Byzantine - ...And They Shall Take Up Serpents (2005)^{Release ID: 14841}

The gritty start to this record that is provided by Justica, heralds the promise of a halfway decent groove metal album. The solid riffs and lead work that make up the track are combined greatly with the rhythm and vocal sections to create an energetic if not all that remarkable opening. The Pantera influence in the vocals is obvious as are the Lamb of God similarities alongside the rhythmical structures of Meshuggah, albeit that the latter similarity is not as well delivered.

The challenge here comes from the vocals. Despite being a perfectly capable metallic hardcore vocalist, Chris Ojeda insists on interjecting with actual singing, something which he lacks the voice to achieve unfortunately. This is a massive irritation for me and one which detracts greatly from my enjoyment of the record. As the record goes on, I am increasingly convinced that this is a tale of two halves. Instrumentally strong with the vocals letting the side down overall.

These forays into John Bush-style vocals (not a fan of him at all) really do take the wind out of the sails although they do use the more progressive sounding leads to much better effect to temper the more aggressive elements of the record without disrupting the flow as clumsily. With a bit of thought and maybe even a guest vocalist, things could have panned out better on this record for my ears at least. Otherwise, …And They Shall Take Up Serpents is a consistent affair that maintains a level of power for most of the record. Attempting to trace those Meshuggah patterns on the guitar sometimes leads them astray and there is more than one occasion where I am sure they find themselves somewhere in a track unintentionally. Nevertheless, there is enough aptitude in the band to make sections cohesive (vocals aside). In the better moments of the record, we can have some interesting compositions such as Ancestry of the Antichrist, with its tribal undertones stretching the boundaries into more of a world music vibe.

At the same time, I am not sure we need the piano intro to Five Faces of Madness as the track has a vibrancy to it once it gets going that needs to be accessed more immediately. However, the record plays out much stronger than I predicted based on my initial first listen and although I would probably give it a trim if left up to me, I still find this entertaining overall if not more from just a musical perspective as opposed to the whole experience.