I ran across this one when I fell in a Bandcamp rabbit hole one day. Having become recently acquainted with the Greek power metal band Firewind, I struck a vein of projects that their former keyboardist, Bob Katsionis, produced through his Symmetric Records in collaboration with a wide variety of artists. There were power metal albums and a couple of rock operas that looked neat, but it was the cover of Δynamis’ “Byzantine Metal” that caught my attention with its Orthodox iconography.

I couldn’t find much about the project nor its chief creative force Christopher Laskos, but I did muse about the strong showing from Orthodox Christians in the metal world within the last 5-10 years. Bands like Hesychast, Within Thy Wounds, Gospod, Fathomage, and HolyName just to name a few are providing quality metal from an Orthodox perspective, allowing the rest of us to hear from other Christian traditions.

“Byzantine Metal” is rather literal: Byzantine chant with a power metal setting. You may be acquainted with plainchant (or Gregorian chant) that conjures images of dusty robes and drafty medieval churches. Byzantine chant is subtly different. There is more ornamentation in the singing and the scales used allude to something otherworldly that’s beyond the cloud of incense. Common to both is a lulling peaceful effect, which can feel aimless if gone on for too long, which helps lead a prayerful state towards the God who is beyond. How might this fit with metal?

Quite well! Chant serves both as backing vocals and inspiration for the oriental musical elements. Heavy rhythm guitars provide additional harmonic context to the monophonic chant texture and lead guitars and keyboards provide melodic counterpoint playing off of the chant vocal lines. Drums pull chant into time, creating rhythmic sense of timeless singing, while other percussion, like the jingle of the censor, adds to the otherworldly atmosphere of the Divine Liturgy. Although chant is the inspiration, Christopher comes through as lead chanter to bring the melodies forward in the mix. Even a couple of songs make use of power metal singing in Billy Vass (Katsionis/Vass) that shifts the character to power metal with chanting support.

Acts like this run the risk of overindexing on their gimmick and the whole album feels like the same song done different ways. Not here. Whether it is the anthemic “Cherubic Hymn” with its infectious chorus and subtle groove, the epic “Alois 1453” using the power of heavy guitars, keyboards and driving drum, or the atmospheric “Kontakion” that provides a peaceful respite in the midst of heavier fares, the listener is led through a liturgy of rousing Orthodox hymns that have timeless inspiration. The songs tend to slowly build to take the listener to epic heights before leading to the foothill of the next mountain. The prevailing chant makes the journeys through these mountains a prayerful and purposeful path with its repetition and otherworldly melodies that the underlying metal leads through the beautiful landscapes with its musical variety. The solos and riffs are top notch with drums that drive with double pedal work and grooves that dance with the chant beautifully.

At times there is a tendency to linger too long in the repetitive that is natural to chant, which typically would drag down a power metal album. I don’t mind as this is an artifact of Eastern Orthodox spirituality, however, I do like when the power metal episodes flare up. My favorite track by far is “Cherubic Hymn” that showcases Billy’s vocals on a very catchy and rousing chorus that begs for fist pumping action. That is the one thing that I find in many of these songs is that it accents the intense character of the words, adding musical illustration for the listener. The more I listen, the more layers I get lost within.

This is an album that I have not been able to set aside, playing through at least once a day since I got it. It is in essence an Orthodox praise and worship album that introduces a less common, but nonetheless important, Christian musical tradition. With that said, this may not be for the “meat and potatoes” metal fan as the Byzantine chant presents an oriental musical character that at times skirts with Hesychasm. For me, that is the whole point and I am sure I am not alone in this. My hope is that you give it a shot and be blessed with “Byzantine Metal.”

Rating: 9.0/10

Written by Sean Bailey

Tracklist
1 – Kyrie Ekekraxa (Psalm 140)
2 – Polyeleos (Psalm 135)
3 – Kyrie Eleison
4 – Antiphon (Psalm 145)
5 – Kontakion (To Thee The Champion Leader)
6 – Alois 1453 (Psalm 78)
7 – Trisagion (Святый Боже)
8 – Cherubic Hymn
9 – Arate Pylas (Psalm 23)

Δynamis is:
Christopher Laskos – all vocals/choir, keyboards, and choir conducting
Bob Katsionis – all guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums

Guests:
Choir of chanters – Dimitrios Balageorgos, Athanasios Glaros, Lazaros Koumentakis, Stefanos Koumentakis, Christopher Laskos.
Billy Vass – lead vocals on tracks 1, 3, and 8
Kyriakos GP – Guitar solo on “Cherubic Hymn”

Release Date: July 6, 2025

Record Label: Symmetric Records

Social Media: Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp

Video for Alois 1453 (Psalm 78)