Byzantine Unveils Claymation Music Video for “Harbinger”
Charleston, West Virginia’s heavy metal veterans Byzantine have taken a bold artistic turn with the release of their latest music video, “Harbinger.” Instead of leaning into the expected dark visuals of metal, the band collaborated with Mexican claymation artist Adrian Venti to bring a handcrafted stop-motion narrative to life.
Written by frontman Chris Ojeda and his daughter Mallory, the video tells the story of a young boy—modeled after Ojeda’s six-year-old son—who struggles with grief after the loss of his father. Lured by a manipulative Wolf representing greed and selfishness, the boy’s fate is changed when he performs a single act of kindness for a lone Raven. As Ojeda explains, “Ravens never forget.”
The video reflects Byzantine’s deep admiration for stop motion classics like Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, and James and the Giant Peach, as well as music videos from Peter Gabriel, Björk, Tool, and Primus. Holly Grayson of Screaming Butterfly Entertainment handled the editing, shaping the final film into a symbolic, heartfelt piece of visual storytelling.
Byzantine’s Harbingers album, released in June via Metal Blade Records, is their seventh full-length release and marks the first time the band has expanded to a five-piece lineup. Produced by Peter Wichers (Soilwork, All That Remains), the album features nine tracks that pair crushing riffs with thoughtful lyricism.
“This video has taken months to curate,” says Ojeda. “We wanted to continue our path of handmade original artwork for this new album… I hope you guys enjoy this labor of love and appreciate the amount of work and symbolism that has gone into the script, the Claymation, and the brilliant editing.”
Fans can watch the “Harbinger” claymation video now on Byzantine’s official YouTube channel.
