Oblivion Bekons

Byzantine, first "discovered" by Lamb Of God and signed to the excellent metal label Prosthetic Records, have added another diverse and heavy album to their body of work. Full of intricate, crushing riffing, unexpected twists and turns (the sudden shift into ethereal and melodic clean-tone classical-style guitar near the end of "The Gift Of Discernment", for example) and very tight musicianship and great production values, this is a very solid effort that almost any fan of "extreme" metal should enjoy. Reminiscent of such bands as the aforementioned Lamb Of God, Strapping Yound Lad, and Mushroomhead. Cool, dense and suprisingly nuanced metal laced with progressive elements. Recommended.

Oblivion Beckons will be one of the best cd's released in 2008 when it's all said and done. I own their entire catalogue and this is the best material they have written IMHO. And They Shall Take Up Serpents (2005) is also a phenomenal cd and laid the ground work for O/B, which introduces some new twists and turns for the band. In particular, the vocals are more melodic and less Anselmo-like than Serpents, the songs are more streamlined, focused, and tighter but very technical and progressive at the same time. The do this really cool almost "new age" sounding mellow guitar part at the end of "The Gift of Discernment" that struck me. It's actually beautiful and incredibly witty. They also do this cool acoustic instrumental called "Renovatio" which is 2:16 and leads right into the next song. The leads are extremely melodic and tastefully done with a lot of feel and emotion. Of course, the metal / thrash foundation is still present, and the stellar musicianship thines through. Too bad they broke up right after this. Byzantine are from West Virginia - the same area as Lamb of God. I like LOG a lot but to be honest, I like Byzantine better. This is an Automatic Purchase meaning you don't need to think about it, just get it, you won't be dissappointed at all.

Give this cd a good listen before passing judgment. I have been a fan of these guys for quite some time. Tony's guitar playing is outstanding, as usual. Very impressive. I prefer heavy music with a good groove. Sometimes you have to wait for the breakdown, but's it's worth it every time. If you're a metal fan, give these guys a try.