Review Summary: Byzantine releases one of their most consistent albums to date; resolving any fears fans may have had about the loss of two long time members.
Often bands start off very promising, but inevitably life and conflicts get in the way that test the musician's drive for creating music. A breakup in early 2008 a day after releasing their third album "Oblivion Beckons" made the bands future uncertain with some fearing there may never be another Byzantine album. The band then reunited with the same line up and five years later released its self titled record in 2013. However, soon after the comeback, long time guitarist Tony Rohrbough and bassist Michael “Skip” Cromer left the band once again. All this would be enough to justify the band taking time off. Miraculously, behind the creative forces of leadman Chris “OJ” Ojeda, drummer Matt Wolfe and the infusing of new talent Brian “Hendo” Henderson and Sean Sydnor; Byzantine didn't miss a beat, and we now have a fifth LP from the underground melodic thrashers. "To Release is To Resolve"
The album literally wastes no time and opening track “Scold's Bridle”, a cruel torture device by the way, makes a statement with groovy thrashy riffs and an engaging guitar lead section. The guitar lead sets a tone for the album with the first half of the lead being mysterious and spaced out while the second half picks up in intensity and melodiousness. These type of dynamic changes are present in spades on this album. “Justinian Code”, the second track, is the longest on the record and does a great job opening up the sound and showing the different sides of Byzantine on this record, one part thrash, one part progressive. The record expertly blends the classic thrash styling so rare today with intricate and expanding passages that never lose flow. These intricate sections won't match up to the mind boggling technicality of more “out there” and shred orientated groups. Byzantine focuses on tasteful and subtle composition within the more progressive sections countered by no nonsense thrash riffs. The guitar solos embody this. They won't blind you with speed but the phrasing and more melodic passages are up there with the best: See the end of track 8 "To Release".
And that is where this album really shines. It has an extremely focused approach that creates a diverse and hook driven sound. A lot of metal uses sections so quick and chaotic that even on repeated listens loses the listener. This album has a restraint and clarity of composition that actually comes off more bad ass than a constant barrage of notes. This controlled sound doesn't sacrifice intricate song structures and movements.
When I say that this album is very consistent, I don't mean that it starts sounding samey and redundant. On the contrary, what I mean is the album evolves and changes enough to consistently keep the listener engaged. High shrieks, guttural growls, thrash screams, Mastodon-like cleans, and hints of even standard rock, and ballad vocals are all on this record. I must say that sometimes clean vocals can hurt metal but here they never seem forced and instead really add dynamics and interest to the music. The chug patterns on this album rock. Some of the riffs on this album are so catchy they have been stuck in my head for days making me want to hear that track again just for the moment that drop into riffage hits: See the beginning of "Scold's Bridle", 3:45 of "God Forsaken" and 4:05 of "To Release". The album is also paced well with straight head banging tracks alternating with more progressive ones.
Byzantine have proven with "To Release is To Resolve" that they are still going strong. The album sees them creatively firing on all cylinders. In fact, the two new members sound like they have injected new passion and energy into the band. If you are a fan of classic sounding thrash with a conscience for modern ideals (which it seems to me is pretty hard to come by) you owe it to yourself to hear this. One complaint I have is the length of the record. It doesn't feel overly short given there is little to no filler but at 43 minutes I could have done with another track. As I said about the pacing, the overall package is satisfying so it isn't a major flaw. They did their job of leaving me wanting more and now all I can say is: long live Byzantine!
