Byzantine (band)
| Byzantine | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Charleston, West Virginia |
| Genres |
Groove metal, thrash metal, progressive metal (see below) |
| Years active | 2000–2008, 2010–present |
| Labels | Prosthetic Records, independent, Metal Blade Records |
| Members | Chris "OJ" Ojeda Brian Henderson Sean Sydnor Matt Bowles |
| Past members | Tony Rohrbough Chris "Cid" Adams Michael "Skip" Cromer Matt Wolfe |
Byzantine is a heavy metal band from Charleston, West Virginia, that was formed in 2000. As of March 2016, the band consists of front-man and co-founder Chris "OJ" Ojeda (rhythm guitar and vocals), Brian Henderson (guitar), Matt Bowles (drums) and Sean Sydnor (bass guitar). The band has released three studio albums on Prosthetic Records along with two independent albums. Byzantine is known for its unique sound and modern, "forward thinking" musical style which explores different musical territories and song structures.
The band split on January 26, 2008, one day after the release of their third album, due to various circumstances, but reunited in 2010. On March 31, 2016, Metal Blade Records announced that they had signed the band to a worldwide deal and that they would be releasing a new album on July 28th, 2017.
Byzantine was formed in the spring of 2000 by bassist Chris "Cid" Adams, drummer Jeremy Freeman, guitarist Tony Rohrbough, and vocalist/guitarist Chris "OJ" Ojeda after their former bands, New Family and Temper, disbanded. Byzantine wrote four songs before Jeremy Freeman left, then seven more songs were written, and 2000-2001 Demos was recorded and self-released in 2001. Jeremy Freeman returned for a short period of time in October 2001 to February 2002, then parted ways with the band once again. Soon after, Byzantine became a part of the local West Virginian heavy metal scene.
Subsequently, the band recruited local musician Matt Wolfe as a drummer. Ten songs featuring Wolfe were recorded in 2003 at Broadmoor Studios in Huntington, West Virginia and were released as The Broadmoor Demo, arousing the interest of Lamb of God's drummer Chris Adler. Byzantine then had a short East Coast tour with Lamb of God. This tour helped them obtain new fans and a deal with Prosthetic Records.
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