Having had a chance to listen to it a little early, I’ll come right out and say that Harbingers, the new album from West Virginia heavy metal veterans Byzantine, is one hell of a good time. Out this coming Friday (June 13th) through Metal Blade Records, the long wait since 2017’s The Cicada Tree has been absolutely worth it. Packed with tasty riffs and catchy hooks from one captivating passage to the next, Byzantine takes a progressive approach to groove metal and delivers. It feels like a hybrid in both structure and sound, and the winding path it takes is one you’ll want to explore over and over again. So! As we count down the final days until Harbingers‘ release, let’s familiarize a little further with founding frontman Chris “OJ” Ojeda’s responses to our Profile questions. Give those a read below and hit the Bandcamp embed while you’re down there to get a taste of what’s to come.
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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?
Chris “OJ” Ojeda: I started performing music with a group of High School friends when I was 17. We all skateboarded and decided to have a Heavy Metal Band. I stuck with performing music with various people until I formed Byzantine, when I was 27 years old. My family has always supported me playing music but were very hesitant about me wanting to do it professionally. They always wanted me to focus on something a little more financially solid.
How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?
OJ: I would say that BYZANTINE is a Progressive Groove Metal band. That seems to fit our style of music quite nicely.
Is there anything about your upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?
OJ: Yes. There is quite a few tidbits of information that will most likely remain secret that happened during the recording of “Harbingers”. One thing that occurred and almost derailed the whole recording was I got injured at work the week before I started tracking rhythm guitars. I tore my distal tendon in my left arm, which holds my bicep onto my forearm. My left arm is the one I pick with. It was extremely painful and I could barely move my left arm but I tried to record guitars anyway. This injury normally takes 3-4 months to heal properly. It sat us behind MONTHS on the recording of this album!
Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?
OJ: Sadly, We have only played 2-3 shows in the past few years. We don’t perform live very much at all. If we go back to around 2006 we played a Festival somewhere in the Northeastern part of the US and had to go to the signing tent after we played to meet fans. There hardly was no fans there to meet us but right next to us was a table reserved for DISTURBED. We had a few fans come over and accidentally hand us Disturbed posters and T Shirts to which we gladly signed the names of the band members in Disturbed for them! Probably 10 kids went home very pissed that day.
What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?
OJ: I REALLY enjoy the resurgence of late 80’s and early 90’s style Thrash Metal. The bands from that era have all reformed and are playing all over the world right now to fans young and old. We have Death Angel, Forbidden, Vio-lence, Exhorder, Kreator all killing it right now. Plus there is a lot of younger bands who are taking up the 90’s Thrash Metal gauntlet as well. It’s a blast from the past!
As far as the worst thing happening right now, it has to be how much streaming accounts for a bands revenue these days. It’s incredibly hard to make enough money to do any kind of touring because of global inflation and the minimal amount of money generated by Streaming Services.
Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?
OJ: We aren’t a very politically driven band but I would say across the board we are socially liberal minded guys. The only large topic I do tend to pay attention to is the Mass Shooting Issue that plagues America. It literally is a US problem and myself having 3 kids, it scares the living shit out of me.
Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?
OJ: Yes, we all have day jobs. I am a general contractor and I also own multi use music facility and AirBnb. We also have a restaurant owner, a Fed Ex Driver, A water quality control expert and a state representative for Child Vaccines in the band.
Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?
OJ: We just want to continue to produce top shelf heavy metal for as long as we can. If we grow our fanbase during that course of our career, that would be nice too but it’s not needed for us to be content with our art.
When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?
OJ: Personally I am really enjoying listening to a few bands much heavier than my own, specifically Alluvial, Rivers of Nihil, Decapitated and Sylosis. As for non heavy bands, I am always listening to Big Wreck, The Pineapple Thief, Katatonia and Porcupine Tree.
What is the near future outlook for you or your band?
OJ: We would really love to be able to take part in some of the larger Festivals around the world and do some traveling as a band. We haven’t travelled outside of the US performing music in over 20 years. We also will be building ourselves a new rehearsal space and our own recording studio sometime next year as well, which should help with creating more music and social media content as well.
Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?
OJ: Currently we just have a handful of shows in the US but are looking for more. Fans can always check out our live show calendar at www.byzantinewv.com.
Summarize your band in one word.
OJ: Something…
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Many thanks to OJ and Byzantine for the time!
Harbingers is out on June 13th through Metal Blade Records. For more information on Byzantine, head over to their website (or Facebook/Instagram).