Customer Reviews

Fundamental Component

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

All I can say is that it is about time! Ever since the first time I heard these guys warm up I knew great things were gonna happen. This album has everything you would want in great metal album. Incredible druming. Incredible guitar work. Incredible vocals. It is all here. If you like Meshuggah, buy this album.
If you like Chimara, buy this album.
It is hard to write this review due to the fact it is hard to put into words how awesome these guys are. If you get a chance to see them live, check it out. It is like watching a car wreck as it happens you just can't look away.
So, if you are tired of what is out there and want to listen to an incredible musicians give this a spin. You will not be disappointed!

Nuff said....

Byzantine may have the best name in modern heavy metal; and here I thought people in West Virginia were slow-witted. Its also refreshing to see a young metal band focusing their songwriting on something other than the human body (or the dismemberment of) or (sob) self-or-ex-girlfriend-effacement. So as far as their non-musical influences are concerned, I am very impressed with Byzantine.

As for The Fundamental Component...a Prosthetic Records press release described them as an amalgam of Clutch, Slayer, and Meshuggah, interestingly enough its slightly accurate. Of course if you combined the first two bands (the American ones) you'd probably just get Prong. And that is precisely who Byzantine reminds of the most, albeit a much more Meshuggah-influenced Prong. Its thick and meaty, but it isn't afraid to be literate or legible.

The Fundamental Component starts very strong with 'Hatfield' and the trend continues. I'd say the first time I cringed when listening to this album came when I heard the clean-vocaled chorus of 'Stoning Judas'. Until that point I had been intrigued, but then they had to go all emo-metal for a second (luckily its only a few small fragments of the album). I personally do not like the whole clean and catchy mixed with pummelingly heavy trend that is occurring in Amercian metal, and The Fundamental Component is muuuuuuuch better than any Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying record ever will be. It just seemed like a very intelligent and talented band was dumbing-down their sound for a brief moment in order to quickly catch the attention of some 16-year old Hot Topic customer.

Other than that, it is a very strong techinical-metal album; certainly better and fresher than the last two Meshuggah albums. It is understandable why Lamb of God's Chris Adler took a liking to this band. This album has about 8 and 1/2 good songs out of the ten. Hopefully the next album will feature less singing, more solos (because this guy can shred), and maybe a slightly beefed-up drum sound. Overall I can only see this band getting better, but then again, I've been wrong.

First I have to say I DO hope more bands like this come out of WV!! It's about time someone from good ole' WV gets the recognition they deserve (hillbilly metal? PLEASE!). Byzantine combines crushing music with thoughtful lyrics and a darn good singer. Don't get me wrong - I like death metal, but I also like to hear a heavy band with a singer that actually has some variety. OJ can sing, scream, growl like Satan, whatever the song calls for. If this is what you want, look no further! All the musicians are extremely talented (especially the drummer;)), and the songs are well-crafted. Good solos too. This is "thinking man's metal" all the way. Not for the faint of heart or the mentally challenged.

Seriously, these guys are getting unwarranted bullcrap from people. 3 bad reviews in a row? Unfortunately, it looks like ANOTHER band has been added to the "It's cool to hate them for no reason just to sound like I'm only into heavy underground bands" list. Along with Cradle of Filth, DevilDriver, Korn, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, etc. For some reason, complete rip-offs like Unearth can get away with murder, just so long as EVERYBODY approves of them. These guys are talented, stop the bashing, commence with the listening.

To think that a debut effort from a band who doesn't come from a "scene" can be this good only belies the unlimited potential from these outstanding musicians. This record sounds like "Byzantine," regardless of what other reviewers have said. This is a band that when you hear the first measure of music, you know exactly who is playing it. I consider myself fortunate to also call these guys friends. I have heard a number of other songs from them over the past several years that I can only hope will someday see the record store shelves. The collective creativity and sheer musical genius of this band will carry them to the masses, and my prediction is that someday the critics of this cd will be lining up to dine on the feast of American metal that is BYZANTINE.

I recently heard this album and all I have to say is WOW. Every track blew me away. This is a true METAL album. You can hear influences of hardcore and industrial also, but you really cant throw them into a sub-genre unless you make one up. Anyway, this is possibly one of the best metal albums Ive heard in years. If youre into real metal (I'm not talking about Korn, Drowning Pool, Disturbed...Im talking about LAMB OF GOD, SHADOWS FALL, CHILDREN OF BODOM, IN FLAMES and throw in some PANTERA and maybe a touch of MINISTRY. If you like all of those bands, youll enjoy Byzantine.

We live in the day and age when manufactured bands are a dime a dozen and the first question out of record exectives mouths is "WHO do they sound like?". It's nice to see that there are still new up-and-coming bands that not only push the envelope, but tear it to shreds. In a time when the SoCal metal scene is a shadow of what it once was, and the once abundant wells of Texas metal have run dry, from the hills of West Virginia comes a saviour. The first outing from Byzantine is gut-wrenching, melodic, intelligent, chaotic and much more. If you are looking for the next Limp Bizkit rap/rock clone, move along.. but if you are interested in something more, something that will linger, try "The Fundamental Component". And to Byzantine, a big THANKS from the Southwest!

It's about time someone put some originality back into metal!

First and foremost yes Byzantine do emulate Meshuggah quite a bit at times, however, this not a bad thing. Meshuggah are one of the best Tech-metal bands of all time. This is not Slayer so do not expect fast incoherant thrash because you will be disappointed. The disc is laden with intense grooves and polyrythmic bliss if you are
at all knowledgable about music. The beauty of this band is not in one riff it's the blending of all the seperate pieces in a seamless fashion. The recording is sub-par for sure but do not let it deter you from picking it up. Byzantine show promise and will fix the sound quality issues I'm sure. If you are a fan of European prance metal then don't bother, it's abrasive and lacking the big hair and estrogen vocals.

I had never seen of heard of this band before,i was actually interested in Lamb of God,then i noticed on amazon it said if you like this band you'll also like(and there they were)byzantine.This music rocks from beginning to end,great guitars,off time drumming,killer solos,you name it.The only thing lacking somewhat is the singer,he needs just to beef up a tad,but in metal who really is a great screamer these days.Oh well it doesnt ruin it,since i've been listening to them these past few months i wanted to see if they had any other music on the net.I went to Kazaa,Limewire,Ares,etc.to only find that they seemed to have a band before called(New Family),not sure if they were ever popular,but they kick A#% as well,not as technical,but they are very Slayerish to say the least.So whatever form they are in check out byzantine,my new fav.band.Rock ON!!