Let me offer up a disclaimer: there are tons of people for whom this is a foundational record. I am not one of them. My introduction to Hopesfall was 2018’s Arbiter, but their back catalogue was rife with prohibitively high vinyl prices (my Achilles’ heel). When I saw them at Furnace Fest in 2021 though, it made me a believer. It might have taken a bit for me to pull the trigger on this (pricey) reissue, but I’m glad I did.

Where much of the Christian-adjacent early 2000’s metalcore has not aged very well, The Satellite Years might actually look better in the light of hindsight, thanks to a generous amount of HUM style space rock punctuating their riffs and breakdowns (and yeah, Matt Talbot even produced it).

For the lack of success they might have had in the broader rock charts, bands like HUM and Failure cast a long shadow. Their respective seminal albums had a huge impact on bands from The Smashing Pumpkins to Deftones to A Perfect Circle, not to mention their influence on the more recent wave of heavy shoegaze bands.

If space rock’s anthemic riffage could be such a fantastic addition to alt-metal, shoegaze, and more, it’s no surprise that its fusion with melodic metalcore could create some emotionally powerful moments. Perhaps nothing showcases this quite as much as the near-seven-minute closer “The Bending,” which runs through all the tropes and conventions of early ’00s scenecore without suffering from its penchant for ridiculousness, largely thanks to the interstellar space rock sections.

Oddly enough, the record was a big disappointment to many of their existing fans. It was a massive departure from their earlier EPs, and not just because it was their first record with a new vocalist. However, as space rock has grown in cult status, The Satellite Years has grown in stature too.

It’s a little intimidating to approach a record with this sort of legacy. But luckily, the blend of fury and melody make a warm invitation.