Hey there! Remember me? I wasn’t planning on taking an unexpected mid-July sabbatical, but between my work schedule, ongoing personal matters, balancing two bands, and the long-awaited return of Rush to Chicago, this past week and a half has been quite the whirlwind. Of course, I did warn you about these types of eventualities, but I digress. Having been lucky enough to catch the first two of Rush’s triumphant four night stand here in the Windy City, I can’t think of a better album review to grace your timeline than the fifth and latest from hometown heroes Black Sites, For Eternity.
As mastermind Mark Sugar said last summer upon being interrogated regarding Bear Mace’s death metal monolith, Slaves of the Wolf, “…at any given time, two things are true: Black Sites is gonna have a new lineup and Black Sites is making a new record”. Fast forward later that year, and I was treated to the live debut of said lineup at Chicago’s beloved LiveWire Lounge: A lineup that now features guitarist Lee Smith (Professor Emeritus, Satan’s Hallow), returning bassist José Salazar (ALSO of Professor Emeritus and Satan’s Hallow), and drummer Chris Black. Yes, THEE Chris Black. And as always, Sugar provides vocals, riffs, and songwriting that doubles as a portal to dimensions beyond our own.
While Black Sites have certainly cultivated their own unique sound within the realm of progressive metal, each album manages to stand apart from the one proceeding it, and For Eternity is no exception. On this album, the riffs are groovier than ever before, particularly during the front half. Now I’m fully aware of the contradiction here, especially considering the stereotypes that come with groove metal. If this IS a groove metal album (It isn’t in the orthodox sense of the term), this isn’t groove for neanderthals; this is groove for sophisticates. On cuts like “Aquarius Betrayed” and “Above Soil, Beneath Sky”, Sugar locks in with the rhythm section, creating those headbanging moments one would anticipate, while further adding depth to Black Sites’ ever-expanding sound. Speaking of depth, one can’t help but notice the doomy, morose textures of the opening “When It Calls” and crushing “Giving Up the Ghost”. Perhaps that Professor Emeritus influence has seeped its way in unconsciously?
Though I can praise the multi-faceted brilliance of this album’s front half all day, it’s the back half that really grabs me, particularly the last three cuts. “Silent Wars” is easily the hookiest, most accessible song this band has conjured since “Call It By Its Name” off 2021’s Untrue, coming off like the missing link between Animal Magnetism era Scorpions (Zee riffage!) and Black’s primary outlet, High Spirits. “When Prophecy Fails” specializes in that old school, high-speed prog metal frenzy akin to ’80s Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, whose imprint on the band was certainly more pronounced on earlier albums. With “Unanswered for Eternity”, the band saves the bleakest for last, bringing the album to a devastating close complete with impassioned vocals, unparalleled atmosphere, and the perfect balance of light and heaviness, all embodying the prog metal ethos at its purest.
There’s no doubt that having this album drop while in the midst of a classic prog metal headspace certainly helps its case, but even if I was in full blown death-thrashing or retro AOR mode, I’d be able to appreciate and praise the genius of yet another top shelf Black Sites album. Just when you think this band can’t expand their musical reach any further, they manage to prove you, I, and everyone else with any skin in the metal game wrong. Instead of trying to fathom where their voyage will take them next, let’s all appreciate and absorb the destination that they’ve arrived at on For Eternity, for it is nothing short of excellent.
9 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Progressive Metal
For fans of: Voivod, Nevermore, Fates Warning
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