Dino Jelusić was born in 1992. He is actually the person to win the first ever Youth Eurovision song contest. It was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, way back in 2003. He himself is from Požega in Croatia, although he lived in Zagreb for most of his life. In 2012 he formed his first band ANIMAL DRIVE. They stopped making music in 2021. In 2016 he joined TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, followed in 2021 by WHITESNAKE. Now, in 2023, it is time for music under his own name, so the band is aptly named JELUSICK.

Due to his extensive and very impressive C.V. so far, ESCAPE MUSIC were very willing to offer him a contract to make sure he joined them. Well, let’s just say that he definitely hasn’t disappointed them or damaged their trust. The songs are all very strong from start to finish, the instrumentalists are more than capable of laying down the tracks in a very demanding and persuasive manner. There is no room for slacking off, for doing anything half cocked. On top of that there is the star of the show, Dino himself, and he makes no bones about the fact that he is a very good singer with an awfully powerful voice.

“Follow The Blind Man” is a very powerful Melodic heavy Metal record, with a stellar production and outstanding music. JELUSICK coming at us with all guns blazing, making sure that your ears and brains are under a full court press for the full 53 minutes that this onslaught is taking. And therein lies the criticism I have that denies this album the full whack of points to be awarded. There is no room for pause, everything is built and packed solid. There are no open spaces, there is no room to breathe, so no chance to relax. Only the title track “Follow The Blind Man” and “The Great Divide” are subtle enough to slow down a bit, but they still are power ballads. It would have been nice for the band to just ease off, if only for one song. Thankfully the closer of the album, “The Bitter End”, is a quiet piano song, so you get a chance to unwind. For me it would have been better if he had put this one in the middle, giving the listeners a chance to breathe. Now “Follow The Blind Man” is just a bit too much of a powerhouse instead of an all-round album. But, as this is the debut, we’ll let that slide for now.