Piper Haqim Banger! Untrue was kinda mixed for me after the blistering blast fest that was Exile but man this time around Black Sites are not kidding and man do they kick some arse. Banger! Favorite track: Many Turn To None.

progdolphin Always a gifted songwriter, Mark Sugar and his Black Sites project continue to settle into an emotional layer in retro-reaching, modern pushing lane that’s as accessible as its musical backbone. The Promised Land? begs repetition and gives plenty in return. As an experience stuffed to the brim with riffs, TPL bows with the grace of good ol' fashioned songwriting, not progressive in the virtuosic showboat sense, but through curated layers of influence. Favorite track: Many Turn To None.

Paul Schwarz Wow. Huge bollocks. En Force is perhaps the song on The Warning that stands most outside itself and its context: it's a pure ANTHEM of struggle against oppression with an emotional intensity perhaps more potent than anything else in Queensryche's canon. Black Sites sensibly chop the acoustic reprise close and repitch the vocal while dropping the whole song into at least Master of Reality tuning. The fact it's cohesive and inspires vocal accompaniment says everything: well done fellas.

gebs Sharp and melodic heavy metal with a grimy base. It's a simple formula, but these Chicago metalheads have a deep bag of tricks to keep things interesting. Favorite track: Prolonging.

MarshMelody poetic and hard-hitting, Exile sees one of the best heavy metal bands at the moment proving their place in the scene. Favorite track: To The Fire.

Piper Haqim A sound between classic heavy metal and prog that will hit you with all the feels. Favorite track: Coal City.

Thomas Sundqvist Awesome proggy heavy metal Favorite track: Dwell Upon The End.

gebs I hate calling anything "straightforward metal" because it belies sharp and varied musicianship, but this album is exactly that. It's heavy, accessible, and very much worth your time. Favorite track: Sword Of Orion.

MarshMelody by far one of the most underrated albums of 2021. Black Sites have outdone themselves with another excellent heavy metal album full of stellar performances. Favorite track: Call It By Its Name.

MindOverFour Not all of the songs remind me of Voivod mixed with Blue Oyster Cult, but enough of them do that it makes Black Sites one of my favorite "bandcamp" bands. They should be huge. Favorite track: Echo Of A Lie.

Rev. Lloyd Boyd Straightforward, high energy death metal! Saw them live, you can't tell from their music but they're really chill guys. Favorite track: Fuckin' Nasty.

Bart This band is so close to figuring it out and releasing an absolute monster of an album. "Fuckin' Nasty" and "Metamorphosis" are going to get multiple spins from me, but still (like their debut), it's still inconsistent at times. I'm still riding with this band...more road time and it's gonna gel. Favorite track: Fuckin' Nasty.

Without Shadow One of the best albums of the year!