PLAYLIST: Black Sites' Early Influences

Curated and Written by: Black Sites

In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're having a band take over the blog each Wednesday to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Last week's playlist came courtesy of Patrick from Disconnected Souls, and now Black Sites is here to pick up the reins.

Chicago-based trio Black Sites fuse together aspects of old school metal and 80's thrash with progressive and melodic styles, drawing inspiration from--as you shall see--bands such as Voivod, Black Sabbath, and King's X. The band will release their fourth full length The Promised Land? on September 6th, 2024. Without further ado:

---

In the playlist below, I attempt to list 10 bands/songs that were influential at various points in my musical life. This is no easy task, but I hope you enjoy the result. These tracks are in no particular order.
​

Black Sabbath – “Lord Of This World”
​
Easily the most influential band of all time, as far as the metal genre goes. As a younger person, I could not believe that music this heavy was being made in the 1970s. “Lord Of This World” is fantastic, but Sabbath’s entire catalog is worth your time, including the later records with Ronnie Dio and Tony Martin on vocals. (Incidentally, Black Sites has covered “You Won’t Change Me,” a less-celebrated Sabbath track from the Technical Ecstasy record.)

---

Van Halen – “Runaround”
​

This track is one of my first musical memories, from when I was a little kid. Yes, it’s not exactly VH’s finest hour lyrically, but like I said, I was young. I still love the tone of the guitar in this track, which holds a certain appeal and mystery even to this day. I recently learned that a baritone guitar was involved — who knew?

---

Metallica – “The God That Failed”


There is nothing to say about Metallica that hasn’t already been said. “The God That Failed” is a bit of a deep cut, if such a thing is possible on an album that’s sold billions of copies. I’ve always loved the lyrics to this track, which seem to take a negative stance on prayer and the general concept of a higher power. It’s also worth mentioning that this song is absolutely crushing.

---

King’s X – “Shoes”


A total game-changer for me. King’s X has always been a “musicians’ band.” You may not be familiar with them, but it’s likely that your favorite bands are. The best King’s X songs manage to combine metal-influenced riffs with melodic, complex vocals, and maybe a bit of prog trickery. Every single vocal harmony on Black Sites records was directly inspired by this band. 

---

Paradise Lost – “Jaded”

Paradise Lost’s Draconian Times is a flawless album from start to finish. Everything about it — the songs, the performances, the tones and production — is perfect. I could have picked any track from this record, but “Jaded” has that extra bit of doom to it, as well as sparkly clean guitars and an emotive guitar solo. 

---

Voivod – “Killing Technology”


After years of consuming more mainstream metal, Killing Technology changed my perspective on music considerably. Voivod has their own musical language, based upon higher-register guitar playing and dissonant guitar/bass interplay, with vocals rooted in Reagan-era punk rock. At their best, the band is equal parts progressive and furious, and nothing if not unique. 

---

Death – “Without Judgment”


As a kid raised on Big-4 thrash and mainstream metal, Death’s Symbolic record was my gateway into more extreme music. “Without Judgment” is fundamentally a death metal song, but pushes the boundaries of the genre considerably. There’s a thrash-like approach to rhythm guitar, as well as some very progressive and almost neo-classical sections. My death metal roots are more audible in my other band Bear Mace, but Symbolic remains incredibly meaningful to me. 

---

Emperor – “An Elegy Of Icaros”
It might not be obvious in Black Sites’ music, but I’m heavily influenced by Emperor’s later albums (and Ihsahn’s first few solo albums). These are not typical riff-based black metal songs, but legitimate compositions in the classical/baroque sense. I learned a lot about writing and arrangements from picking these songs apart back in the day.
​

---

Hammers Of Misfortune – “The Locust Years”


One day in the mid-2000s, I walked into a show and the band on stage happened to be Hammers Of Misfortune. This random incident altered my musical trajectory drastically, and planted the seeds for Black Sites’ formation years later. Hammers’ music draws upon a vast knowledge of rock and metal history, while maintaining a unique sound and a singular lyrical vision.

---

In Solitude – “Pallid Hands”


In Solitude’s Sister is one of my absolute favorite records of the current century. These songs have an absurd amount of depth and complexity, while still being accessible and fun to simply rock out to. Everything about this album — the vocal style, the production, the guitar interplay — completely defies typical metal conventions. It’s a travesty that the band split up after this album’s release, but they seem to have inspired a lot of the darker trad-metal bands that lead the pack currently, like Tribulation and The Night Eternal.

---

Thanks to Mark Sugar of Black Sites for curating this playlist and providing commentary! Tune in next week for another playlist.