Whyzdom made a legitimate case to rule the orchestral/symphonic metal kingdom after their fine work on "Blind?" brought forth a darker approach to the female-fronted method of bands like Epica and Nightwish. Then again, conquering that throne requires little more than a butt at this point, as so many of their associates continue to sidestep having to write decent songs by showering their mundane structures in tubas and trumpets and whatever the hell else. This familiar problem, while generally circumvented on "Blind?" by solid songwriting and a dim demeanor, holds profound dominion over several parts of "Symphony for a Hopeless God." Quite a shame, because the album has flickers of brilliance which light up the sky like a divine conflagration, only to be put out by tunes too damp to keep the tinder ablaze.Whyzdom is playing familiar territory here, though on a dwindling source of bewilderment. There is a new vocalist-traded out between albums in typical Whyzdom fashion, as though singer swaps happen at the rate of oil changes. Marie Rouyer is her name, and she treats the musical surrounding with a variety of vocal styles, which do wonders in making this a bit more endurable. The bad news is everything else trips on the massive symphonic background, not that that's much of a shocker. The total instrumental front of Whyzdom is an insignificant demonstration of basic modern metal hiding behind an army of brass. I'd comment on the riffs, but there really aren't any. Every guitar arrangement boils down to modern metal chugging or straightforward patterns lacking any degree of grandeur to magnify the orchestral movements, which have an unreasonable stranglehold on every single note.
One thing worth crediting is the role of the bass, one of Whyzdom's nifty little tricks. "The Mask" features a Middle Eastern bass solo, and there are interesting bass doodles all over "Symphony for a Hopeless God" if proper attention is paid to the rhythm section. There are, though scarce, highlights here. "Asylum of Eden," whose vocal effects and twisting instrumentation convey the message of divine insanity flawlessly, is pure magic, definitely my favorite. The four-minute "Don't Try to Blind Me" does the trick without overstaying its welcome; stellar vocals and a nice chorus to boot. "Let's Play with Fire" is big, fun, and burning; everything this style should epitomize is here. Other than that, the constant bombardment of instruments is merely a husk of creative potential squandered by vapid riffs and corner-cutting structures.
But it makes matters worse that the unconscionable running time of "Blind?" is back and more irksome than ever. I found myself more than once zoning out as the massive sixty-six minutes of "Symphony for a Hopeless God" expired, a sensation intensified by the lengthy plodding of "Pandora's Tears," which finally makes the inconsistent affair keel over. It's amazing to me that these orchestral/symphonic metal bands jumble up and trip over musical elements that should be allowing them more creative room to work with, but somehow a result like this is the rule, not the exception. "Blind?" unchained itself from the nonsense, only for the large ensemble of Whyzdom to find themselves locked up in a familiar cage just a few years later. Shame.