The Light Within

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but I’m glad I gave it a punt, as this is easily one of the more enjoyable symphonic metal albums I’ve heard this year. Surma is the brainchild of Tyr mastermind Heri Joensen and his Bohemian Metal Rhapsody partner Viktorie Surmova, and it’s a rollicking display of smooth, anthemic power metal with obvious melodic similarities to Tyr, which gives it a bit of an edge. Heri’s weird, off-kilter note selection makes a lot of these choruses sound refreshing and strange, but the expected genre tropes make an appearance as well, so you get plenty of keys and bombastic arrangements, but at least it’s not pop music wrapped up in a symphonic metal shell. There’s plenty of double kicking to be had.

I like how varied this album is. You get kooky little cuts like ‘The City Of The Winds’, which has a definite Tyr chorus, some winding verses, and vocals from Heri, which aren’t his best, but he does chime in here from time to time. He doesn’t riff as much as I’d like, letting the keys bolster most of the tunes, and it’s a bit of a missed opportunity in that regard. ‘Reveal The Light Within’ is a killer opener, though, with a fast chorus and memorable melodies. Single ‘Until It Rains Again’ is pretty standard, but the refrain is a keeper. This is much more along the lines of Vandroya than Epica, leaning on shimmering harmonies and speed metal drums for brilliant slices of cheese like ‘Lost To Time’, my favorite Surma bop, a crystalline power metal tune that reminds me of the scene circa 2002, when Edenbridge still played fast. Viktorie is a young starlet at 23, armed with a velvet croon and range to spare, and again, I’m reminded more of Daisa Munhoz than Liv or Floor. Her performance is impeccable and she works well with Heri; no one else could write melodies like those in the pounding ‘Cages Of Rage’. That chorus construction is so mad it’s addictive as hell.

You could argue this is Tyr with all the good bits taken out and replaced with some Nightwishy fluff, but that’s doing ‘The Light Within’ a disservice. This is definitely of more interest to power metal fans than gothic metal freaks, and there’s no end of catchy, inventive tunes to be had. It’s pretty short as well, so you can consume it with little effort. Their tendency to speed things up and go for a flag-waving, singing-from-a-mountaintop sort of deal made me spin this way more than I thought I would. A good start for Surma, and an enjoyable power metal romp for those wondering what Tyr would sound like if they had a girl singing for them.