Review by Vladimir on June 25, 2024.

It is undeniable that heavy metal music has a strong influence on the rebellious and enthusiastic youth in a lot of South American countries, and with that comes a plethora of eye-catching bands. One of such is the Chilean band Lucifer's Hammer, which has recently returned with their fourth full-length album Be And Exist on June 14th, 2024, released via Dying Victims Productions. The longer I gazed at the album cover, the more I was lured to give it a go, so after a while I have decided to take a look at this work of science-fiction and heavy metal.

Our prelude to this starlight express journey is an instrumental intro track 'Cosmovision', slowly opening the gateway to the dimension which lies beyond this mortal plane of existence, but when you witness 'Real Nightmares' and one 'Glorious Night', you realize that something otherworldly and alien is waiting you on the other side. This cosmic experience is met with some progressive heavy metal music with tons of entertaining guitar riffs and melodies, backed up by dynamic bass lines and drums, and amped up with clean singing vocals that throw in some occasional high pitched falsettos. Along the way you really feel the magic flow within you with each song, but perhaps the strongest moment on the album where you truly feel that magical essence coming from the incredibly solid band performance, is on the track 'Son Of Earth', an incredible and transcendental tune that takes you on a complete wormhole trip from start to finish. What you will undoubtedly notice from the very get-go is that this album has tons of Iron Maiden influences all throughout the instrumentation and melodies that Lucifer's Hammer incorporates, coming predominantly from their classic 80's discography, which is also evident on the instrumental track 'The Fear Of Anubis' that gives some sort of nostalgic throwback to 'Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)' from "Powerslave". On top of that, you also hear other 80's heavy metal elements from bands such as Glacier, Angel Witch and early Queensryche to name a few, which blend into this massive pile of all things sacred.

The songwriting that Lucifer's Hammer incorporated on Be And Exist is very standard and simple in its execution with some dynamics here and there, but overall it's pretty much the kind of thing you would come to expect from a traditional heavy metal album. I must say that the trademark ideas from the aforementioned bands really work well together in the songs, plus they keep you entertained on a moderate level without losing interest in what is going on. The heavy influence of Iron Maiden from the galloping riffs, melodies and arrangements, although being quite noticeable in many places, didn't really bother me at all, because at least they didn't include the typical and synonymous chord arrangements of E minor, C major and D major, and on the other hand the band did a pretty good job at keeping the performance tight and natural.
I personally dig the instrumental work and the progression of 'Son Of Earth' a lot, because it has such a nice drive to it that you just can't help it but get instantly hooked to it, and it is definitely the strongest track on the album. One thing that I did find a bit peculiar was the decision to include double lead vocal tracks on the album, which although makes the band's sound more layered, was at times executed in a rather alright fashion, but at times it did feel a bit out of place and unnecessary. I presume this was done so that it would make the songs richer and more structurally complex, but overall I didn't find it that particularly strong of an idea that really suited the album's formula. Perhaps it could have been done but in a much better way, but I still think it would be a pill hard to swallow that would make it feel overstuffed and random. Overall, it is a rather unusual inclusion, but nevertheless it doesn't ruin the magic of the album, and you can still enjoy the vocal performance for what it is. Production-wise, this album has a very organic sound which nicely balances the old and the new, with the result feeling almost like an 80's heavy metal with a more contemporary method of production, mixing and mastering.

Overall, Be And Exist is a very enjoyable and worthwhile album that provides plenty of pleasure and entertainment from start to finish. Even though you can tell that there is a lot of simplicity and stylistic consistency on this album, Lucifer's Hammer still managed to do a solid job at creating some nice heavy metal tunes with nostalgic twists. If you come across this album and you wish to transcend through time and space, you should definitely give it a try.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Jeger on June 11, 2025.

Charleston, West Virginia, USA's Byzantine - discovered by one Randall Blythe (Lamb of God) during the onset of the NWOAHM just following their official inception back in 2000, has proven to be a group of persevering artists. Said scene has all but dwindled away completely, but Byzantine just continues their Thrash/Groove-laden scourge. I remember the NWOAHM days: piss drunk on whiskey, stoned on weed and reveling in the chaos of the pit, as I bore live witness to some of the movement's heavyweights. I was in my twenties, and the world was mine for the taking.

We owe much to bands like Lamb of God, God Forbid and Byzantine. They kindled a fresh blaze of retaliation towards what had become a Nu-Metal-infected US Metal scene. Byzantine has rather successfully carried that torch through the US's transition into a nation that now purveys some of the world's most respected Extreme Metal. Yes, bands like Disturbed and Slipknot linger, but only for people who don't understand the importance of Metal in its true forms. On June 13, Byzantine will release their seventh LP, "Harbingers", via Metal Blade Records.

With "Harbingers", Byzantine has chosen not to stray far from their traditional concepts. We've got societal collapse, power-starved global leaders and an AI takeover, all backed by those hefty grooves/riffs that we've come to appreciate over the course of the past two and a half decades. Production quality is what you should expect from a major label-backed group: sanitized and glaring. Vocalist and founding member, Chris Ojeda, rips out a Kyle Thomas (Exhorder) like vocal attack that fore-drops a rather malignant contribution from the guitars and the rhythm department. These riffs are stock and the drumming is vanilla. There's a bit of atmosphere to take in, which provides a reprieve from the dull nature of the album. That's not to say that "Harbingers" is a total snoozer. Take the final moments of "Floating Chrysanthema" for instance. If only the rest of the album was as intense and nuanced, but no, we get "The Clockmaker's Intention"… Brutal riffs failing to distract you from awkward choruses. Creepy robotic vocal effects struggling to provide the track with some much needed substance.

Folks of a lesser-tier of Extreme Metal connoisseurship will certainly appreciate the record's headbanging parts. My 25 year old self would've enjoyed this album a little more, but not by much. Some aspects of it that make it tolerable are its progressive elements in tracks like "Riddance" - the album's high water mark in my opinion. But man, this is brutal, but in a bad way…

Just dumb it down a bit… Then you can maybe appreciate "Harbingers". Byzantine is a talented bunch, and it shows through each member's obvious adeptness, but you can have this one. I won't fight you for it. I guess there's a reason why the NWOAHM movement grew stale. This would've been considered a great album 20 years ago. Nothing wrong with a little Nevermore worship though. You'll hear plenty of that on "Harbingers", just without the same depth and character. A valiant effort, an aspirant show of skill, but a dud nonetheless. Like Evan Williams compared to Jack Daniel's. You'll drink it if you have to, but you'll ultimately regret it the next day…

Rating: 6.2 out of 10