Artist : Whyzdom

Album : Of Wonders and Wars

Release Date : 17-09-2021

Added : 17-10-2021

After a very good 'As Time Turns to Dust', the Frenchmen of 'Whyzdom' release a new album 'Of Wonders and Wars' and this time they take us, and I quote them, "on a journey through millennia, from an ancient past to a distant future, showing both the brightest and darkest sides of humanity". And it is still a dense and rich album that the French offer us in a symphonic metal merging the power of metal and orchestrations highlighting the lyrical singing of 'Marie Mac Leod' accompanied by imposing choirs, and this from the start, Wanderers and Dreamers' begins the album with a first composition that is lively and presents beautiful alternations of intensity bringing a progressive side, then 'Child of Damnation' pushes the nail in with an introduction with grandiose choirs and offers a beautiful break allowing us to hear 'Marie Mac Leod' accompanied by whispered voices. A change of scene with 'Stonehenge' which unfolds a symphonic epic with orchestral and vocal arrangements, the electric instruments being absent in the long introduction, and which then continues in a more measured and classical symphonic metal atmosphere, Marie alternating her clear and lyrical voice, then, 'Ariadne', introduced by dazzling choirs and towering bass strings, is a mid-tempo closer to its predecessor with memorable melodic lines and an original rhythm section that adds even more power to this catchy track that leaves plenty of room for remarkable sections in which the towering choirs are featured. This is followed by 'Touch The Sky', which is a power ballad alternating between quiet sections and much more powerful ones led by a muscular drum accompaniment from 'Nicolas Chaumeaux', then, 'War' is a new epic and energetic composition with another admirable vocal performance from 'Marie Mac Leod' adding some wonderful variations on the melodic theme. The more classical 'Metropolis Lights' offers an immediate melody in a powerful symphonic metal, then the catchy 'Pyramids' fuses Eastern and Western sounds with a new unifying chorus, 'Marie Mac Leod' bringing in some remarkable Arabian vocals and the track ends with a grand finale with an addictive melody that is a pure delight. With 'The Final Collapse' we're right into more classic power metal with an unbridled rhythm section and, once again, 'Marie Mac Leod' who perfectly masters the alternation of clean and lyrical vocals, the latter bringing the symphonic side to this powerful track, the album ending with 'Notre Dame' (see the beautiful video above) which tells of the burning of Notre Dame de Paris in 2019, some of the band members living nearby having witnessed the tragedy first hand, and which is an epic and grandiose fresco that can sum up the original style of 'Whyzdom' on its own and has a moving melody that doesn't leave us in the finale and causes that characteristic little shiver of intense emotion.

In summary, with this latest production, the Frenchmen of 'Whyzdom' release yet another remarkable album in this so characteristic and original style that requires adherence to the fusion of classical symphonic arrangements and metal, and if you are a lover of this mixture and have enjoyed albums like 'Beloved Antichrist' by 'Therion' or the latest album by 'Amon Sethis' or the one of 'Lost In Grey', you should definitely add 'Of Wonders and Wars' to your record library...

Line Up / Musicians

Marie Mac Leod (Vocal), Régis Morin (Guitar), Vynce Leff (Bass, Orchestration), Nicolas Chaumeaux (Drums)