...and they shall shred up stages
Byzantine seem to be a sleeper hit that have caught the UK totally off-guard. Their 2004 album 'The Fundamental Component' was a reminder to all the "modern metalcore" bands that it's acceptable to actually break the mould for once. Yet the album perhaps didn't have the influence the band would have hoped for over here. As a result, they have the advantage of a first album to borrow tracks to play live when they tour with the new album.
The new album is more of the last in a good way. Soundwise, the album is just as strong as the first one - mainly due to Fu Manchu mixer Brad Davies working his magic on the album. The album openers 'Justice' and title track 'Taking Up Serpents' will destroy any "They're trying to be more popular" critics straight off the bat - there's no easy riffing here. No sweet vocals or simple choruses. Byzantine haven't left metalcore behind in the slighest, and infact they have embraced it more, or so it would seem, but at the same time they've hammered their own unique imprint into the genre. It's possible to say that Byzantine may be leading the genre forward, which is an exciting prospect on all accounts - metalcore has ground to a halt in recent times.
So what we have here is metalcore. Absolutely no question. But it's not just "more metalcore". It's not another screamathon with the occasional key change. We've got speed of sound drumming, wall of noise guitars and cruel vocals that lead to a brilliant mix of genius. If you're in any way a metalcore fan, this is an absoloutly essential album. If you're not, why not pick it up anyway and see if you've been missing out on a finally rejuvinated genre for too long.