I was never a metal fan as a kid, it just seemed so macho and cartoonishly aggressive to me. In the last few years though I've slowly slid into the world of metal through some of its more experimental byways, giving birth to a newfound appreciation for heavy riffs, pounding drums, and even the occasional screaming vocal or two.

Black Skies are a group from Chapel Hill, North Carolina who are doing their own take on Sabbath-era doom metal. You can expect to hear songs centered around minimal heavy riffs, few guitar solos, and half-yelled vocals. There is something kind of grimey about their sound that is appealing to me, like it could be played in a really shady dive bar somewhere. The rhythms are tight and the musicianship is excellent. At the same time, there are things about Black Skies that really turn me off- the formulaic nature of the songs, the overtly macho and testosterone-rich atmosphere, and the tendency of the vocalist to sound a little bit like an angry teenager.

I can appreciate the efforts of the band to get back to the raw roots of what made metal exciting and foregoing a lot of the digital sheen of their contemporary counterparts. Unfortunately, my tastes just don't line up with the blend of metal that Black Skies are creating. The songs are crafted well though and I'm sure that this will appeal to certain audiences. 6/10 -- Charles Franklin (26 January, 2010)