Last year, I accidently stumbled over the band we will talk about today. It was one of the support bands on Lord Of The Lost’s Blood And Glitter tour. Read our report here. The band simply blew me away with all their energy and passion. I once again saw them at SBOA, and it was one of my personal highlights of the festival… Now they release a new, the third, album and it is an honour for me to review “Bad Blood”. Of course, I‘m talking about SETYØURSAILS and here we go with the first of ten gems of songs, the title track of the album.

– Bad Blood –

Bad Blood

End what you begun

Now you can rot with this bad blood!

I make it short, a brutal guitar riff, bass, drums lead to Jules’ aggressive vocals. Guest vocalist Adrian Estrella of Zebrahead takes over and it becomes even more harsh. Both vocalists fit together perfectly in this duet full of dynamic energy. It certainly is a very impressive starter of the album and whets the appetite for more.

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Best Of Me

Can’t breath, can’t leave

You got the best of me

Jules doesn’t promise too much but who am I to judge this statement? The second song is a little bit slower and a little bit more electronic with a heavy guitar layer. Robot-like vocals lead through the verses and clean vocals dominate the chorus. Again, another very energetic song that creates an almost unbearable tension in a positive sense.

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T.F.M.F.

Bang! Bang!

Put my fucking gun in your mouth

Pull the trigger, spit it out, Say it loud!

The third song sounds a bit like the young brother or sister of “Fckoff” of SETYØURSAILS’ previous release “Nightfall”. You know, how it is with younger siblings, they are wild and impetuous. It is not different here. I wonder, how this song will sound live with a crowd shouting the chorus lines. Find out the meaning of the title but don’t feel offended, it is just true.

Halo

I can see through your halo

And you can’t run

From the truth of tomorrow

The fourth song has nothing to do with the same named TV-show and video games. A drifting guitar riff and some innocent clean vocals open the song and soon become rough, harsh, mean, and give a very clear statement.

 

Lately

Maybe I just think too much

But I can’t make my demons shut up

A very “romantic” intro with clean vocals leads us to the fifth song. It is a wild ride on the waves, so better set your sails for this challenging track. Slow, fast, sweet, and innocent, harsh and mean, it has it all in just three minutes. Calling it “the” ballad sounds a bit unfair, “aggressive power ballad” might be the right description. What do you think?

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Dangerous

You know it’s obvious

I like my girls like my sins-

Dangerous!

“Hold on tight, you know she′s a little bit dangerous. She′s got what it takes to make ends meet”, that’s what Roxette said in the song with the same name in 1989. I invite you to find out, what SETYØURSAILS say in their, the sixth  song. Is it very different? Is it about the same theme? Does it even sound similar? I can answer the last question with a clear “No.” It is rough, a simple guitar riff right between the eyes and half kind of whispered, half screamed vocals give us a completely different idea of being perfectly dangerous.

 

Bad Company

I don’t feel safe with me

When I’m alone I’m in

Bad company

The seventh song certainly is no bad company. It is very melodic and slightly less aggressive than the previous tracks without losing the grip and the clear direction of the whole album. Even if the lyrics suggest something different, I feel safe when I’m alone with this song which was released just a few days before the album as video single, enjoy:

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In My Head

In my head, in my head

I try to make the best of this mess that I made

Powerful guitar riff, a scream, neat clean vocals make the eighth song a perfect disguise for, once again, very mean lyrics. Well, Jules is very direct when she speaks out her mind and she doesn’t hold back. Why should she, why should anyone. Whatever is in your head can go out. Don’t remain silent when you could raise your voice.

Heart Attack

Tell them voices they can’t bring me down

In the end, all I get

Is a heart attack

If you survived so far, it is now time for cloud song umber nine and it leads you to a medical emergency… Be happy, it is no stroke, no accident, and no broken bones, it is just the heart attack. It is a very typical song for the whole album, catchy, aggressive, and impressive, sweat and mean at once. At least a song, you can’t stop listening to, because it catches you with its own magic.

Eternally

And I’m so fucked,

I don’t even care that I messed up every memories

It’s breaking me, eternally

The tenth song of Bad Blood speeds up again. It pulls all triggers of SETYØURSAILS at once and doesn’t hold back anything. Catchy melody, powerful guitar work and, as so often, very honest, personal lyrics round up the final track of the album. It whets your appetite to start listening to the album once again, and again. How can an album closer be any better? Exactly!

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What is left to say?

Bad Blood is the third album of SETYØURSAILS and the second one released by Napalm Records. I own the Napalm-debut “Nightfall “and it marks a milestone in my collection which I can listen to repeatedly. Bad Blood doesn’t stand back even one millimetre, instead it is the next very big step forward for those four likeable musicians from Cologne. Jules, André, Henrik, and Nicolai pulled all strings of their unique and aggressive style to climb the ladder to conquer the world with their honest and passionate lyrics and rough sound. I can only recommend giving this album more than “just a” listen, check the dates of the upcoming tour, experience them live and become excited, what will come next. The album itself is like an infection or addiction that you can’t get rid of and start loving it.

Short Facts

SETYØURSAILS – Unite & Conquer double Headline tour together with Rising Insane, tickets

Live impressions:

 

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Online:

SETYØURSAILS

Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.

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Proof reading and additional input by DerminBoad

Concert photos by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep