VOIR Montréal 4/5 Le sextette de la région de Québec a fait un sacré bout de chemin depuis ses débuts sous le nom de Cryptic Spell, en 1996. Entre plusieurs changements de musiciens et la parution du démo Veiled Hideousness (2000), la formation s'est trouvé une personnalité musicale distincte. On pourrait même ajouter sans trop d'exagération que Blinded By Faith a dépassé son influence majeure, le groupe black métal britannique Cradle of Filth. Même si les comparaisons sont encore inévitables, Under an Occult Sun retient l'attention avec des morceaux épiques très accrocheurs et une réalisation puissante et irréprochable, de David Gendron et Stanislas Élie. Le 13 avril aux Foufounes électriques, avec Obscursis Romancia, Apostasy et Paroxysm. Par Christine Fortier L’Édition Métallique 9/10 S'il y a bien un album venant du Québec qui était très attendu cette année dans l'univers du Métal, il s'agit bel et bien de cette nouvelle parution du jeune groupe Blinded By Faith, surtout avec l'avant-goût qui nous avait été offert dans les quelques spectacles du groupe l'année dernière. Après un premier mini-CD intitulé "Veiled Hideouness", dont nous avons tous raffolés, ainsi que quelques modifications à l'alignement du groupe, Blinded By Faith revient en force avec son premier album complet, neuf pièces d'un Black Métal Mélodique de toute beauté. BBF va même de l'avant en ne se limitant pas aux clichés du style avec des paroles touchant la politique, les relations humaines et l'histoire ancienne. Tout y est amélioré, que ce soit les voix, les agencements de guitares ou les mélodies du clavier. "Under an Occult Sun" n'a rien pour me décevoir! En fait, il s'agit probablement de l'album de Métal québécois jouissant de l'une des meilleures productions de tout les temps. C'est tellement bon qu'il nous est impossible de se limiter à quelques écoutes seulement, on en redemande toujours plus! Blinded By Faith confirme avec "Under An Occult Sun" son positionnement parmi l'élite du Métal québécois et n'a, avec un tel bijou, absolument rien à envier aux autres groupes internationaux, à part peut-être l'expositon mondiale souvent difficile à atteindre malgré la présence accrue du talent. Par Cruelty The Metal Observer 8/10 (anglais) Move over CRADLE OF FILTH…Canada has a band that may just someday beat you at your own game. Better yet, they may just someday step up to a level Dani and the evil ones won't reach. Can this really be possible? Not likely…the FILTHy ones have a pretty good hold on the melodic Black Metal throne. There is one thing though that BLINDED BY FAITH has that CRADLE does not…a great singer whose voice does not annoy most everyone. Sure singer, Tommy sounds like Dani up to that point just before Dani makes you suicidal but he never goes beyond sounding anything but positively wicked. So as far as the masses go, COF will stay on top but when it comes to people in the know, BLINDED BY FAITH are worthy of some respect. Complete with beautiful melodic keys, occasional blast-beats and multi-layered evil vocals, BLINDED BY FAITH have studied their craft intensely and the results are apparent. These evil Canadians manage to write some extremely strong material despite the inability to segregate themselves from the world in dark, medieval castles of yesteryear. The big difference I see with BLINDED BY FAITH is their Black Metal-ness is not really very apparent. Their cover artwork hints to the dark side but it could just as easily be a Power Metal CD cover. The lyrics deal with the negative but are not overtly satanic or evil. To be honest, that makes them a lot more meaningful but may not appeal to your typical goat lover. From the ominous opener "Tear The Purple Curtains" to the political thrasher "Submit To The Summit" to the closing "The Triumph Of Treachery" BLINDED BY FAITH show they have mastered the art of story-telling. They use accompanying guitars, drums and keys so well in building up momentum and suspense like few others I know. BLINDED BY FAITH is a band worthy of your time. If you look at CRADLE OF FILTH and like their sound but want better vocals and less evil lyrics then you are on the right track here. They may not yet have the maturity and depth of their counterparts but only time can bring them nearer. Check out some samples from their debut EP at the bands website and you shall not be disappointed. (Online October 15, 2003) Reviewer : Corey Metal-Rules.com 4.0/5 (anglais) The province of Quebec in Canada has long been known as a global stronghold of death and to a lesser extent black metal. It is my pride as a Canadian to bring you a little update on a quartet of extreme metal bands from Quebec. They are Ancestral Curse, Blinded By Faith, Divinity and Sombre Nostalgie. These bands are all signed to or distributed by Galy Records in Montreal. Visit their web-site at http://www.galyrecords.com. BBF have made the jump to Galy and made a number of subtle changes. A bigger budget has given them a better sound, better packaging and overall presentation. I guess the band read my last review and changed their logo ha! ha! The cover art is an Eye of Illuminati representation of mankind being a puppet/slave to guns and money the media and so on. Other changes include a new drummer and new guitarist. The keyboardist no longer goes by the name of tattoo but is just known as Danny and vocalist Tommy isn’t wearing the monks robes anymore. I design is simple but effective and I like the visual tie in with the blinded/ Eye of Illuminati theme with the digital manipulation of the eyes of each band member in the photos. Nice touch. BBF still play a quite technical style of Black Metal quite like Cradle but not as self-indulgent. The lyrics and image are a bit more modern, not bothering with weepy gothic romantic trappings. There are lots of keyboards and lots of shrieks and screams and lots of harmony and melody. The tempos are very upbeat and the song structures are catchy and hum able. I felt it is when the band slowed down a bit, dropped the blast-beats and explored the symphonic flourishes that I was more interested. The riffs and keyboard work in the cut, ‘The world Has Something to Offer’ are so catchy and the song even reminded me every so slightly of something Skyclad or Helloween might do The band do wear their influences on their sleeves but the execution and delivery is so well done you shouldn’t pass this one by. Fans of Dimmu, Old Man’s Child and these style bands will certainly find something to enjoy with this band. Visit them at http://www.blindedbyfaith.com. Reviewer: JP DigitalMetal.com (anglais) The province of Quebec is known as the hotbed metal scene in Canada. Encapsulating all spectrums of the metal map, the predominantly french-speaking area houses technical death metal masters Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Martyr, Neuraxis, Quo Vadis and Necronomicon, but also boasts a strong black metal scene via the likes of Unquintessence, Ankhregh, and Ashes Of Eden. Add in perennial favorites Voivod, Anonymus, and Ghoulunatics and it seems like the great white north is North America's proverbial metal haven. Now Quebec's legacy is further solidified via Blinded By Faith. A strong mix of neo-black metal keys, thick thrashy riffs and solid vocals, Under An Occult Sun is a record that has the ability to make an impact in an era Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir are semi-household names. Actually, after repeated spins a strong Children Of Bodom influence shines through, but only in relation to Blinded By Faith's ability to manipulate its instruments in virtuosic ways. And, lest you be put off by CoB, those passages are usually followed by aggressive blast 'n' slash passages reminiscent of the most under-rated metal band on the planet, Anorexia Nervosa. Blinded By Faith could be serious contenders for the Canadian commercial black metal throne -- scorchers such as "Burning Rebellion" and "The Last Missive" have the ability to burn all that is holy and sacred. Reviewer : David Perri