By John Bedard
I know you hear this every time I get sent a symphonic metal album but I am going to say it again: I love symphonic metal! Few other genres can portray the same level of emotion and passion as you get with the big sweeping sound you get from symphonic metal. As far as metal genres go it is one of the most uplifting and naturally optimistic. There is so much range and creativity that can be done thanks to the scale of instrumentation that is at the artists’ fingertips, There is everything from soft sweeping movements to big powerful swells that can take your breath away. Surma’s ‘The Light Within’ is an excellent example of the genre.
Surma takes a bit of a different route than most people will probably expect for the vocal style. Let’s be honest the first instinct with symphonic metal is to compare to Nightwish which brings to mind a powerful operatic style and a lot of bands in the genre fit into that mold. That is a bad comparison here as the style we have focuses more on a standard singing style that you might find in other genres except with a lot of harmonies mixed in. This gives the vocals a unique feeling that I don’t often hear in the genre.
Musically, things become a little more like what we traditionally expect. We have the big sweeping movements and the powerful swells that are a staple of the genre. The drums and guitar are more front and center than many other bands. This makes the symphonic elements feel more intentional to me rather than leaning too heavily on them. The contrasts between the slower movements and the faster movements as well as the guitar-heavy movements or the times when the symphony cuts through make for a great range as well as giving the tracks this great evolution making the whole experience feel very complete.
With how well the vocals and instrumentation complement each other, ‘The Light Within’ is a very solid and complete example of the genre and a great experience for the listener. It is a powerful album that deserves a place in any symphonic metal collection. While I’m not sure if it will stand out as one of the greatest in the genre it is very solid and will definitely be one you go back to for years to come and stands out as its own unique style. It is worth picking up.
- ‘The Light Within’ is released on 6 November. You can get your copy HERE.
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