UNTRUE review - Truly stellar

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)

Untrue is a 2021 progressive/heavy metal album from Chicago-based act Black Sites. Despite having been a huge cheerleader for their 2019 breakthrough, Exile, this one I admit passed me by. I did not know this thing had come out until weeks later when I was perusing Bandcamp (R.I.P.) for new, fresh meat for the ears (don't think about that too much, plz). At first, I was a little hesitant, as I always am going into an album from musicians that made something that became an essential part of the soundtrack to a big time in my life. "What if it blows?", y'know? Well, I wouldn't be writing a review on this album now unless it had pissed me off in a big way, so rest assured that this album is excellent.

 

Upon my initial listen, however, I only considered it to be solid. I was still in my honeymoon phase with Spiritbox's Eternal Blue, but I had enough stock in this band to make sure to give it time to grow on me. Some tracks that didn't hit me so hard the first go around started clicking way more on subsequent spins, which became incredibly rewarding as I worked over every sonic nook and cranny of every showstopping riff. Other tracks that I liked initially became the only thing I wanted to listen to for approximately three days straight (*cough, cough* "Call It By Its Name"). So I would definitely urge folks that while there is a lot to love here that is blatantly catchy and fun and technically impeccable and gorgeous on the ears, this is an album that I think will work its way into your subconscious in a great way if you give it the time to.

 

With that out of the way, let's talk instrumentals, since that's how I like to structure these things. When it comes to riffage, the band really delivers, with absolute killer cuts such as the aforementioned CIBIN, "Lost Tribes", "Echo of a Lie", and "They Eat Their Young". But there's a lot more variety on offer in this buffet, thanks to sprawling epic tracks; I'm thinking particularly about "Nocturne/Everything Went Black", and naturally the closer, "White Ashes". Big standing ovation to Mark Sugar & Ryan Bruchert (on guitar), as well as Garry Naples (on drums) for such impressive performances. Naples deserves additional kudos for how spectacular the drumming on CIBIN is, and how it adds a sort of galloping quality to the rhythm that suits the song wonderfully. As an aside, since I don't have another, better place to mention it, but the album artwork by Alexandre Goulet is marvelous. So good.

Sugar, with Bruchert, do a phenomenal job with the vocals. Sugar remains one of my favorite metal vocalists active today, with his husky voice making it so that he could make reading off a phonebook sound badass. It helps that the songs have such great structure to them, and that the choruses pop off so damn hard. "Through centuries of struggle/It always ends the same/Unless you call its name!" is such an amazing chorus with an outstanding hook, and everything in that damn song does such a great job of allowing it to explode in such a huge way.

 

One of the things I loved most about Exile was how poetic Sugar's lyrics could be in it. I actually went ahead and bought a physical copy of that just to get the lyrics booklet (since this band doesn't exactly have their discog notated on Genius presently). Have yet to do that with Untrue, though I do intend to. I did buy a digital copy of it on Bandcamp though! Regardless, I really enjoyed the lyrics I heard in my many listens to Untrue, and look forward to diving into them more in time!

When it comes to criticisms, they honestly feel difficult to make. I recognize that I regularly give extremely positive reviews (because I don't tend to put much time into discussing art that I am indifferent towards, and I don't tend to sit through stuff I am actively not enjoying), but do try to be honest about the stuff I really like. I don't think this is a 10/10 album, but I know that it is damn close and may grow even more on me over the years. Who knows? There are just a few odd moments here and there which I think sag a little bit: a line there, some of the mix here, etc.. Other than that, though? Mannnnnnn.

 

Untrue basically hits just as hard as Exile. It's got electrifying moments that rival "To the Fire", it's got an epic closer to match "Dwell Upon the End", and I come away from it knowing full well that I will be listening to it hundreds of times more over the years. For now, though, Untrue gets a 9.5/10 from me. Cheers to Black Sites for another awesome record!

Must-listen

Summary:

Untrue provides a meaty record that cements Black Sites as one of the most underrated bands active now--and also one of the best in metal currently, period.