Surma

                                                                                                            Title: The Light Within

                                                                                                            Label: Metal Blade

                                                                                                            Release Date: 6th November 2020

What happens when you mix Beauty and the Beast? You get Surma, a Symphonic Metal Band featuring Viktorie Surmøvá from Bohemian Metal Rhapsody and Heri Joensen of the legendary Viking Metal Band TÝR.

This dream team got together in 2018 and spending most of 2019 writing, arranging, and composing the music that would become their Debut Album “The Light Within”.

 

This work of art opens in  spectacular fashion with “Rendition” its Symphonic tones draw you in as the magnificent “Reveal The Light Within” rocks up and entices ya in, as Viktories beautiful Vocals lift and take you on a magic carpet ride of emotions. Then personal favourite “Like the River Flows” fires into an orchestral overdrive as Joensen delivers his trademark growls and lifts your spirits, the video that accompanies this track is superb and fully captures the energy and good time Vibes which can found throughout this opus. The thunderous “Fire and Wind” brings a tsunami rushing into the soul with its theory of chaos taking you on a journey heavenly dreams and landscapes.

 

The sedate “Desire” is simply mesmerizing as Viktoires Vocals float into the room. Next the tempo is ramped back up as “The Selkie (Kopkonan)” delivers a folky feel to proceedings and would fit nicely on any TÝR release.  The latest release “Until It Rains” sends chills through you as Viktories stunning voice works its way into your presence, a song made for the radio and should be riding high in the mainstream charts. “Emptiness (is no more)” is sensational piece full of feelings and passion that makes your hair stand on end and sends chills through one, I love the dramatic cinematic feel to this one. “Cages of Rage” pounds out of your sound system and has a heroic and dramatic feel to it as its reaches into your being and surprises as the song progresses. “Downfall” is pure Rock alchemy that leads into penultimate song “Lost to Time” brings all the elements of positivity and well being into the room, its vibrant rousing killer tones will stay with you for days. Finally we come to “Deconstruction” a chilled out piece that brings sadly to end one of my favourite Albums of 2020.

 

So..

To say this Work is an inspiring and bright light in these days of uncertainty is an understatement, this is thirteen tracks of buoyant get up and go music to please the concert starved masses, let’s finish off this awful year with “The Light Within” it doesn’t disappoint at all, this is an exceptional Debut end off!

 

Score: 9.5 /10                    Review: Seb Di Gatto    Facebook

Reviewed: 28/10/20

 

Track List: 

1. Rendition
2. Reveal the Light Within
3. Like the River Flows
4. Fire and Wind
5. Desire
6. The City of Winds
7. The Selkie (Kópakonan)
8. Until It Rains Again
9. Emptiness (Is No More)
10. Cages of Rage
11. Downfall
12. Lost to Time
13. Deconstruction