The Satellite Years is the second studio album by the melodic hardcore band Hopesfall. 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. 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 that was released through Trustkill. The album was re-released as a limited edition vinyl on January 28, 2017 through Equal Vision Records. 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 gameGoldenEye. Guitarist Ryan Parrish departed the band before the album's production. 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 melodic hardcore and Christian hardcore 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.
The Satellite Years has received highly positive reviews since its release. AllMusic 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. 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".
