the metal-sounding direction the band has taken with this record and the rap is a nice surprise as well. The heavy metal is a new sound for Set It Off with heavier, more mature undertones and it suits the band given everything they’ve gone through over the years, and the fans can really resonate as well. I love that Set It Off has kept their signature cinematic instrumentals and creative lyrics in this album while keeping some pop-punk favorites in the record also. The themes in the album are strong and the record has something for everyone to love, whether you’re a pop-punker, emo kid, metalhead or somewhere in between. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present. Check out the album here!
Till Next Time,
XOXO,
Meagan