On A Vivid Memory, Set and Setting mine a wide variety of non-vocal-oriented artists to come up with a cohesive, though not particularly original, collection of heavy instrumental songs. There’s the crashing riffs and pounding drums of Russian Circles, the soaring, slow, widescreen guitars of Explosions in the Sky, and even feedback-laden shoegaze drones and thrashing blastbeats reminiscent of Deafheaven. A Vivid Memory is an entertaining, well-arranged album that finds the band in full control of dynamics and speed. Set and Setting seem to know just when to push the tempo and when to quiet down and let their songs breathe a bit.
The mid-album interlude “Emptiness” comes at a perfect time, just before the 12-minute epic “Descending Sun”, a powerhouse of a metal track. What the band lacks right now are memorable melodies. Heavy riffs, dynamics, and atmosphere can get you pretty far in the post-rock and instrumental metal worlds, and those elements make this album an enjoyable listen. But the band lacks the musical stickiness that comes from a truly catchy riff or full-on guitar melody that makes the songs linger even after the record is finished.