New Metal Review - "Exile" by Black Sites

Album Name - Exile
Band Name - Black Sites
Genre - Heavy/Progressive Metal
Label - Hoove Child Records
Release Date - April 19, 2019 
Line Up -
  Mark Sugar - Vocals, Guitars, Lyrics
  Ryan Bruchert - Guitars
  Jose Salazar - Bass 
  Garry Naples - Drums

When a debut album released by a new band blows me away, I become very skeptical about their next release, as often times they disappoint me with their next outing. But 'Black Sites' seems made from a different element altogether, as their new release seems to be just as strong as their first one, with blazing heavy metal at its core and once again mixing influences from various other rock and metal genres into their music.

I'll say one thing about 'Exile', this one is a slow grower compared to 'In Monochrome'. In my first few listens the opening track and 'Coal City' impressed me, but for the album to really grab me I had to spin it a bit more. But once it settled on me, I haven't been able to stop listening yet, more than a year after the initial release.

This album is as like its predecessor in the aspect that it is quite impossible to put a label on any specific genre. This time the band even experiments with multiple genre influences in a single song even. The opening track 'The Night They Came for You' starts off with blistering riffs that is bound to make you headbang. It gets even more thrash-y and a bit progressive sounding with the next two tracks 'To the Fire' and 'Feral Child'. Things then settle down with one of the best tracks of the album 'Coal City', which is reminiscent of a 70's hard rock / heavy metal ballad.

Next comes 'Dream Long Dead', which almost sounds like a Gothic rock song of yesteryear. 'Focused Totality - The Psychic Knife' is a straightforward thrash metal track, reminding any listener of the golden age of the genre. 'Prolonging' is a mixture of heavy and dark elements, creating a feeling of the inevitable ending before the final track 'Dwell upon the End' makes a unorthodox yet enjoyable ending with its structure almost like a traditional Doom metal song.

As for the musicians, Mark Sugar once again does an excellent job with his passionate and energetic vocal deliveries. The dual guitar work of Ryan Bruchert and Sugar forms the main element of the music with memorable riffs abound while Jose Salazar on bass fives them a solid background to work upon. Drumming by Garry Naples never misses a step and makes the transition into different genres unbelievably smooth. Thankfully the album also has very good production to boot.

In a quite unlikely fashion Black Sites has once again produced one of the best album of the year, and any fans of rock or metal should find things to enjoy in their second release if they give it some listens.

Overall Score -
                         9 out of 10.

For more info check out the bands official facebook page and their metal-archives page -
https://www.facebook.com/blacksites
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Black_Sites/3540423721