BYZANTINE’S OBLIVION BECKONS BECKONS FOR A NEW SINGER, BUT WE STILL BECKON FOR A REUNION
For their third full-length release Oblivion Beckons, Byzantine have conjured up a damn fine record, and by breaking up right after its release have ensured at least something of a legacy for themselves. Musically this band is totally on-point; groove-based Pantera / Lamb of God-influenced metal mixes with something more progressive and heady like Nevermore — or even at times Meshuggah — for a riff-based affair that’s fresh, brutal, and will definitely get you moving your head. The band chugs forward, each musician quite talented at their fare, from punishing grooves and poly-metric passages to catchy but never-predictable choruses. Vocally, I have some real issues with frontman Chris Ojeda. Ojeda proves on Oblivion Beckons that he is a versatile singer capable of many styles. His screams vary from are bowel-inducingly brutal to screachingly ear-shattering (in a good way) and his clean singing is quite good too; but all too often he results to some kind of half-scream/half-sung voice that aims to sound badass but just ends up sounding more like a vomiting rabbit. It makes me cringe every time.
Fortunately the rest of the band members are there to save the day; Tony Rohrbough (guitar) and Matt Wolfe (drums) often play in perfect chug unison but aren’t afraid to split apart for some prog flavor. Some of Rohrbough’s guitar work — as in the scorching solo of the title track, the intro to “Expansion and Collapse,” and the clean ending of “The Gift of Discernment” — is truly fresh. I actually revised that last sentence at least 5 times because I kept wanting to add in songs that have awesome guitar work, but shit, I’d just end up listing every song. Seriously, Rohrbough’s work is so fresh and inventive, and he nails it through and through with both leads and rhythms. But then there’s that fucking rabbit voice again. Ugh.
Anyway, if you can turn off the part of your brain that listens to vocals, this is a fucking great album. If you’re into singers or are a singer yourself suffering from LSD, this probably isn’t for you. But either way it’s a pretty good record. Maybe if and when Byzantine regroups they’ll hire a new singer.
-VN
(three and a half out of five horns)
-VN
