Now Playing #15

Metal Church - Metal Church

For a metalhead, I don't listen to a ton of West Coast thrash.  I dig the usual suspects (your Metallicas, your Testaments, etc.), but by and large, it seems that I wasn't born with the recessive Bay Area gene.  And yet, I'm all about some Metal Church.  More specifically, I'm all about the first two Metal Church albums that featured David Wayne on vocals.  Don't ask me why.  It's not that I dislike the material that came later, but in my estimation, the early stuff reigns supreme.  I recently picked up the 1984 debut on CD.  It has proven to make for superlative driving music.  The riffs slam, the leads slay, and the production is surprisingly robust for an old school metal platter.  I do prefer 1986's The Dark by a (very) slim margin, but I have yet to upgrade from my cassette tape.  In due time, in due time...by the way, does anyone know how much it would cost to install a tape deck in a custom van?

Black Sites - The Promised Land?

I feel like I've said this about other albums, but this baby is definitely going to wind up on my Top 10 year-end list.  As a matter of fact, it's currently sitting in pole position (sorry, I promise that will be the only Nascar reference I type today).  This is Black Sites' fourth long player.  They hail from Chicago, and if I had to quantify their sound, I'd say they play a beefy mix of thrash and traditional heavy metal.  Closest comparison?  Eh, I guess Spirit Adrift, but they have a unique flavor.  Vocalist/guitarist Mark Sugar can actually sing, which is refreshing for a band in 2024.  The solos are guaranteed to rip out your pubic hair.  I'm loving the dual harmonies in "Dread Tomorrow" and "World on Fire."  Those are probably my favorite songs, though the 11-minute title track is worth an honorable mention.

Overall, The Promised Land? (the question mark is optional) is freakishly good.  Out of everything I've listened to since writing the last edition of Now Playing, I've spun this record the most.  Figuratively.  Forget subgenres; this is just solid metal.