Full Album Stream: Byzantine: Byzantine – new album

 

BYZANTINE's fourth, self-titled album has been released independently by the reunited band on February 26th, 2013. It can be streamed in full here (No Clean Singing) or here (BYZANTINE's SoundCloud). The album awaits you here (Big Cartel), on iTunes and Amazon MP3. The ‘Byzantine’ cover art was designed by David Friedmann, the winner of the contest the band launched via MetalSucks metal portal. BYZANTINE also released the ‘Soul Eraser’ video, directed by Matt Maloney, which is available below.

 

Hailing from the backwoods of West Virginia, USA, BYZANTINE was formed in the year of 2000 by singer and guitarist Chris “OJ” Ojeda, bassist Cid Adams and guitarist Tony Rorhbough. Initially just a tool to “knock the dust off of their prospective instruments, write some songs and have a little fun away from their day jobs, employing a drum machine to practice with and write their tunes”, BYZANTINE recorded their first full-length demo in 2002 with drummer Matt Wolfe. Invited to open a show by certain famous Virginian Chris Adler (whom you, by now, probably associate with LAMB OF GOD), followed by a small tour, BYZANTINE eventually landed a record deal with Prosthetic Records. Combining musical styles initiated by PANTERA, TESTAMENT and MESHUGGAH (“torn asunder and reconstructed in sometimes curious, often startling new ways” – Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here), their Prosthetic debut, ‘The Fundamental Component’ was issued in 2004. BYZANTINE recorded their second album with new bassist Michael Cromer. Biblically named ‘…And They Shall Take Up Serpents’, released in 2005, received high praise both domestically and abroad. Relentless touring that ensued has claimed guitarist Rorhbough, who was temporarily replaced by Eric Seevers. In 2007, the band released a fan-oriented DVD called ‘Salvation’ and began recording their third album ‘Oblivion Beckons’. Issued in 2008, BYZANTINE announced they could no longer function as a band shortly after its release.

BYZANTINE features: Chris Ojeda – vocals and rhythm guitar, Matt Wolfe - drums, Skip Cromer - bass and backing vocals and Tony Rohrbough - lead guitar