It’s always a thrill to discover a band that just blows you away with an album, putting them high on your radar priorities to track and follow whatever they do next. That was the case with Black Sites, a Chicago-based metal trio whose 2021 sophomore release Untrue took me completely by surprise, making it to #6 on my 2021 end of year list. Digging back to their 2019 debut only further whetted my appetite for what the future would bring, and now here we are with The Promised Land?, and unsurprisingly the band continues to deliver, getting even more ambitious in their epic blend of traditional, progressive, and thrash metal.

So what’s changed in those three years? In terms of lineup the trio welcomed Brandon White into the fold on drums, and his presence is immediately felt on opening track “Descent” which acts as a fantastic introduction to everything Black Sites embodies: crushing riffs buoyed by strong melodies, clear, clean singing, and a penchant to stringing together multiple ideas that take the progressive nature of NWOBHM and marry it to the innovations happening in the 80s where the concept of “genre” was a little less (blessedly) defined. I’m happy to have the groove that hits at the 2:00 mark until the cows come home; I know there have been complaints downstairs from the foot stomping initiative when that part lands.

From there The Promised Land? continues to expand in ambition, alternating between heavy rockers like the relatively compact “Dread Tomorrow” with it’s instant classic kickoff riff and guitarist/vocalist Mark Sugar’s voice rising to anthemic levels. He’s got that perfect blend of soaring cleans with the grit and dirt required to tether the vocal melodies down to the firmament. My initial comparison was to someone like Chris Black in his Dawnbringer guise, but I’m hearing a lot of John Bush in there as well, and that’s never a bad thing when you’re pitching this kind of metal.

But to stay on “Dread Tomorrow” for a moment, the biggest thing that keeps pounding me over the head is “it’s the guitars, stupid!” Sugar and Ryan Bruchert nail that twin lead dynamic, and throw in a stew of terrific solos, even inviting guest spots from Pharaoh’s Matt Johnson on “Dread Tomorrow” and Spirit Adrift’s Tom Draper on the chugging trad metal of “Chasing Eternity”. When the band is hitting those furiously driving tracks (“Many Turn To None” is another) there’s no stopping them. And when it all combines you get the single “World On Fire” which since first hearing it has been my favorite track on the album, not to mention one of my favorites of the year.

It’s not Black Site’s only speed, and they bring out the spacious doom on “Gideon” which gets into Sorcerer territory with its slower pace and dirge-like ballad notes. And then there’s the almost 12-minute “Promised Land” (no question mark here) which recalls some of the best 80s metal with its twists and turns, tempo changes and complex arrangements. Don’t call it prog – there aren’t any keyboard noodles here, just serious riff worship and an expert handling of the heavy that should have Black Sites poised to jump to the big times. How this is an independent release is beyond me, but I suspect once labels hear what The Promised Land? is bringing that’s going to change, and quickly.

-Chris

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The Promised Land? is available September 6 as an independent release. For more information on Black Sites, check out their Facebook page.