Byzantine – Harbingers
Review By: George Andritsakis
Review Score: 10
When the album cover depicts the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens, the sole figurehead behind the restoration of the veneration of icons in the Orthodox Church, you know you are in for a very intellectual, enjoyable, groove-laden prog metal journey, worthy of a band named after one of the most significant empires ever to exist.
“Consequentia” the opener, is a beautiful way to kick things off, kind of like a pre-dinner cocktail, very much along the lines of someone like Pink Cream 69. Once you reach the end, though, “A Place We Cannot Go” punches you in the throat, like something thrown in a cauldron with Dream Theater and Meshuggah and then blended to perfection.
Next comes the first single off the album, “Floating Chrysanthema”, which, as the band accurately claims “it hits like a sledgehammer” upon first listen. Chris Ojeda’s vocals depict a bleak and dreary dystopian future of AI’s dominance over humanity in growling perfection.
Title track “Harbinger” is like a heavy metal 21st Century retelling of Oliver Stone’s classic movie Wall Street, where greed is good and ultimate power is everything. “Unobtainable Sleep” has a firm hold on me, though. The thought of (hopefully) finding peace and serenity through Death makes this dark tune one of the standout gems on the album. I will most definitely be playing this on repeat when it’s released.
Next up has to be my favorite surprise gem of a song. Someone in the band is a Trekkie, and a hardcore one at that, as this song speaks of a no-win scenario, or death being a foregone conclusion, and unavoidable no matter how you try to avoid it. Aptly titled “Kobayashi Maru”, harkening back to the infamous unwinnable test scenario in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I must’ve played this a dozen times during the review and writing period, and I can’t get enough of it. Aside from the nod to hardcore geekdom, the song chugs along impressively and with an ethereal and sublime solo, reminding me of something Soilwork, Symphony X, or the very underrated Apulanta from Finland.
Produced by Peter Wichers of Soilwork (both as guitarist and producer), this is my first album with a perfect score. Blasting this through both my office’s Victrola and my Jaguar’s Bang & Olufsen system, there is not a single thing I can pinpoint throughout the entire recording that is worthy of critique, except maybe one or two more tracks would’ve been better! But, with a running time of around 45 minutes, one shouldn’t get greedy, after all, there’s bound to be more music from these fellas. Cheers!
Genre: Progressive Thrash Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Line Up:
Vocals: Chris Ojeda, Brian Henderson, and Ryan Poslethwait
Guitars: Brian Henderson, Tony Rohrbough, and Chris Ojeda
Bass: Ryan Poslethwait
Drums: Matt Bowles
Produced By: Peter Wichers