BARONESS- Blue Record (Relapse Records)
As illustrated by my old buddy David Peisner's recent story in SPIN, the Savannah metal scene is emerging as one of the nation’s most intriguing musical subcultures. In this tiny, historic town with no record store, suffocating heat, high crime and a 20% poverty rate, teens tend to immerse themselves in music because they have nothing else to do. The sonic aggression of bands like Blacktusk and Kylesa seems indicative of their collective frustrations with their surroundings.
But to call Baroness a metal band doesn’t do their expansive sound justice. Obviously influenced by Atlantaicons Mastodon, the quartet (frontman John Baizley, bassist Summer Welch, drummer Allen Blickle and new guitarist Pete Adams) nimbly blends elements of Southern rock riffage, psychedelic spaciousness, emotive instrumental passages and hammer-of-the-gods drumming to create a sound uniquely their own.
Produced by John Congleton (Polyphonic Spree), Baroness’ sophomore LP is not only a step forward in their artistic evolution, but also one of 2009’s best hard rock albums. The artful melodic structure of the instrumental opening track, “Bullhead’s Psalm,” wouldn’t sound out of place on a Coheed & Cambria album, while “The Sweetest Curse” produces some of the hardest head-banging riffs since Metallica’s heyday. But just when the four-to-the-floor pummeling of “Jake Leg” makes you think you’ve got Baroness figured out, “Steel That Sleeps The Eye” comes along with its Moody Blues-style melodies to defy your attempts at categorization.
The simple fact is that Baroness is not the type of band whose music fits neatly into a box. For every hell-raising headbanger like “A Horse Called Golgotha,” they’ve got a trippy interlude like “Ogeechee Hymnal” to put the testosterone on ice. And when they seamlessly pull all their myriad influences together for an epic like “The Gnashing,” the results are downright exhilarating. – BRET LOVE
(Originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)
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