Think of a huge orchestra and a massive symphonic choir intertwined with powerful riffs and enchanting melodies from a clear and passionate feminine voice, and you'll get an idea of what WHYZDOM have managed to create. Their classical influences ranging from the romantic to the contemporary period, as well as the appealing melodies that drive the songs, make their sound utterly unmistakeable in an ever growing scene.

The project was founded by the guitarist and orchestrator Vynce Leff in early 2007, already well known in the progressive sphere having produced several successful albums for the British label Cyclops Records. After recruiting the band members, a first EP "Daughter Of The Night" was recorded less than 6 months from the band's inception. It got instant acclaim from reviewers and music fans around the world, as well as several awards and plaudits (Best French Band 2008 - Metalsymphonique.com, Best EP - HeavyLaw.com, etc).

Although still a young band, WHYZDOM were invited to play in several festivals in France - most of the time as headliner - and won the Metal Female Voices Fest Contest in Belgium in October 2008. They played in the 7th edition of this great Festival (17/10/2009) and also played as official support to DELAIN to launch their début album.

In June 2010, WHYZDOM lead vocalist left the band. Lisa Middelhauve, former XANDRIA singer, accepted to be "guest lead vocalist" for the band performance at the RAISMES FEST 2010 and for their concert in PARIS as support for TARJA.

In December 2010, Clémentine Delauney joined the band as lead vocalist, ready to record the new album to be released in 2011.

AZYLYA est un groupe belge né en 2009 à Bruxelles de la rencontre de Gaëtan (batteur), de Vlad (Claviériste / ex-Anwynn) et de Jamie-Lee (Chanteuse / ex-Skeptical Minds, Sad Siberia et Aedden) qui possédait déjà le projet dans ses cartons depuis un certain temps. A ce noyau s’ajouteront ensuite Anthony (Guitariste) et Ben (Bassiste / ex-AS-Phixies).

Après quelques tâtonnements, le groupe trouve sa vitesse de croisière en 2010 et tout s’accélère encore lorsque Jamie-Lee quitte Aedden pour ne plus se consacrer qu’à AZYLYA. Le line-up au complet (même si un second guitariste pourrait intégrer la formation plus tard), le groupe compose plusieurs titres et enregistre au Studio Molière son premier EP fin septembre et début octobre 2010 tout en se préparant pour la scène.

Malheureusement, Gaetan et Vlad, pour des raisons professionelles, quittent le groupe après le premier concert du 26 décembre, mais sans relâche, Azylya trouve des succeseurs, en GUILLAUME et FORSTER...Et MAXIME!

AZYLYA offre un métal mélodieux souvent cinématographique rehaussé de touches de thrash et de death où la voix angélique de Jamie-Lee et les partitions de Maxime se combinent pour créer une atmosphère sombre de souffrance et de douceur triste.

Une chose est certaine, sur scène, AZYLYA devrait vous faire frissonner….

Magion creates powerful and tightly executed symphonic metal. The songs are elaborately structured, but have clear heads and tails and show a lot of variation. The music perfectly fits Myrthe’s evocative and partly autobiographical lyrics.

Magion have built an excellent reputation as a live act, and have had the pleasure of playing with acts that have received worldwide acclaim, such as Epica, Delain, Trail of Tears & Jorn Lande. Because of their great performances, but also their professional attitude towards venue staff and volunteers, Magion has received very positive reactions from audiences and programmers alike.

The independently-released debut album “Close to Eternity” was recorded in Excess Studios Rotterdam, where big names such as Epica, Gorefest and Ayreon recorded previously. The CD was mastered in Sweden by the musical mastermind Dan Swanö; the artwork was handled by the Brazilian graphic artst Jobert Mello.

The album was well received both domestically and abroad and has achieved good sales figures; due to an unexpectedly high demand from countries such as the United States, Canada and Japan a second pressing of the album was necessary within a year of the release.

“Close to Eternity” has received excellent reviews from leading magazines and websites:

Aardschok: “Magion has plenty if quality amongst them to create an own identity. This includes a singer who can easily join the ranks of singers like Simone Simons and Floor Jansen, and a group of superb musicians. This band absolutely deserves a chance!”

Lords of Metal: “Everything falls into place on “Close To Eternity”; from the fantastic artwork, the great musicianship of the band, the very varied and entertaining song material until the breathtaking vocals of Myrthe van Beest. With their talent, musicianship and awesome song material it should just be a matter of time before they will belong to the top of the Dutch metal scene.”

Sonic Cathedral: “…..You are taken for a 60 plus minute ride through the absolute top levels of the symphonic operatic gothic musical landscape. Top-notch band with a drop dead killer vocalist, absolutely as good as it gets and to top it all off, we get production that is world class. Add to that the breathtaking artwork and you have nothing short of a masterpiece. 10/10 Top Score - Official Sonic Cathedral Gem”