Review

If you’re a fan of great, modern worship, then you’ve no doubt heard of, and probably own a copy of The Well. If so, you’re probably also aware that one half of that phenomenal CD’s worship songs were written and performed by a band known as Flood.

What you probably didn’t know, was that Flood is now known as Surreal. Ahhh…now it’s all starting to make sense. Where The Well showcased this talented young band’s live energy, their first full-length project, “Everything” displays their simple heart of worship at the feet of Christ.

The swirling tremelo guitars and the bass swells serve as a post-modern background to vocalist Mike Larson’s wrenching cry for more of the Savior’s touch. “I need to sing, I need to sing/ With everything I am, with every breath I have I need to sing” (from “Heart to Heaven”) opens the band’s excellent studio effort with an unmistakable reverence. “I lift my heart to heaven, oh Lord/ I lift my soul in worship, oh Lord/ I will be your servant, oh Lord/ Take all that is within me, oh Lord” the chorus declares, and by the end of the first track you realize that Surreal is the real deal.

They show no signs of putting out a self-indulgent showcase of their collective talents here, instead it’s all too clear that their intent, as a band and as men of God, is to glorify Christ with their gifts. Thankfully, Mike Larson and Surreal accomplish this noble aim with no small amount of zeal. Song after song the band pours out their heart with words of adoration, and sets them to music composed with great skill and care.

While a few of them are re-workings of those songs found on The Well, the disc in its’ entirety is a cohesive collection of modern day worship suitable for any worship service, regardless of the demographic. One notable re-working found here is the song “Freedom” which originally opened The Well project. Here, it is ingeniously transformed into a powerful and progressive arrangement that builds energy as it slowly unfolds, revealing beneath the surface a song that could easily become an anthem for the next generation of worshippers. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is/ There is freedom/ Lift your eyes to Heaven/ There is freedom/… Freedom reigns in this place/ Showers of mercy and grace/ Falling on every face/ There is freedom..” Larson sings, and before the end of this song, there’s a terrific chance you’ll be singing too.

Still, there are plenty of new songs contained on “Everything” too. “How Can It Be” is one of the disc's more powerful songs that lets us stare, unblinking into the heart of one who is broken by the Grace of God. “I searched for Truth and I found the answer/ I searched for God and I found Him/ He’s the reason why I sing/ The reason why I dance/ He took my sin and shame/ He gave me another chance” sings Larson, and we have no choice but to echo those words in our own souls.

Certainly, there may be a lot of modern rock CDs out there that rock harder than Surreal, there may be artists with bigger recording budgets and tour buses, but it’s pretty safe to say that almost none of them has a more evident love for Christ than the musicians who surrendered their talents to record the songs found on “Everything”.

Review by: Keith Giles