Baroness – Red Album
September 4th, 2007
Progressive Sludge Metal / Progressive Rock
Relapse Records
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Georgia seems to be a veritable birthing place for legendary sludge metal bands, having given purchase to such greats as Mastodon and Black Tusk, as well as Kylesa, which I covered on last month’s Discography Deep Dive. Perhaps most interestingly among them, however, is Baroness, a band who have since the onset of their career blended elements of sludge metal and heavy metal together with the artistic aesthetics and direction of progressive rock. Indeed it would be unfair to call Baroness simply another progressive sludge metal band in the same vein as their fellow Georgians in Mastodon, because there’s a lot more to their sound than first meets the eye.
I first got into Baroness following the release of their first album, the one that is the subject of this here review: Red Album. I still remember the first time I heard “Rays on Pinion” on YouTube way back in 2008 or 2009, accompanied by a fan-made music video featuring shots of jellyfish floating through the sea and other similar nature scenes. I was transfixed by that song and to some degree still am to this day. “Rays on Pinion” remains my favourite Baroness song of all time, even in the wake of other more popular cuts that they’ve dropped like “Shock Me” or “Take My Bones Away”. Something about the way that song builds up and explodes into the first proper verse is just unlike anything they’ve done before or since, and it’s a hell of a way to open up a record.
While the band’s lineup has changed over the years, especially following the 2012 bus accident the band encountered (which will probably come up later this week when discussing the band’s later-career output), the original lineup on this record features John Dyer Baizley, Summer Welch, and the brothers Brian and Allen Blickle. Today Baizley is the sole remaining original member, and perhaps that means something is to be said for the way the band’s sound has changed over the years. While the group’s more recent efforts lean much more into the realm of progressive rock, this first full length outing is indeed decidedly more metal and classically “heavy”. Tracks like “The Birthing” and “Wailing Wintry Wind” are more rock-oriented, for sure, but the record is also full of much chunkier and meaty songs that pack a punch, such as “Isak” or “Aleph”.
For sure the performances on here are masterful, featuring some astounding drum work from Allen Blickle. The drums on this record are always something that have stood out to me, from the fabulous build-up on “Rays on Pinion” to the wild and tasteful snare roll that opens “Wailing Wintry Wind”. He has so much pizazz and creativity behind the kit that injects a serious amount of energy into this album. I truly feel like Blickle’s drum performance here is integral to the early years of Baroness’ career and them developing the proggier sound that they wound up with in comparison to the harder, sludgier, Remission-esque quality that their earlier demos and EPs possessed.
Baizley and Brian Blickle handle guitar duties while Summer Welch brings up the low end on the bass, and together these three axemen forge some very captivating and mesmerizing sonic layers on this record. They seem to meld together the chunkier sludge elements of the sound their home state is known for with a sort of rugged Americana that’s sort of hard to really nail down. An interlude track like “Cockroach en Fleur”, for example, demonstrates a somber and southern-tinged approach to the acoustic guitar that drapes this whole record. The album’s melodies and sonic textures really seem to evoke the idea of an American south as envisioned through some sort of fantastical lens, as if the bayous and scrublands are inhabited by fairies, wendigos, antler-headed deer-women, and other mythological things of that nature, as depicted in the band’s album covers which Baizley paints himself. The guitars and bass fold over one another into beautiful yet raw and emotive displays of both mourning and joy. It really is something to behold.
I also love Baizley’s vocal performance here. He has this gruff affectation that never delves deeper into growling territory, preferring instead to deliver his poetically-charged and nature-draped lyrics through a sort of deep yell that maintains melody while still crushing you into pulp with its loudness and abrasiveness. It’s a unique approach to vocals that suits this album’s progressive and sludgy style perfectly. Baizley himself has a unqiue singing voice with an ever so slight accent that makes him stand apart from a lot of other dime a dozen sludge vocalists, and his voice would only improve with age in my opinion.
In terms of production I think this is one of Baroness’ most grounded and raw works. As their career went on they would always maintain that raw aesthetic but their production would improve and get more honed in with the details. On the Red Album it still feels like the band is in the early stages of their career, not quite having their sound dialed in, and so that is reflected in the production. The bells and whistles that would become commonplace on later records aren’t really present here. In a lot of ways this makes me prefer this record to some of their others, but in a lot of cases it also depends on the song.
Baroness have obviously proven themselves and at this point I consider them a legendary band. They’ve risen the ranks in the world of sludge and prog and have put out consistently great material since their early days. Still, though the other records they’ve released may be great, I find myself coming back to this one more than any other entry in their discography. Perhaps its nostalgia. Perhaps its a genuine love for the songs on here over their other material. Either way this record is excellent and is absolutely deserving of the praise it has gotten in the time since its release.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10
Awesome
Favourite Tracks:
“Rays on Pinion”
“The Birthing”
“Isak”
“Wanderlust”
“Aleph”
“O’Appalachia”
~ Akhenaten
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