“The Unobtainable Sleep” is the latest single from Charleston, West Virginia metal veterans BYZANTINE. The track comes off the band’s forthcoming new full-length, Harbingers, set for release on June 13th via Metal Blade Records.
“The Unobtainable Sleep” weaves a tale about the pursuit of serenity through death and features guitarist Brian Henderson channeling Jerry Cantrell-style vocal harmonies.
Notes Henderson, “This song title is a dark and poetic definition of death. OJ had a few riffs laying around that were inspired by Extol, Carcass, and Fear Factory, and they fit perfectly together to craft this tune. We specifically wrote an extended solo section to allow our friend from Russia, Andrey Gadzhibalaev, a chance to perform a beautiful guest guitar solo.”
Produced by Peter Wichers (Soilwork, All That Remains, Nevermore), Harbingers offers nine tracks totaling forty-five minutes of deep lyrical wisdom alongside equally hefty riffs delivered seamlessly by one of the most commanding and unsung lineups to emerge from the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal movement of the early-2000s. Now a five-piece for the first time ever featuring founding frontman Chris “OJ” Ojeda, alongside former guitarist Tony Rohrbough, bassist Ryan Postlethwait, veteran guitarist Brian Henderson, and drummer Matt Bowles, with Harbingers, BYZANTINE is a crown jewel in their impressive seven-album discography.
The album cover, designed by mixed-media artist Ashley Hoey, beautifully depicts Irene of Athens — the mother of Emperor Constantine and the first female empress of the Byzantine Empire. This focus on a maternal ruler eloquently ties into the album’s title, Harbingers, which means “ones who usher in great change.”
Harbingers will be released on CD and digital formats. Find preorders at metalblade.com/byzantine.
It has taken years of ups and downs for BYZANTINE to reach the point of creating Harbingers. Discovered early on by Lamb Of God’s Chris Adler, the band quickly released their debut full-length, The Fundamental Component, in 2004. The record boasted a raw fusion of Bay Area thrash and Southern-tinged groove metal and set the tone for their future sound. Their 2005-released …And They Shall Take Up Serpents offering marked an even more blistering evolution. However, turmoil ultimately led to BYZANTINE’s breakup, announced just one day after the release of their third album, 2007’s prophetic Oblivion Beckons.
Reforming to release the independent albums Byzantine (2013) and To Release Is To Resolve (2015), the band saw the latter dominate SiriusXM’s Hard Attack Devil’s Dozen for weeks, also earning them the #1 spot on CMJ’s Loud Rock Chart. Notably, BYZANTINE became only the second independent band to achieve this feat following Clutch’s indie release, Earth Rocker.
In 2017, BYZANTINE made their Metal Blade debut with The Cicada Tree, faultlessly merging multiple genres into their progressive groove sound, a signature blend now synonymous with the band. With Harbingers raising the stakes and a revitalized lineup in place, Ojeda confidently states, “If you’ve slept on BYZANTINE for the past twenty-five years, Harbingers will awaken you.”
BYZANTINE:
Chris Ojeda – vocals
Brian Henderson – guitar, vocals
Tony Rohrbough – guitar
Ryan Postlethwait – bass, vocals
Matt Bowles – drums
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