Review

Baroness - Red Album

31.12.2007 | Cam | 0 Comments

Genre: Rock/Indie/Metal
For Fans Of: Isis – Mastodon - Neurosis
Favourite Songs: Rays On Pinion – Wanderlust - Grad
Running Time: 56:37
Year: 2007
Website Link: http://www.yourbaroness.com
Myspace Link: http://www.myspace.com/yourbaroness

Score: 95

A new heir to the ambient metal throne...

REVIEW.

Having released two well received EP's and garnering critical acclaim from the underground metal community, Baroness still aren't what you'd call a household name. With the “Red Album”, I think it's safe to say that the band's profile will rise rather rapidly, because this is a near flawless record that fans of Clutch and Neurosis will lap up.

For those of you who are un-familiar with the band, imagine a cleaner and more to the point version of Mastodon and you'd be on the right track. Utilizing a similar style of singing to Troy Sanders and Neil Fallon (look them up if you don't know who I'm talking about), Baroness' more streamlined take on the southern rock meets metal genre is complex enough to appeal to all the instrumental gurus out there, while still having the hooks to please your average music fan.

It was a smart decision opening the record with “Rays Of Pinion” as the band successfully showcase their instrumental prowess without sounding self indulgent. After building the track for the first few minutes with layer upon layer of Isis-esque guitars it all culminates in a crushing tirade that would have the rest of the Relapse Records roster nodding in approval.

“The Birthing” will instantly draw comparison to the previously mentioned Mastodon, but if you're going to be heavily influenced by a band, it may as well be the best. The riffs and the groove of this tune provide an unbeatable backbone for Baroness to build from and John Baizley's vocals are the icing on the cake. Oh yeah, the instrumental breakdown at the two minute thirty mark of the song is close to being the musical highlight of 2007.

“Isak” slows the pace right down with its classic rock leanings and provides the perfect segway into “Wailing Wintry Wind”, which is a six minute filled with delay soaked guitars and driving rhythms. A lot of bands try and mix up the dynamic of their records with the inclusion of a slower tune... and often they completely lose the momentum they've worked so hard to build. Luckily for us, Baroness don't suffer from the same problems as the album's mid section perfectly compliments the remainder of the record.

The acoustic stylings of “Cockroach En Fleur” make way for my personal favourite “Wanderlust”, which wouldn't sound out of place on a Doomriders record. The grinding guitars and soaring vocals makes the tune stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Red Album... which is no mean feat when you consider the quality of the record.

“Aleph's” bass driven rumble slows things down again and gives the band's drummer Allen a chance to show off the wide variety of beats he is capable of, while “Teeth Of A Cogwheel” proves that if Baroness opted to release a purely instrumental record then they would reign supreme over that genre as well. “O'Appalachia” is one of the band's shorter songs but is no less effective, which brings us to “Grad”... hands down one of the best songs of 2007! Finishing in the same fashion that the record began, the slow and melodious guitars make for one hell of a powerful noise.

CONCLUSION.

One final thing, make sure you actually buy this record kids! Yes, I'm talking to all you downloading fiends... The artwork on offer is stunning and it's courtesy of the band's front man John Dyer Baizley who's also worked on various records for Darkest Hou, Pig Destroyer and The Red Chord... so get excited already!