The Friday (July 28th), Byzantine will release their new album, The Cicada Tree, via Metal Blade Records. Heralded as the most underrated band from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal Movement, Byzantine has slowly gained a cult-like following after releasing 5 genre-bending albums. 16 years underground, it’s finally time for the world to hear Byzantine! For a preview of The Cicada Tree, a video for the new single, « Vile Maxim » (directed/edited by Holly Mollohan, and produced by Screaming Butterfly Entertainment), has been launched online:
The previous singles – « New Ways to Bear Witness » and « Trapjaw » – can be viewed at: http://metalblade.com/byzantine
where the record can also be pre-ordered in the following formats:
–CD
–180g black 2LP + etching (limited to 150 copies – USA exclusive)
–peach orange marbled 2LP + etching (limited to 350 copies – USA exclusive)
–clear pastel rose 2LP + etching (limited to 100 copies – EU exclusive)
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available!
To state that The Cicada Tree is « classic Byzantine » in no way implies that this is an album solely rooted in the band’s past. Certainly, all of the hallmarks that have made their sound so compelling for close to two decades are present and correct: muscular yet lithe riffs and fluid leads play against gripping, dynamic and at times unpredictable rhythms, while rich melodies and lyrics that are both involved and intelligent wind their way through every track. But, once more, the groove metal unit has continued their steady evolution – the interplay between their members organic and natural, imbuing the record’s sixty-two-minute running time with a freshness and urgency. Founding member Chris « OJ » Ojeda states, « The first few albums, you’re trying to find your sound, and sometimes you tend to not see the forest for the trees. Now, on album number six, it seems a calmness took hold during the songwriting process, possibly from just having more confidence in our sound. At this point, our fans expect us to experiment and push our boundaries, which is an extremely liberating feeling. »
The Cicada Tree track-listing
- New Ways to Bear Witness
- Vile Maxim
- Map of the Creator
- Dead as Autumn Leaves
- Trapjaw
- The Subjugated
- Incremental
- The Cicada Tree
- Verses of Violence
- Moving in Stereo (The Cars cover)
- Servitude (Fishbone cover)
To celebrate The Cicada Tree’s release, the band will have an official album release party on July 29th at The V Club in Charleston, WV (where the « New Ways To Bear Witness » video was filmed: https://youtu.be/qpdNtOjFifw). Dream The Electric Sleep and Against will also perform with Byzantine at the event; for more details, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/101432833763732/. See below for all upcoming tour dates!
Byzantine tour dates (headlining shows)
July 29 – Charleston, WV – The V Club (The Cicada Tree Release Party)
Aug. 5 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo
Aug. 19 – Johnson City, TN – Capone’s
Sept. 1 – Baltimore, MD – Sidebar
Sept. 2 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club
Byzantine tour dates
w/ Sacred Reich
Sept. 14 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory w/ Hirax, Yidhra
Sept. 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre w/ Hirax, Yidhra
Sept. 16 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s w/ Yidhra
Sept. 18 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
Sept. 20 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
Sept. 21 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Sept. 22 – Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Electriques
Sept. 23 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Sept. 24 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater
Sept. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage
Sept. 27 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Sept. 28 – New Orleans, LA – Southport Hall
Sept. 29 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Sept. 30 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar w/ Slim
Oct. 1 – San Antonio, TX – Rock Box
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Byzantinewv/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/byzantinewv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbyzantine/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ByzantineTV