Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
On July 28th, West Virginia’s Byzantine will release their new album, ‘The Cicada Tree‘, via Metal Blade Records.
The excitement and anticipation for this eagerly awaited release is reaching a fevered pitch with metal fans everywhere. The long-running, underground progressive metallers have developed a loyal cult following over the span of five studio albums.
The Cicada Tree tracklist:
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)
The new album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:
– CD
– 180g black 2LP + etching (ltd. to 150 copies – USA excl.e)
– peach orange marbled 2LP + etching (ltd. to 350 copies – USA excl.)
– clear pastel rose 2LP + etching (ltd. to 100 copies – EU excl.)
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available
In conjunction with PledgeMusic, ‘The Cicada Tree’ can also be pre-ordered here, where you can reserve your copy of the album, signed material from the band, apparel, and more.
For the very first preview of ‘The Cicada Tree‘, a new official video for the single “New Ways To Bear Witness” (featuring a cameo by Skeletonwitch’s Dustin Boltjes, as well as ex-Byzantine drummer Matt Wolfe) has been launched online. Directed and edited by Holly Siders, the filming of “New Ways To Bear Witness” resulted in Chris “OJ” Ojeda (vocals, rhythm guitar) suffering a concussion.
OJ comments about the experience:
“So, we came up with an idea of having our old drummer do a cameo appearance in the music video. Matt Wolfe left the band right before we signed with Metal Blade and had occupied the drum seat for the last 12 years. We felt it was a perfect opportunity to let fans know that we still love Matt and he’s still welcome and important to our band.
“What’s the best way to have an ousted band member make a cameo? To hit me with a vehicle, of course! We set up the scene and did about 5 or 6 takes of Wolfe hitting me with the vehicle and me rolling off the vehicle. I didn’t know until we wrapped shooting the next day that something was wrong and had a very hard time driving home.
“I contacted an ER doctor friend of mine who told me I needed to come see him ASAP. After a CT Scan and an EKG, he let me know I had a standard sports type concussion from repeatedly hitting my head during the video shoot. I got 3 days off work and a cool story out of it! Rock!”
You can watch the new video below, but will it be able to hold you over until you get a chance to see Byzantine on tour soon? The band was recently announced as the direct support for the first U.S. tour in years from legendary thrashers Sacred Reich. The “30 Years Of Ignorance Tour” will be the iconic band’s first full-on U.S. tour in decades and the pairing of them and Byzantine is sure to be one of the year’s must-see treks!
Sacred Reich with Byzantine in the U.S.:
September:
14 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA (with Hirax, Yidhra)
15 – The Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA (with Hirax, Yidhra)
16 – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA (with Yidhra
18 – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO
20 – Reggie’s – Chicago, IL
21 – Opera House – Toronto, ON
22 – Les Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC
23 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
24 – Gramercy Theater – New York, NY
25 – Voltage – Philadelphia, PA
27 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
28 – Southport Hall – New Orleans, LA
29 – Trees – Dallas, TX
30 – Scout Bar – Houston, TX (with Slim)
October:
01 – Rock Box – San Antonio, TX (with Byzantine)
02 – Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX
07 – Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
