After being impressed by this Canadian black metal act’s live offering, Imperial Collapse, I was curious to hear their studio output by way of their second album (even though the band has been around for over a decade) of symphonic melodic black metal/death metal, and while hardly bringing anything new to the genre, there is enough vigorous melodies and seething symphonics to be enjoyable.

With all sorts of Dimmu Borgir-isms from the synth use and mix of melodic blasting and slower more dramatic parts, Blinded By Faith are less spikes and leather and more real world in their themes and lyrics, but no less competent. Other comparisons can be made to early Children of Bodom (especially the guitar work of “Global Denial”), France’s Scars of Chaos as well as some of the more extreme melodic death metal acts like Detonation and Mors Principium Est, just with a blacker lean.

The concept based album is full of polish and varied songs to convey the story. Slower tracks like “The Dead Don’t Talk” and “Consortium Y2K” are tinged with more emotion and pacing (and in the latter song’s case, female vocals), mix it up with more appropriately urgent tracks like “Barcode Blindfold”, “Finger on the Trigger” with a smattering of clean vocals ala ICS Vortex (“An Ordinary Day (In North America)”. The band even utilize an interesting industrial approach for the chunky intro to the 7+ minute “Elite Insight”, an element that shows the band able to break the mold should they choose.

Professional, polished and confident without overstepping their boundaries or influences, Blinded By Faith bring a slight air of freshness to the Goth dominated symphonic black metal genre and I look forward to hearing more from them as they grow and develop as a band.

[Visit the band's website]

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