Set to release Jan. 31, Into the Emerald is the second full-length from Cádiz, Spain, heavy progressive rockers Surya. The 44-minute seven-songer creates a feeling of sprawl over its runtime, arranged as it is across two vinyl sides, each one working shortest to longest. That puts the album intro “Evergreen River” (1:28) and side A capper/tracklist-centerpiece “Beyond Eyes of Gold” (8:56) not so much in opposition, but makes the latter’s shimmer, warmth of tone, and fluid modern-heavy-prog realizations, the layered vocals of guitarist Antonio Hierro and drummer Carlos Camisón, feel like the destination through which “A Blazing Crusade” (3:43) and “Through the Stone” (4:14) traveled.

And as the band lead the listener across the first of the two included mini-journeys on Into the Emerald — which is the follow-up to 2019’s Overthrown (review here), released by a consortium headed by Spinda Records — headed toward the more densely riffed instrumental payoff of “Beyond Eyes of Gold,” which crescendos thick and then adds breadth in strum and solo, Hierro, Camisón, bassist Jose Mª Zapata and guitarist Jose Moares correspondingly bring a new sense of discovery to side B, beginning with “Arrows” (3:41, premiering below), which puts Camisón in the lead vocal role apparently for the first time.

He soars in a way that makes me think it won’t be the last instance in which the tradeoff is made, and even while “Arrows” doesn’t necessarily represent the entirety of Into the Emerald, it’s consistent in tone and purpose and is a look at what they’ll potentially be exploring over their next however-many records. “The Clashing” (6:20), with a guitar progression that feels specifically Elderian, refines a heavy rock thrust in its verse with twisting lead flourish, and has room in its second half for a subdued divergence before aligning on the chugging, rolling groove and the crash with which it resolves ahead of “Shields at the Dawn Forest” (15:49), which unfolds with a grace toward which both sides of the record up to that point are revealed as building.

Guest organ from Koe Casas peppers the finale, thereby letting the four-piece commune all the more with progressive heavy rock and its contemporary affinity for classic elements. Riffing out heavy psych-style in the spirit of Samsara Blues Experiment, and as they have been all along, Surya are song-first, exploration-first, and though its unfolding is patient, “Shields at Dawn Forest” never loses its direction or becomes anything other than the culmination it was clearly intended to be, and the band earn bonus points for weirding out a bit with dual vocals and some nascent quirk before they take off with the speedier procession in the piece’s back third, an electric solo section giving over to more serene acoustic pluck and strum to close. This is a tie-in vibe-wise with “Evergreen River,” and leads one to wonder if the organic sound isn’t mirrored thematically in a lyrical narrative further portraying some kind of struggle.

That’s info I don’t have, but while Into the Emerald catches Surya at a seemingly transitional moment — lest we forget that change is the order of the universe for all of us — it stands on its own as well and converses fluidly with the greater European underground in a way that reminds a bit of Maragda‘s 2024 outing, Tyrants, while staying a little rawer in energy and grounded on the structural balance. Spain having long been relegated to second-class citizenship in said sphere, Surya present themselves as ambassadors in showcasing some of the regional stylistic aspects while embarking on a sound that draws influence from multiple sources and crafts it into something of their own. They’re growing, and one hopes they’ll continue to grow with the kind of adventurousness on offer in Into the Emerald.

“Arrows” streams on the player below, and the band were kind enough to offer some comment on the song thereafter.

Please enjoy:

Surya on Into the Emerald:

We are exploring new sounds, trying to get heavier and more complex with these new songs. Also, we found out that Carlos, our drummer, sings really well, and “Arrows” is the first time ever that he does lead vocals for a song, and we hope the first of many. We are not forgetting where we come from, but we just wanted to make the music we would like to hear.

‘Into the Emerald’ tracklisting:
1. Evergreen River
2. A Blazing Crusade
3. Through the Stone
4. Beyond Eyes of Gold
5. Arrows
6. The Clashing
7. Shields at the Dawn Forest

Recorded at Metropol Studios and Estudio 79 by Rafa Camisón
Mixing – Rafa Camisón (Estudio 79)
Mastering – Víctor García (Ultramarinos Mastering)
Artwork and logo – Nacho Fernández-Trujillo

Surya are:
Antonio Hierro – Electric guitar and vocals
Carlos Camisón – Drums and vocals
Jose Mª Zapata – Bass
Jose Moares – Electric guitar and acoustic guitar
*Koe Casas – Organ and electric piano (on Shields at the Dawn Forest)

Surya on Facebook

Surya on Instagram

Surya on Bandcamp

Surya on Spotify

Based in Cádiz on Spain’s southern coast, the heavy psychedelic four-piece Surya make their debut through Spinda Records, Surnia Records, Odio Sonoro and a host of others — Spanish labels should form a conglomerate and take over the world or at very least the heavy underground — with the eight-track/40-minute LP, Overthrown. Set to release Nov. 20 (which, holy shit, is tomorrow), the unpretentiously atmospheric outing works smoothly to make itself comfortable in a balance between harder-pushing rhythms and tonal warmth, an overarching shimmer of melody coming through the lead work on tracks like “Golden Tower” that reminds some of their countryfolk to the east in Algeciras in groups like Híbrido and Atavismo, though their aims for the most part aren’t so directly progressive at this point. Rather, while “Crystal Gate” is the longest inclusion at 7:29, it uses most of that time in developing a jammy flow, and even the decidedly linear, post-Elder sway of “Turtle Shaman,” which would seem to be side B’s answer back to “Crystal Gate” in terms of soundscaping reach, manages not to overindulge in its own lushness.

I’m not sure if I’d call their approach measured in the sense of being overly controlled, but the songs have an organic, carved-from-jams feel, and whether it’s a SoCal riffer like opener “Tales of the Great Fharats” and the subsequent echoer “Sundazed” or the from-the-ground-up build of the finale in “No Further,” they once again make a noble drive toward finding their identity in a sense of balance between sides. The four-piece of guitarist/vocalist Antonio Hierro, guitarist/synthesist José Moares, bassist José María Zapata (also percussion) and drummer/acoustic guitarist/vocalist Carlos Camisón (also also percussion) do well in setting and attaining this goal for themselves on Overthrown, recounting a narrative across the record’s span but not sacrificing the impressions made by individual tracks in order to do so — not taking away from the songs for the story, in other words, as “concept records” sometimes do.

Instead, whether it’s the boogie in the penultimate “Begone” or the dreamy acid-strum of side A capper “Thousand Year Bridge,” which though it’s just four and a half minutes long does much to bolster a kind of Floydian pastoralism that only adds to the overall tally of their breadth of sound. “Golden Tower” is a fine example of how they bring these different sides together — the acoustic guitar notwithstanding — but wherever Surya end up on their first full-length, they get there with a remarkable sense of awareness for what they’re doing and a style that’s all the more engaging for that. It’s that much easier to go along with the fluidity they conjure because they seem to present it with such confidence.

As to what their future might hold, it’s hard to surmise where the mix of sound might take them or, likewise, where they might take it. But that too is part of what makes Overthrown an exciting listening experience, as their prospects seem to unfold with each careening riff or each patiently-delivered turn. And whatever they do, one can only hope that the current of songwriting they bring to these eight tracks continues to develop along with their aesthetic, since it’s what ultimately works to tie the material together, long with Hierro‘s vocals and a quickly-earned sense of trust that they pay back in kind with laudable effort for the converted and open-minded alike.

Happy to host the stream of the full album below. Dig in and enjoy:

Surya is a 4-piece Heavy Rock/ Heavy Psych band based in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. After an EP (Vol. 1) released in 2017, Overthrown is their first full length album, culmination of almost one year of work. Although they are all in their early 20s, Surya takes influence from 70s dual guitars with plenty of harmonies, classic sounds and powerful vocals, but with a 90s twist to spice it all up. Recorded at Estudio 79 in April 2019 by Rafa Camisón (G.A.S Drummers, Gentemayor), Overthrown tells us the story of an banished prince and his revenge on his father with roaring guitars, earth-shattering bass and huge drums. A very limited 300 copy vinyl (released between Spinda Records, Odio Sonoro, Monasterio de Cultura, Surnia Records, Bandera Records, Violence in the Veins, Sacramento Records, Noizeland Records, Discosxmil and Gato Encerrado Records) is also available for purchase in their bandcamp. Enjoy!

Releases November 20, 2019

Surya:
Antonio Hierro – guitar & vocals
Carlos Camisón – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar & vocals
José Moares – guitars and synth
José María Zapata – bass and percussion

Recorded, produced and mixed at Estudio 79 by Rafa Camisón.
Mastered at Kadifornia by Mario G. Alberni.
Artwork by Nacho Fernández-Trujillo (@nachoooft).

Edited by Spinda Records, Surnia Records, Monasterio de Cultura, Violence In The Veins, Bandera Records, Sacramento Records, Odio Sonoro, Gato Encerrado Records, Discos X Mil and Noizeland Records.

Surya on Facebook

Surya on Instagram

Surya on Bandcamp

Spinda Records on Facebook

Spinda Records website