BARONESS
''BLUE RECORD''
OCTOBER 13 2009
44:24
1. Bullhead's Psalm /1:20
2. The Sweetest Curse /4:30
3. Jake Leg /4:23
4. Steel That Sleeps the Eye /2:38
5. Swollen and Halo /6:35
6. Ogeechee Hymnal /2:35
7. A Horse Called Golgotha /5:21
8. O'er Hell and Hide /4:22
9. War, Wisdom and Rhyme /4:25
10. Blackpowder Orchard /1:00
11. The Gnashing /4:17
12. Bullhead's Lament /2:59
Pete Adams /Guitar, Vocals
Allen Blickle /Drums
John Dyer Baizley /Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Summer Welch /Bass
REVIEW
by Phil Freeman
Georgia-based psychedelic rock band (calling them a metal act seems very reductive, though there's some seriously headbangable material on this disc) Baroness has made a subtle but unmistakable evolutionary leap on this, their second full-length and a clear companion piece to 2007's Red Album. It's hard to say exactly what new guitarist Pete Adams has brought to the band after replacing drummer Allen Blickle's brother Brian, but the band's established blend of Southern sludge riffs, druggy instrumental journeys, and melodic interstitial interludes, all propelled by a particularly thudding drum sound and held together by John Baizley's hoarse but clean vocals and gorgeous cover art, are even stronger now than before. The transition from the almost Moody Blues-like "Steel That Sleeps the Eye" into the crunching hard rock epic "Swollen and Halo" is just one example of Baroness' seamless melding of moods through technique and compositional acumen. There are numerous interludes on the disc -- basically, any track shorter than four minutes is an exploration of a riff followed by a dissolve into sound effects or keyboard swooshes, slowly dissolving into the next actual song. "Ogeechee Hymnal," for example, offers one of the album's heaviest riffs, but it's a mere appetizer before "A Horse Called Golgotha," a suitably galloping prog-metal epic that effectively conquers Mastodon's territory, and includes some astonishing guitar leads. This is a ferocious album that's not afraid to be genuinely beautiful. One of the best hard rock releases of 2009. [There's also a two-disc deluxe edition that pairs the album with a live set recorded in 2008.]
BIOGRAPHY
by Mark Deming
Baroness play an eclectic brand of heavy metal, embracing the ferocity and sharp technique of new-millennium metal but with melodic accents and intelligent guitar work that suggest the influence of indie rock and post-punk bands. The four members of Baroness -- John Baizley on guitar and vocals, Brian Blickle on guitar, Summer Welch on bass, and Allen Blickle on drums -- are all originally from Lexington, Virginia, but they pulled up stakes and relocated to Savannah, Georgia, when they formed the band in mid-2003. Baroness made their recording debut in 2005 with First, a three-song EP released through Savannah-based indie label Hyperrealist Records. A second EP from Baroness, simply called Second, appeared in stores later the same year. In 2006, Baroness teamed up with another offbeat but powerful band from Savannah, Unpersons, for a split EP entitled A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk, released through At a Loss Records. In 2007, Baroness signed with the well-respected independent metal label Relapse Records, and in the fall of 2007 they issued their first full-length disc, The Red Album, followed by extensive touring. In the fall of 2009, the group released its sophomore effort, Blue Record. Baroness spent the following year touring, opening for bands like Metallica, Mastodon, and Deftones before heading back into the studio to begin work on their third album, Yellow & Green, which would arrive in 2012.
DoWnLoAd
''BLUE RECORD''
OCTOBER 13 2009
44:24
1. Bullhead's Psalm /1:20
2. The Sweetest Curse /4:30
3. Jake Leg /4:23
4. Steel That Sleeps the Eye /2:38
5. Swollen and Halo /6:35
6. Ogeechee Hymnal /2:35
7. A Horse Called Golgotha /5:21
8. O'er Hell and Hide /4:22
9. War, Wisdom and Rhyme /4:25
10. Blackpowder Orchard /1:00
11. The Gnashing /4:17
12. Bullhead's Lament /2:59
Pete Adams /Guitar, Vocals
Allen Blickle /Drums
John Dyer Baizley /Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Summer Welch /Bass
REVIEW
by Phil Freeman
Georgia-based psychedelic rock band (calling them a metal act seems very reductive, though there's some seriously headbangable material on this disc) Baroness has made a subtle but unmistakable evolutionary leap on this, their second full-length and a clear companion piece to 2007's Red Album. It's hard to say exactly what new guitarist Pete Adams has brought to the band after replacing drummer Allen Blickle's brother Brian, but the band's established blend of Southern sludge riffs, druggy instrumental journeys, and melodic interstitial interludes, all propelled by a particularly thudding drum sound and held together by John Baizley's hoarse but clean vocals and gorgeous cover art, are even stronger now than before. The transition from the almost Moody Blues-like "Steel That Sleeps the Eye" into the crunching hard rock epic "Swollen and Halo" is just one example of Baroness' seamless melding of moods through technique and compositional acumen. There are numerous interludes on the disc -- basically, any track shorter than four minutes is an exploration of a riff followed by a dissolve into sound effects or keyboard swooshes, slowly dissolving into the next actual song. "Ogeechee Hymnal," for example, offers one of the album's heaviest riffs, but it's a mere appetizer before "A Horse Called Golgotha," a suitably galloping prog-metal epic that effectively conquers Mastodon's territory, and includes some astonishing guitar leads. This is a ferocious album that's not afraid to be genuinely beautiful. One of the best hard rock releases of 2009. [There's also a two-disc deluxe edition that pairs the album with a live set recorded in 2008.]
BIOGRAPHY
by Mark Deming
Baroness play an eclectic brand of heavy metal, embracing the ferocity and sharp technique of new-millennium metal but with melodic accents and intelligent guitar work that suggest the influence of indie rock and post-punk bands. The four members of Baroness -- John Baizley on guitar and vocals, Brian Blickle on guitar, Summer Welch on bass, and Allen Blickle on drums -- are all originally from Lexington, Virginia, but they pulled up stakes and relocated to Savannah, Georgia, when they formed the band in mid-2003. Baroness made their recording debut in 2005 with First, a three-song EP released through Savannah-based indie label Hyperrealist Records. A second EP from Baroness, simply called Second, appeared in stores later the same year. In 2006, Baroness teamed up with another offbeat but powerful band from Savannah, Unpersons, for a split EP entitled A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk, released through At a Loss Records. In 2007, Baroness signed with the well-respected independent metal label Relapse Records, and in the fall of 2007 they issued their first full-length disc, The Red Album, followed by extensive touring. In the fall of 2009, the group released its sophomore effort, Blue Record. Baroness spent the following year touring, opening for bands like Metallica, Mastodon, and Deftones before heading back into the studio to begin work on their third album, Yellow & Green, which would arrive in 2012.
DoWnLoAd
