Baroness - Blue Record

Baroness
Blue Record
2009 Relapse

The fine folks at MetalSucks.net had been really hyping up the release of this album for weeks before its release, and they’re usually pretty reliable on their reviews and opinions, so I thought I’d investigate. I had only heard a couple of pieces of songs from Baroness’ debut, Red Album, and I heard a band influenced a lot by Mastodon/Neurosis/Isis, but also with a twist of alternative and indie rock influences not really present in those bands’ sounds. They weren’t the most original band I’d ever heard, but I didn’t dislike what I heard, either. On this, their new album, they’ve definitely found a signature “Baroness sound,” and it sounds fucking incredible.

The fine folks at Relapse allowed the band to stream this album in its entirety on their MySpace a few weeks prior to its release. I gave the album a listen and immediately played the whole thing again when I was done, I was that impressed. The musicianship is tight and innovative, but not overbearing or masturbatory in any way. These guys have chops, but they are most impressive when settling into a groove as a full unit. The album opens with the instrumental “Bullhead’s Psalm,” featuring a guitar melody that will be repeated a couple of times throughout the record, giving it a real album feel. This record is meant to be listened to from beginning to end, but the songs are also strong enough to stand out on their own.

Proper opener “The Sweetest Curse” opens with the most metallic riff the band has ever laid down, and at first it sounds a little Mastodon-ish, especially with the harsh vocals during the first verse. As the song opens up into more melodic passages, however, it’s evident that Baroness is an entirely different creature (pardon the pun). Around the 1:39 mark, the song gets into more groovy rock territory, not entirely unlike Kyuss, before some great guitar harmonies really bring things home. Having gone back and gotten into the band’s Red Album in recent weeks, it’s clear how much better developed the songs on Blue Record are. Red Album featured a lot of songs with numerous parts and riffs that sometimes only contained one real verse, whereas Blue has well-structured, composed songs that have musical and even vocal hooks. “Jake Leg” features a lot of twangy, southern rock-inspired riffing, and is far more rock-and-roll than metal, but it works greatly. It’s also worth noting that the production job by John Congleton really shines through with the use of loud/soft dynamics found at points throughout the song. He knows how to capture the band at full rock-out mode, but also in the quieter, more introspective parts.

On the quieter note, “Steel That Sleeps the Eye” sounds like something out of a 60’s folk record, with descending, overdubbed vocal harmonies over acoustic guitars, before eerie piano and electric guitar slowly build to a crescendo that leads into the stellar “Swollen and Halo.” Repeating some musical and vocal hooks from “Steel…,” “Swollen and Halo” is balls-out, heavy rock, full of awesome catchy riffs. The instrumental interlude “Ogeechee Hymnal” follows, repeating the “Bullhead” theme from the intro, this time sounding a little more distorted and heavy. This leads into what I think is the best song on the album, “A Horse Called Golgotha.”

Twangy stop-start riffs open up “Horse…” before the drums explode into a shuffling, heavy groove emphasized by some Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden-esque dual guitar harmonies. The chorus from this song was stuck in my head for days, and this song just cements the fact that Baroness have 100% their own sound. Drummer Alan Bickle really shines on this song, pounding the drums on the choruses, but laying down an almost disco-esque beat during the verses. The song opens up into more proggy, experimental territory in the middle section after the solo, but absolutely crushes at 4:25 in. An absolutely fantastic song in all aspects. “O’er Hell and Hide” opens with some great acoustic guitar, before turning into a moody rock shuffle with odd, disorienting spoken word passages sprinkled throughout.

“War, Wisdom and Rhyme” has an almost oldschool metal feel to it, with some solid riffing and a heavy, stomping rhythm. The part at 3:41is an all-out guitar dual that sounds like it could have come from Iron Maiden’s Killers. Probably the second heaviest song on the album, this is another winner in an album that really doesn’t miss. “Blackpowder Orchard” sounds like it could’ve been recorded in the backwoods of Deliverance, with some finger-picked acoustics and major key electric guitar harmonies throughout. Some people think interludes like this are throwaway tracks, but I think it brings a cohesion and flow to the album that makes it feel like more than just a collection of (awesome) songs.

“The Gnashing” echoes a riff from Red Album’s “Grad,” only a little more upbeat and melodic here. This song has an urgent, frantic pace to it once the vocals kick in, and it’s another heavy riff rocker. John Baizley sounds incredibly powerful yet vulnerable throughout, lending an almost melancholic feel. The album closes, yet again, with the “Bullhead” theme, this one titled “Bullhead’s Lament.” The guitar harmonies in this one recall the middle section of Metallica’s “Orion,” and it’s a perfect way to end a near-perfect album.

I’m normally not into the quasi-metal, quasi-rock, quasi-indie stuff, but this album is heavy enough, rocking enough, and not nearly as pretentious as a lot of stuff that gets labeled as “hipster metal” (which is a stupid term to begin with, but I won’t even get started on that). I almost avoided this simply because of the hype and positive reviews I’d been seeing everywhere, but I’m very happy that I didn’t. This is a band that has really come into their own, and this album is highly recommended for anybody who wants to hear a truly original, truly powerful rock band.

(Side note: I recommend buying the deluxe edition CD, which comes with a second disc, a live set from 2008, and you can get a much better look at frontman/guitarist John Baizley’s incredible album artwork as well.)

A

Matt Steele