Byzantine – The Cicada Tree – Peach Orange Marbled Double Vinyl Record

Description

Byzantine – The Cicada Tree – Peach Orange Marbled Double Vinyl Record

West Virginia metal band Byzantine uses The Cicada Tree to combine progressive detail with the direct impact of groove metal. The 2017 album is heavy without becoming monochrome, moving between precise riffs, rhythmic displacement, melodic guitar passages and vocals that can shift from harsh attack to clean, memorable lines. The album followed a period in which Byzantine had already survived interruptions and lineup changes, and that history gives the performance a seasoned confidence. The musicians sound comfortable placing demanding ideas inside songs meant to connect immediately rather than impress only other players.

“New Ways to Bear Witness” opens the record with a strong sense of scale, while “Vile Maxim” and “Map of the Creator” show how naturally the band can move between complex passages and firm grooves. “Dead as Autumn Leaves” slows the motion without reducing the tension, giving the first side a carefully shaped arc. Chris Ojeda’s guitar and vocal work anchors the record, while Brian Henderson’s second guitar adds harmony and counterpoint. Sean Sydnor and Matt Bowles keep the shifting meters grounded, preventing technical passages from losing their groove or physical impact.

The middle of the album brings the crushing “Trapjaw,” the tightly coiled “The Subjugated” and “Incremental.” The title track then becomes a centerpiece, using contrast and layered guitar writing to make the album’s technical side feel purposeful. “Verses of Violence” and “Servitude” provide a forceful closing stretch. Lyrically, the album considers belief, control, violence and social pressure with a seriousness matched by the arrangements. The writing avoids a single concept-album plot, yet recurring concerns give the tracks a common emotional and intellectual weight.

A cover of The Cars’ “Moving in Stereo” is an inspired change of angle. Byzantine preserves the song’s recognizable pulse while filtering it through heavier guitars and the band’s own sense of space. It reinforces the album’s melodic range and keeps the extended program from settling into one texture. The sequencing makes effective use of the double-LP format. Dense songs are separated by changes in pace and tone, and the final cover creates a recognizable point of entry before “Servitude” closes the program on the band’s own terms.

This limited Metal Blade Records edition spreads the album across peach-orange marbled double vinyl, with the fourth side etched and the pressing hand-numbered out of 350 copies. The format gives the detailed production room to breathe and makes this a particularly desirable edition for progressive and modern-metal collectors. The etched fourth side is not additional audio, so the eleven recorded tracks occupy the first three sides. That configuration, combined with the hand-numbered limitation, distinguishes this pressing clearly from standard single-disc or differently colored editions.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

A1 New Ways To Bear Witness
A2 Vile Maxim
A3 Map Of The Creator
A4 Dead As Autumn Leaves
B1 Trapjaw
B2 The Subjugated
B3 Incremental
B4 The Cicada Tree
C1 Verses Of Violence
C2 Moving In Stereo
C3 Servitude
Side D Etched