Metal veterans return with crushing riffs, dystopian themes, and a lineup forged for war.
West Virginia metal juggernauts BYZANTINE are back with their long-awaited eighth studio album, Harbingers, dropping June 13th via Metal Blade Records. And to kick things off, the band just unleashed their punishing new single “Floating Chrysanthema”—a futuristic tale of AI domination set to one of the heaviest tracks they’ve ever written.
🎥 Watch the video for “Floating Chrysanthema”
💿 Pre-order Harbingers now
Produced by Peter Wichers (Soilwork, Nevermore), Harbingers sees BYZANTINE pushing their sonic and lyrical intensity to new heights. Clocking in at 45 minutes across 9 tracks, the album is a bold evolution from one of the most unsung yet relentless forces of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal.
💬 “After 25 years of riding the struggle bus, we’re ready to show the rock and metal world what we’re truly about,” says frontman Chris “OJ” Ojeda.
“Floating Chrysanthema” hits like a sledgehammer—fueled by Wichers’ sharp production and a post-human narrative where artificial intelligence enslaves humanity. With towering riffs and neck-snapping rhythm, it’s the perfect preview of what’s to come.
🖼️ The album cover, designed by Ashley Hoey, features a powerful portrait of Irene of Athens, the first female ruler of the Byzantine Empire, tying directly into the album’s title—Harbingers, or “ones who usher in great change.”
💣 Harbingers Tracklist:
- Consequentia
- A Place We Cannot Go
- Floating Chrysanthema
- The Clockmaker’s Intention
- Riddance
- Harbinger
- The Unobtainable Sleep
- Kobayashi Maru
- Irene
🔥 A Legacy Reignited
Discovered by Lamb Of God’s Chris Adler, BYZANTINE broke onto the scene with 2004’s The Fundamental Component, setting a benchmark for groove-thrash hybrid aggression. Despite breakups, lineup changes, and label shifts, they’ve remained a cult favorite and metal lifer’s band—releasing genre-defying albums like To Release Is To Resolve and 2017’s The Cicada Tree.
Now, armed with a five-piece lineup (for the first time ever) that includes Tony Rohrbough’s return on guitar, BYZANTINE are ready to dominate. With Harbingers, they aren’t just making a statement—they’re making history.
💬 “If you’ve slept on BYZANTINE for the past 25 years,” Ojeda warns, “Harbingers will awaken you.”
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