Whyzdom – Of Wonders And Wars

Whyzdom
Of Wonders And Wars
Scarlet Records
September 17, 2021
Playing time: 01:01:22

I know Whyzdom from France for quite a long time. And I’ve also had the opportunity to meet the musicians at concerts and festivals. For a while the band had to handle frequent line-up changes on the position of the singer. But since Marie Mac Leod joined in 2013, mastermind Vynce Leff has one less problem. Actually. But in the meantime, the band has shrunk to a quartet. Nevertheless, Whyzdom release the now fifth album of their career, the third with Marie. Three years after “As Time Turns Dust”. And since I liked the previous albums well to very well, especially “Symphony For A Hopeless God”, it was natural for me that I also listened to “Of Wonders And Wars”.

Right at the beginning on “Wanderers And Dreamers” Whyzdom clearly show what has been the band’s sound for years, powerful Symphonic Metal. The figurehead is of course singer Marie Mac Leod. With her clear as a bell mezzo-soprano she belongs to the best that metal has to offer. Whether loud or soft, rocking forward or contemplative, she masters everything. The second outstanding feature is the orchestrations by the master himself, Vynce Leff. I know that he always puts a lot of heart into it. “Child Of Damnation” captivates with highly melodic refrains. And you can hear a third distinctive feature, the epic choruses. All embedded in a metallic environment, of course. The song is crowned by a guitar solo. With “Stonehenge” I must think inevitably of the famous stone circle in the south of England. But this song, contrary to expectations, is not in Celtic style, but sounds more like a Science Fiction soundtrack. After extensive orchestral introduction you can hear a midtempo stomper. With about the same knitting pattern it continues with “Ariadne”. Nevertheless, this song sounds different from its predecessor. This is due to the varied song writing and the changeable voice. “Touch The Sky” sounds melancholic for almost the entire playing time. At the beginning balladesk but later picking up some speed. It follows the epic anthem “War”. In “Metropolis Lights” everything comes together, strong riffs, brass orchestration, which both provide hardness. In addition, again and again driving double bass. Then again highly melodic parts. And again, a brilliant guitar solo. The French play with the feelings of their listeners. Thus “Pyramids” provides a gloomy atmosphere in the connection. “The Final Collapse”, on the other hand, tends in the direction of Classic Heavy Metal. “Notre Dame” is the progressive ending of the album.

“Of Wonders And Wars” is an all-around successful album. The excess of orchestration of the previous album was somewhat reduced. The bombast determines the overall sound but is mostly song-serving.  Marie has developed her singing further. This is already dramatic soprano, such as Helena Iren Michaelsen (Imperia) celebrates perfectly. Unfortunately, I miss again the harsh growls of the singer. All in all, I like the album much better than “As Time Turns To Dust”.

Whyzdom – Notre Dame (Official Video): https://youtu.be/FvqDI0PWtgg

Lineup:

Marie Mac Leod – Vocals
Régis Morin – Guitar
Vynce Leff – Bass, Orchestration
Nicolas Chaumeaux – Drums

Track list:

• Wanderers And Dreamers
• Child Of Damnation
• Stonehenge
• Ariadne
• Touch The Sky
• War
• Metropolis Lights
• Pyramids
• The Final Collapse
• Notre Dame