Review by Jeger on June 11, 2025.

Charleston, West Virginia, USA's Byzantine - discovered by one Randall Blythe (Lamb of God) during the onset of the NWOAHM just following their official inception back in 2000, has proven to be a group of persevering artists. Said scene has all but dwindled away completely, but Byzantine just continues their Thrash/Groove-laden scourge. I remember the NWOAHM days: piss drunk on whiskey, stoned on weed and reveling in the chaos of the pit, as I bore live witness to some of the movement's heavyweights. I was in my twenties, and the world was mine for the taking.

We owe much to bands like Lamb of God, God Forbid and Byzantine. They kindled a fresh blaze of retaliation towards what had become a Nu-Metal-infected US Metal scene. Byzantine has rather successfully carried that torch through the US's transition into a nation that now purveys some of the world's most respected Extreme Metal. Yes, bands like Disturbed and Slipknot linger, but only for people who don't understand the importance of Metal in its true forms. On June 13, Byzantine will release their seventh LP, "Harbingers", via Metal Blade Records.

With "Harbingers", Byzantine has chosen not to stray far from their traditional concepts. We've got societal collapse, power-starved global leaders and an AI takeover, all backed by those hefty grooves/riffs that we've come to appreciate over the course of the past two and a half decades. Production quality is what you should expect from a major label-backed group: sanitized and glaring. Vocalist and founding member, Chris Ojeda, rips out a Kyle Thomas (Exhorder) like vocal attack that fore-drops a rather malignant contribution from the guitars and the rhythm department. These riffs are stock and the drumming is vanilla. There's a bit of atmosphere to take in, which provides a reprieve from the dull nature of the album. That's not to say that "Harbingers" is a total snoozer. Take the final moments of "Floating Chrysanthema" for instance. If only the rest of the album was as intense and nuanced, but no, we get "The Clockmaker's Intention"… Brutal riffs failing to distract you from awkward choruses. Creepy robotic vocal effects struggling to provide the track with some much needed substance.

Folks of a lesser-tier of Extreme Metal connoisseurship will certainly appreciate the record's headbanging parts. My 25 year old self would've enjoyed this album a little more, but not by much. Some aspects of it that make it tolerable are its progressive elements in tracks like "Riddance" - the album's high water mark in my opinion. But man, this is brutal, but in a bad way…

Just dumb it down a bit… Then you can maybe appreciate "Harbingers". Byzantine is a talented bunch, and it shows through each member's obvious adeptness, but you can have this one. I won't fight you for it. I guess there's a reason why the NWOAHM movement grew stale. This would've been considered a great album 20 years ago. Nothing wrong with a little Nevermore worship though. You'll hear plenty of that on "Harbingers", just without the same depth and character. A valiant effort, an aspirant show of skill, but a dud nonetheless. Like Evan Williams compared to Jack Daniel's. You'll drink it if you have to, but you'll ultimately regret it the next day…

Rating: 6.2 out of 10