Byzantine – "Harbingers"

I'll take "Overlooked Metal Bands" for 1000, Alex.

I remember getting a promo of Byzantine's 2008 album "Oblivion Beckons" back when it came out, and being pleasantly surprised. It was thrash – a bit on the modern side in retrospect, but solid, ass-kicking thrash. Nothing particularly revelatory or memorable, though, so I didn't bother following the group or delving deeper into its back catalogue. So it's kinda random to revisit them after all this time. But more than that, and all the more so, it's another pleasant surprise.

Something's happened to the band since then. And by that, I mean they've gone prog. Indeed, upon its clean intro, "A Place We Cannot Go" sounds like it's alternating between a 7/8 time and a 9/8 time. Based upon a relatively simple 2-chord figure, the whole thing expands and unfolds in increasingly varied riffs unwinding over a midway drum plateau. As much as hard rock music is aimed at stimulating your reproductive organ, this is aimed at stimulating your thinking organ.

"Floating Chrysanthema" is even more compounded, based upon a murky Meshuggah-like riff and shouty vocals, but revealing a straight-up hard rock chorus whose melody sticks and lyrics challenge: "Now the world's overtaken by trillions / As our buildings are building buildings". Then, a break with a Tool-like bass/drum interplay, evolving into the menacing darkness from the first Riverside albums.

"The Clockmaker's Intention" elaborates upon this formula, its machine metal riff being a bit drier and somehow more tangible, its drive a bit more laid-back, and the 7/4-time C-part kicking into frenzied metal 16ths and pummelling bass drum poundings. And again, another chorus as memorable as it's cryptic: "I can barely breathe in this night so cold / We witness the passing of life by the marks alone". And as an equal parts incalculable and ungracious full-note riff supports alien-like vocals, this is symptomatic of an album that, just like its individual songs, keeps on getting both heavier and more progressive as it goes along.

"Harbingers" has a little something for everyone, if not much more.

Indeed, "Riddance" is thrash metal as aggressive as the baseline of thrash metal aggression ever was. But it's in a triplet feel, and the mysteriously ethereal, cello-like swells in the background are part of painting a picture as eerily enigmatic as it is fierce. Its mid-section sounds like that in this one little Dream Theater ditty, name of "Take the Time", traversing an almost hardcore-heavy half-time with vocals verging on growls and an equally heavy bend-based monster riff, into a coda sounding like this one little Tool ditty, name of "Jambi".

Yes, with every track, I find myself noting that everything's hitting harder and harder. The main riff in "The Unobtainable Sleep" sounds like Opeth in their heyday, and its vocals are more growl-y than at any point so far. And the 12/8-feel in "Kobayashi Maru" makes me think of something from Testament's 1999 masterpiece "The Gathering" – things are getting that heavy at this point.

As savage as the music gets, though, I could wish the same for the clean vocals. While not bad by any stretch, Chris Ojeda's singing is a bit too clean and neat, unfortunately only accentuating that the same is the case for the production. Indeed, in spite of all its challenging elements on various levels, the sheer sound of the album is as family-friendly as things get in this genre.

A shame in and by itself. But far from enough to downright sully an album that's so creatively conceived and otherwise loveably hard. Byzantine is yet another example of a band that deserves some more attention, and "Harbingers" has a little something for everyone, if not much more. Especially if one is into the proggier sides of metal.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

Genre: Progressive metal
Release date: 13/6/2025
Label: Metal Blade
Producer: Peter Wichers