Symphonic Solidarity

A whirling masterpiece of disillusionment and theological questioning, Whyzdom’s third album, Symphony for a Hopeless God, instantly drops you into a musical war zone, accented with self-doubt and the atrocities of man-kind. Lead vocalist Marie Rouyer is equivalent to a prophet, professing both the titular Hopeless Gods disappointment and grief in his creations and lamenting man’s heinous and demonistic behavior towards his fellow man. Militaristic guitar lines, ridiculous drum work, and operatic Latin choirs unveil the dark world of the album and she is the only small light, just going out, hoping someone hears her sadness.

Despite being lyrics-heavy, the instrumentation by no means takes any seat but driver. They showcase their compositional brilliance in songs like “The Mask”, where the perfect pairing of gorgeous dual guitar sound and a spot on wind instrument section build into a cynical yet hopeful guitar solo, expressing that despite the lyrics forsaking people who “wear a mask” and “tell you what you want to hear”, perchance there is some redemption after all. Another perfect illustration is the song “Where Are The Angels”, where the orchestra and band create a church hymn background to Book of Revelations lyrics, where the angels have not come to save those left on Earth. All of this is illuminated by the beautiful and huge range of Rouyer, exercised in the track “Tears of a Hopeless God”, where her voice travels the octaves to express how God must look down and feel remorse when looking upon his creatures.

Compared to Symphonic Metal titans such as Nightwish and Within Temptation, Whyzdom could be considered to be within its formative toddler years. Having started in France during 2007, the band holds their own with these amazing bands. Even with their lineup changes, they put forth amazing songs and emotion that makes you feel as though their pain is yours.