Band:	Whyzdom
Album:	Blind?
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	October 30, 2012
Guest review by:	Night Theater

01. The Lighthouse
02. Dancing With Lucifer
03. Cassandra's Mirror
04. On The Road To Babylon
05. Paper Princess
06. The Spider
07. The Wolves
08. Venom And Frustration
09. Lonely Roads
10. The Foreseer
11. Cathedral Of The Damned

A relatively new band, Whyzdom have managed to write some impressive music for their first two albums. Their sophomore effort, Blind?, features a new singer who has a nice range, but, for some, she may sound a little poppy. With this direction it might be easy to dismiss Whyzdom as just another clichéd 'symphonic metal' band with a stock female singer and soft, boring instruments in the background. However, Blind? is heavier on the guitars than other bands, and the music as a whole is more progressive, too. What's more is that the songs are long in length, with nothing under 5:03 minutes, and the album lasts a good hour and fifteen minutes. This may seem daunting to those who hate progressive music, but Blind? manages to deliver a varied, solid result.

The opening track begins with a catchy riff and Elvyne Lorient fits in quite smoothly. I expected the music to soften up when she started singing, but that didn't happen. Her French accent also adds a different flavour to the album, as other nations seem to dominate more in this genre. There are some epic choral chants on Blind? and the music is, at many times, fast paced; but, keep in mind, this isn't power metal. The entire album is elegantly laced with a strong orchestra, mixed well with everything else. "Cassandra's Mirror" is a beautiful song and the long, winding, though interesting style continues into "On the Road to Babylon".

The 'ballads' in the album, such as "The Paper Princess" -- yeah, don't let the title detract you from Blind? -- still have heavy instruments in them, so there really isn't a too-soft-a-point on the album. If you're looking for something heavy, "Spider" is one of the heaviest songs on the album. I don't really have a problem with Blind?, and finding fault with it is rather hard, except for that it isn't some original, outstanding gem. The only other complaints I can see with it would be subjective. "Cathedral of the Damned", however, closes Blind? quite magnificently, and it'll be interesting to see how Whyzdom can manage another epic at the rate they are going. Blind? is one of the better albums to find in the symphonic metal genre, and it's definitely a must to check out.