Cover art by Alexander Goulet
Style: Heavy metal, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Dio, Iron Maiden, Ningen Isu
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 6 September 2024
Ever since discovering progressive metal, it has been my number one favorite genre by a wide margin. However for a brief period around 2018, classic heavy metal came awfully close, particularly the US power metal style (don’t let the name fool you) which was nearly all I listened to for a while—Iron Maiden, early Mercyful Fate, and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, too, had me in a chokehold. Going into the 2020s, the obsession has largely waned, but I still have a soft spot for the style. Sadly, crossovers with prog rarely work from what I’ve encountered for the blog (a “heavy/progressive metal” tag on Metallum is almost a guaranteed dud), yet amidst all the rubbish, there has been one band who has consistently made it work. Of course, this is none other than today’s Chicago based, pig-burning subject of review, Black Sites.
Heavy metal over the years has developed a reputation for being the least heavy metal subgenre, which might very well be true, but that doesn’t stop guitarists Mark Sugar and Ryan Bruchert from penning yet another masterclass in riffology. Indeed, The Promised Riffs? delivers in spades—from the groovy thrashers of “Descent” or “Chasing Eternity”, to the speedy triplets galore that borders on power metal of “Dread Tomorrow”, to the occasional bursts of Sabbathian doom, to Maiden-esque harmonies—Black Sites are ever eager to show off their riffing credentials. But what makes Black Sites truly stand out in this regard is just how damn cool their riffs sound. I can easily imagine just about any of these songs featuring as a soundtrack to a car chase in an 80s or 90s American action film—“World on Fire”’s main riff being especially badass, and “Dread Tomorrow” just embodies adrenaline.
But it’s not like Black Sites are one-trick ponies either with good riffs and nothing else: the guitar solos are a wonderful homage to all your favorite 80s heavy metal shredders, expertly combining melody, technicality, and feel while always staying in service of the song and keeping the length short but sweet. The drumming is excellent, too, new recruit Bradon White dictates the tempo and lays down some really tasty fills, his work in “World on Fire” being particularly strong. Band leader Mark Sugar’s voice is easily recognizable, his gruff yet operatic timbre somewhat sounding as if prime Matt Barlow (Iced Earth) smoked a joint before entering the studio, and he lays down a charismatic performance, showing a solid sense of melody and belting ability. Perhaps not every chorus is a major earworm (“Dread Tomorrow” being the major exception—what a banger), but given the album’s progressive song structures (more on that later), that hardly impedes his performance. As far as heavy metal is concerned, The Promised Land? is another major success from Sugar and co.
When it comes to the progressive department, however, I’m a bit mixed. Most of the album’s progressivisms lie in the adventurous song structures utilized, but on occasion Black Sites will also dabble into the genre of progressive metal by way of odd-time rhythms, drastic mood changes, and atmospheric arrangements. On “Descent” and “World on Fire” they incorporate these aspects really well, making the songs extra dynamic, but on other tracks I wished they committed more. The twelve minute title track for instance has a mesmerizing progressive opening act, but during the middle part they just revert to standard heavy metal fare. It’s good heavy metal, but given the progressive parts surrounding the section, it is also a bit of a letdown. Similarly, the melancholic power ballad “Gideon” has good vocal writing, but instrumentally the song screams for more atmospheric development, and closer “Many Turn to None” has a godly transition from guitar solo to acoustic, but instead of using that for an epic progressive finish, they go back to the riffage like nothing happened and eventually finish the album with an awkward fade-out.
On the whole, though, The Promised Land? is another successful record. Sugar and co gave a masterclass in riff-writing, and continue to show that you don’t need to innovate to write great music. My only complaint is that I wished that Black Sites would lean harder into the prog aspect at times (we are on a prog blog, after all), but otherwise, The Promised Land? fulfilled all my needs for classic heavy metal, and I highly recommend any other fan of the genre to pick it up.
Recommended tracks: Dread Tomorrow, World on Fire
You may also like: Dead Kosmonaut, Hammers of Misfortune, Vicious Rumors
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Black Sites is:
– Mark Sugar (vocals, guitar)
– Ryan Bruchert (guitars)
– Greg Bruchert (bass)
– Brandon White (drums)
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