''The Satellite Years'' is the second studio album by the

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...

band

Hopesfall Hopesfall is an American post-hardcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, formed in 1998. They are currently signed to Equal Vision Records. The band dissolved in 2008 after all members, with the exception of singer Jay Forrest, left the band ...

. It was released in 2002 on Trustkill Records, the group's first for the company. The album was also released on vinyl by

One Day Savior Recordings One Day Savior Recordings was an American independent record label founded in 1997 by Christopher Tzompanakis. The record label was most prominent in the hardcore and indie rock communities, releasing metalcore, post-hardcore and emo by such ...

. The album was produced by Matt Talbott of HUM, who also provided vocals on the track "Escape Pod for Intangibles". This is the band's first release with vocalist Jay Forrest and the last with bassist Chad Waldrup and drummer Adam Morgan until 2018's '' Arbiter''. The songs "Waitress" and "The Bending" were included on a promotional sampler with

Eighteen Visions Eighteen Visions is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in October 1995. The band broke up in April 2007, less than a year after their major label debut was released through Epic and Trustkill Records. After ove ...

that was released through Trustkill. The album was re-released as a limited edition vinyl (500 in total) on January 28, 2017 through

Equal Vision Records Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. The label originally existed solel ...

. The vinyl was available on clear with purple splatter and limited to 400 copies, with an additional 100 copies available as a clear vinyl with a translucent blue center.

Background and production

Matt Talbott, who produced the album, provided vocals on the track "Escape Pods for Intangibles" due to a bet he made with bassist Chad Waldrup after Waldrup beat Talbott in the game ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the se ...

''. Guitarist Ryan Parrish departed the band after the album was recorded. Parrish did not like Trustkill taking over creative control from the band, while the other members sided with the label. Along with former vocalist Doug Venable, Parrish was the main songwriter for the band that resulted in its trademark

and

Christian hardcore Christian hardcore or Christcore is a subcategory of hardcore punk bands which promote Christian belief. The method and extent of doing so varies between bands. Christian hardcore bands have often openly stated their beliefs and employ Christia ...

sound on ''The Frailty of Words'' and ''No Wings to Speak Of''. Despite the creative and personnel differences he had with the other members, Parrish was still the primary songwriter on ''The Satellite Years''. Parrish would later rejoin the band in May 2019.

Track listing

Personnel

;Hopesfall *Jay Forrest – lead vocals *Joshua Brigham – guitar *Ryan Parrish – guitar *Chad Waldrup – bass, backing vocals *Adam Morgan – drums ;Additional * Matt Talbott – producer, engineer, mixing, vocals on track 9 * Alan Douches – mastering * Keith Cleversley – mixing * Chandler Owen – graphic design * Joel Dowling – band photography

Reception

''The Satellite Years'' has received highly positive reviews since its release.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

reviewer Alex Henderson praised Jay Forrest's screaming vocals and clean singing, as well as the band's ability to switch between hardcore and melodic elements without "sounding confused or unfocused." The Punk News review echoed Henderson's and favorably compared the album to Poison the Well and

From Autumn to Ashes From Autumn to Ashes is a post-hardcore band based in Long Island, New York. The group formed in 2000 under the name Who's to Blame. While the band had gone through many line-up changes, the members include Francis Mark (lead vocals, drums), S ...

. Paul Gresch of '' Exclaim!'' said the band "smoothly fuses influences from virtually every genre of music found in today's hardcore/metal scene in a way that is not only incredibly talented but it also highly original" and called the album one of the best releases of the year.

Accolades

In 2018, ''The Satellite Years'' was included in Loudwire's list of "11 Screamo Albums That Actually Rule". In 2020, the album was included in Brooklyn Vegan's list of "15 albums that defined the 2000s post-hardcore boom".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Satellite Years Hopesfall albums 2002 albums Trustkill Records albums Equal Vision Records albums