Byzantine - Harbingers

Angry Metal Guy

Defiantly resilient and deeply underappreciated, West Virginia’s Byzantine bring oodles of class and credibility to the often-maligned groove metal game. Their brand of accessible, slick modern metal has seen the Byz lads cultivate a consistently solid career, kicking twenty twenty-plus years ago. Enduring line-up shuffles, break-ups, record label shenanigans, and health concerns, it’s remarkable the 2025 version of Byzantine remains alive and well. Harbingers signals the fourth Byzantine LP since their second coming over a decade back, seventh overall, and first full-length offering since 2017’s solid The Cicada Tree release. Significantly, lead guitarist Tony Rohrbough re-enters the fold for his first album since 2013’s comeback album and arguably career high point, Byzantine. Last we heard from the lads was on their 2022 EP Black Sea Codex, which sounded energized and aggressive, recalling some of their more aggressive early work. Deep into a fluctuating, though reliably engaging career, can the Byzantine boys return to peak form on Harbingers?

For the uninitiated, Byzantine play an elastically versatile, groovy style of modern metal, using the likes of Testament, Pantera, Lamb of God, and Meshuggah as launch points to build their own unique formula. Their songwriting skills and technical chops stand out from the pack, and in later years, Byzantine have lent more heavily into the progressive elements of their sound, dialing back the thrashy aggression from their early days. Harbingers offers big riffs, bigger grooves, soaring melodies, and progressive sparks that push the boundaries of their formula while maintaining a comfortable familiarity. Byzantine don’t deal in simplistic grooves, long proving adept at complementing refined chuggery and swagger with a keen ear for melody and penchant for off-kilter harmonies, shreddy technicality, and proggy twists.

Opening acoustic jam “Consequentia” smoothly and dramatically sets the atmosphere for its decidedly heavier, brisker counterparts to follow. More standard Byzantine fare follows as momentum increases. Chris Ojeda’s signature vox, featuring confidently soaring cleans and gritty stylings, takes center stage as the massive hooks and prog-infected dimensions of “A Place We Cannot Go” take hold. When it comes to penning intelligently constructed, groove-centric modern metal jams, Byzantine rarely miss. Whereas The Cicada Tree veered deeply into adventurous, proggier territory, with solid, if uneven results, Harbingers feels like a tighter culmination of their feisty, aggressive olden days, spiked with the bolder experimentation and prog inflections of their later era. Balance is the key. The album’s first half features solid Byzantine tuneage and hooky material, highlighted by the bright progitivity, addictive chorus, and heavier passages of “The Clockmaker’s Intention.” However, Harbingers truly excels during its far more gripping back half. “Riddance” punctures the album’s belly, dialing up the aggression via a full-throttle thrashy assault, counterpunched by dynamic tempo shifts, oddball progressive turns, and deliciously extravagant soloing.

“Harbinger” throws down wickedly infectious riffs, leaning heavily into the band’s prog-infused groove metal, as Ojeda unleashes his impressive vocal repertoire to strong effect. Further showcasing Byzantine’s versatility, later album gem “Kobayashi Maru’s” rugged design and proggy grooves serve a sturdy foundation to unleash its swaggering, southern metal-tinged chorus hook. Compared to its sedate opening counterpart, rousing closer “Irene” rolls the Byzantine’s multi-faceted strengths into a stirring, emotive final statement. Rohrbough’s welcome return injects a decisive and technical boost back into the Byzantine camp, lending a sharper focus and deliciously inventive edge to the axework, highlighted by some mesmerizing solos. The rest of the line-up are no slouches, exhibiting their collective technical proficiency and chemistry. Drummer Matt Bowles deserves accolades, locking down the album’s tight central grooves, while the off-kilter rhythmic tremors and dynamic arrangements allow freedom to showcase his creativity and technical flair. Ojeda’s performance is similarly outstanding, assuming listeners connect with his more divisive vocal quirks and booming cleans.

Though never dull, Harbingers first half cannot match the heavier, adventurous, and fleshed out second half, slightly dampening the overall impact of an otherwise high-quality return. Most metal lumped with the ‘groove’ tag often comes with an expectation of dumbed-down riffs and fat, simplistic grooves. Byzantine have long eschewed this stereotype, embedding their songwriting with the requisite succulent grooves and signature headbangable riffs, yet building interesting foundations and clever arrangements around the prevalent hooks and grooves. Harbingers took time to convince, however, repeated listens proved fruitful, and the album’s tight arrangements, dazzling guitar work, and infectious writing finds Byzantine returning to fine form.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: byzantine.bandcamp| facebook.com/byzantinewv
Releases Worldwide: June 13th, 2025

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