Set The Dark On Fire

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  EDENBRIDGE
• Duration: 00:53:30
• Available from: 01/16/2026
• Label:

• Steamhammer Records

Streaming not yet available

Edenbridge arrive with “Set The Dark On Fire” on their twelfth studio album, which follows the previous and certainly valid “Shangri-La” by about four years.
The leader of the Austrian group, Lanvall, presents us this time with a record that does not stand out for great ideas, but in which he tries to introduce some peculiarities in some tracks.

Songs like the title track and “Where The Wild Things Are” are very direct and characterized by a melodic refrain, but the latter has a very Celtic flavor, with the use of folk instruments such as the mandolin and the dulcimer. “Lighthouse” instead has a very theatrical approach and oriental sounds, while “Bonded By Light” is the classic ballad. “The Ghostship Diaries” starts lively, like a typical opening track, but then features a rather slow, almost doom-like second part. “Cosmic Embrace” is also a melodic song but it also has a somewhat orchestral structure, actually present in some songs (not exactly in the whole album).
Beyond several short tracks that serve as simple intros or interludes, there are also a couple of wide-ranging songs: in particular, “Our Place Among The Stars”, melancholic and dreamy and “Spark Of The Everflame”, divided into four parts, actually a little fragmented, if we consider that the first part, “Let Time Begin” is a sort of intro, “The Winding Road To Evermore” insists heavily on a rather prolonged solo, while “Per Aspera Ad Astra” is a short, entirely symphonic part.

Another new element in the various songs is Lanvall's use of different instruments, obviously beyond guitars and keyboards: we have already mentioned the mandolin and the dulcimer, but we can also mention the sitar, bouzouki, ukulele, swarmandal and tampura.
Ample space is also given to guitar solos: in this respect, the inclusion of the new guitarist Sven Sevens should be highlighted, who, despite playing some fast solos, seems to favor performances that focus more on feeling and the ability to excite.
On the other hand, probably midtempo and rhythmic songs are almost the majority in the album's tracklist, which presents a sound that is perhaps slightly heavier and darker than the group's canons, which doesn't press on the accelerator too much, at least in most cases.
Good performance by the historic singer Sabine Edelsbacher who, as in the previous album, tends to also try her hand at slightly lower sounds than usual and who in the last performances of the choruses of each song tends to range over other tones to give greater liveliness.

Let's say that the feeling is that the best inspiration proceeds a bit in spurts, just as the tracklist proceeds in a too interspersed manner, moreover on several occasions with songs that focus on somewhat predictable solutions, except, as mentioned, the attempt to diversify with the use of various instruments or accentuating some peculiarities for each song.
In conclusion, all things considered, we believe that this time too Edenbridge have achieved a valid and good level of work, but we must also note that this is less convincing than what we were able to hear on the previous “Shangri-La”.