Title: Blue Record
Release: October 13, 2009
Label: Relapse
Rating: 9/10
Here's a thought that may strike fear into any fans of "extream" metal genres: Picture your favourite metal band. Now, equip them with acoustic guitars and swap out any blast beats for disco grooves, then mix in some indie influence and catchy vocals. Scared yet? No need to be, because with it, Baroness created a progressive metal masterpiece with their sophomore full length, Blue Record.
Opener Bullhead's Psalm invites us into the album with calming acoustics before switching into the unmistakably metal riff of The Sweetest Curse, giving us our first taste of sludge similar to the band's first full length, Red Album. This will also become our first introduction the vocals of new member Pete Adams, which duel with frontman John Baizley's own, creating a welcomed element we hadn't heard from the band prior to this release.
From these first two tracks you can kinda see where the record is going, with its mix of acoustics (Steel That Sleeps the Eye and the very bluesy Blackpowder Orchard) and heavy sludge and metal, ranging from the straight up metal bombardment Jake Leg to the rock and roll party of The Gnashing. If that isn't enough, around all of this is constant experimentation - hell, instrumental Ogeechee Hymnal could almost find itself next to something in drone giants Sunn O)))'s discography.
Standout tracks include the acoustic ballad of Steel That Sleep the Eye that rides straight into the powerful Swollen and Halo. O'er Hell and Hide is possibly the most adventurous track on the album, beginning by combining bluesy acoustics and, come the 0:36 mark, drumming that could find itself in a classic disco track, with the bass following in the funk. Other notable features of this song include samples and almost inaudible and undecipherable screams. We also get taken down a more classic rock/metal path with A Horse Called Golgotha, guitar driven and angry, with a killer solo from 3:07 onwards before transforming into noodley acoustic guitars and back again.
To sum up, I think it's safe to say that with Blue, Baroness dispel any previous thoughts of them simply being a Mastodon clone, and not only do they hold their own in the metal community, but they may well have created the album of the year.
- Charles
See what you think yourself, then go support the artist!
Baroness - Blue Record
