SURRENDER TO EDEN – Twilight

Surrender to Eden is a progressive power metal band formed in New Jersey in 2019 by lead vocalist Jon St. John. They have been described as a mix of Queensrÿche, with St. John having a similar vocal range to Geoff Tate, and Dream Theater, with their grand and theatrical arrangements. The band lineup consists of St. John on lead vocals, Charlie Francipane on guitars, Rob Luckie on bass guitar, and Steven “Taco” Ortega on drums. They have a new self-released EP called Twilight that came out on June 15, 2026. Upon first listen, it’s obvious that the band has an incredible ear for melody with soaring vocals, liberating guitar solos, headbanging grooves, and imaginative storytelling. There are good moments and bad moments, but there’s more to like than hate.

The Good Moments

“The Calling” is a throwback to ‘80s hair metal with pounding drums, majestic synth and keyboard melodies, orchestral instrumentation, a stomping backbeat, and a chugging guitar riff. “Mirror Mirror” is a track that splits between being frantic yet enchanting. The synth melodies provide color and texture just like a rainbow colors the sky. There’s a line early in the song, “forget what you learned in the past, leave it behind,” that’s both encouraging and terrifying, like a double-edged sword.

“Queen of the Dark,” the closing track, tells the tale of a mysterious woman who only appears at night in people’s dreams. The song has a beginning, middle, and end. There are four musical suites in the song. The first part is the dream sequence with its luscious keyboard melodies; the second part is back to reality when the drums come in as a rude awakening; the third part is a brief intermission that provides false hope of the mysterious woman’s return, and the last part is back to reality, reminding listeners that the woman isn’t real; she’s just in one’s imagination. “Queen of the Dark” is one of those songs where the lyrics don’t matter as much as the instrumentation because the melodies tell the story. The third part, which is essentially the guitar solo, is executed beautifully with phenomenal wah-wah guitar playing.

The Bad Moments

As for the negatives, there are a few. The lyrics for “Believe” are extremely corny, and there’s nothing wrong with the band wanting to provide listeners a positive message and encourage them to follow their dreams. But the execution was too saturated, which is a shame because the song starts off promising with scorching guitar riffage and a hard-hitting beat. From the 0:33 mark until the 1:21 mark, the tempo slows down for spoken phrases like “we all believe,” “believe,” and “do you believe.” The band basically shoves those lines down listeners’ throats, making the song sound forced and inauthentic. A weird analogy, but it’s reminiscent of Wally’s dream sequence from The Wiggles Movie (1997), when his great-grandfather tells him to believe in himself and “remember the magic chest.”

“Twilight” also starts off promising with a melancholic, jazz-fused piano instrumental until the drums come in at the 1:21 mark. The beat isn’t slow enough to be a ballad, but it’s not quite fast enough to be a midtempo rocker, so it’s a weird, sludgy, downtrodden beat that makes the song stale and go on forever. Also, the chorus is repetitive, and it doesn’t help that “Twilight” is the longest song on the EP at five minutes and twenty-seven seconds. It would’ve been better if “Twilight” was a piano ballad all the way through for mystique and curiosity, like The Twilight Zone.

Final Assessment

The EP’s production is great, the instrumentation is solid, and as mentioned before, there is enough to like on the EP. For those who are interested in melodic progressive power metal, give Surrender to Eden’s Twilight a chance!

Album Tracklist

1. Believe
2. The Calling
3. Twilight
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Queen of the Dark

Band Lineup

Jon St. John – lead vocals
Charlie Francipane – guitars
Rob Luckie – bass guitar
Steven “Taco” Ortega – drums

Check out “The Calling” from Surrender to Eden’s Twilight EP!