Ah yes, Black Sites are back. Once they released Untrue in 2021, this record was one of contradictions for the swampy underground creatures over at the RMR Review Desk. Allegedly, they had some trouble getting into the record and securing a good grip on its innards. And that wasn’t because of bad quality or a sucky production, much to the contrary.
Instead, the main complaint was that the piece was ‘too smooth’ and almost ‘too well constructed’. Go figure, right? Everybody and their aunt asks you to deliver some pristine production – or else. And if a band does just that, it ain’t right either.
But they got a point. The review desk found a blurb of Traditional Metal devoid of sharp hooks to draw blood from. No rusty nails or rough edges, nada. Not much to pull the grouchy reviewers into the record. So, Untrue quietly lived in relative obscurity on our music machine until it bubbled to the surface and RMR fanbois of trad finally took notice. But by then we were way too late. What else is new, right?
So, how will their new piece The Promised Land? fare this time? Well, slickness is still a thing, and smooth might be the band’s nickname after all. As of the dramatic entrance of Descent, the RMR crew was enthralled. This is yet again first-rate songwriting with a precision seldom found on any record on this zine so far. The gang around Mark Sugar didn’t go out of their way to find those extremes that would incite the fringes of the fan crowd to go wild. Instead, they stayed in the middle o’ the metal road and hit it.
But yet again, that ain’t a bad thing. The measured doses of Trad and Heavy Metal, sometimes thrashy and sometimes slightly progressive, will not only speak to the die-hard metalhead. The unblemished ones looking in from the outside will also find a lot to like. The Promised Land? serves middle-of-the-road metal that’s heavy enough to get the attention of the rowdy metal crowd and won’t chase away the newbies at the same time. A healthy potpourri of metal delights harkening back to the 80’s and 90’s. A record sporting vibes galore from bands like Dio, Iron Maiden, and hints of the scratchily progressive and seriously defunct Nevermore.
In other words, Black Sites catch all these clues from times long past but you won’t find soaring metal screams, squealing riffs, and solos. Instead, Sugar likes to keep things mid-range, sometimes truly down metal lane, and sometimes a bit more emotive (Descent, for instance). Also, the band went out of their way to construct finely chiseled metal tracks and turn them into singalong earworms. The pristine Dread Tomorrow – for instance – is a tasty little rocker joining us straight from the ’80s without the high-octane wails. But you get a tune full of poignant melancholy and a sing-along melodic structure that will positively roar during live sessions.
And now that we established that Mark Sugar won’t suddenly morph into a second Bruce Dickinson,1 let’s turn to the guitar work. And again, nobody’s going wild with out-of-control shredding. Instead, the guitars expertly chime in with leads, riffs, and absolutely stellar solos that seem as subdued as they are excellent.
Ultimately, The Promised Land? for sure didn’t try to win the loudness war. Instead, powerful emotion is its game, fueled by superior songwriting, and an often almost otherworldly execution. And I daresay that this here piece surpassed Untrue by a large margin. You get lively meaty rockers alongside pensive moments. Singalong tracks stand tall amongst powerful galloping metal anthems with somewhat unruly (pseudo) ballads in their wake. Furthermore, I found it refreshing that the band curbed their progressive urges down to bare bones only, devoid of the often hyperbolic overexpression of modern prog artists.
So, in other words, you asked for a Black Sites album, and that is exactly what you get. Rock-solid, down-the-middle traditional metal fare, cooked to perfection, and served hot ‘n’ hot. The Promised Land? turned into a truly fascinating creation. One that will continue to destroy our music machine for a while to come on its way to future glory. Ways to go, Black Sites.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 6 September 2024
- The guy from Iron Maiden. He was a true powerhouse in his younger days and still is a remarkable figure in Heavy Metal today.-↩