Search - Baroness :: Blue Record

Metal (?) release of the year...

Carlos F. Santos | Dominican Republic | 10/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three spins so far... new things found in everyone of 'em. This is the type of release where you would usually go "they just can't top 'red album'" (previous effort) but then the music kicks in, grabs ya', and simply won't let go. Every single song is necessary, urgent and colossal... Baroness takes the top spot for me because they have taken the hard road, they have jumped off the trendy bandwagon and decided to go against the waves, they have made a record with the sole intention of falling in love again with music. Great songwritting, excellent (not-so-polished) production, and harmonies, melodies and blunt regressions to eternally bang your head to... plus, get this deluxe edition with a live CD from their Roadburn festival appearence."

Best of 2009. Period.

Eric L. Vincent | 04/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The state of today's popular music landscape may lead the music connoisseur to become bored with the endless cookie-cutter offerings from fabricated "American Idols" and over-the-hill rock icons. But once every so often a record that defies convention and provides a much-needed glimmer of hope that originality in the hard rock/metal genre appears. Baroness, the progressive-metal four-piece from Savannah, Georgia, has delivered such an album with its latest magnum opus entitled: Blue Record. Baroness has taken the standard idea of what a great metal album can be and has elevated it to a whole new level. Baroness uses an array of shifting dynamics, top-notch instrumental performances and tight songwriting, all packaged together with non-cliché cover art, to produce the metal album of 2009.

The talent and skill that the musicians of Baroness possess on Blue Record are evident in every song throughout the album. The twin guitar interplay of John Dyer Baizley and Pete Adams provide many of the highlights on the album. Baizley's electric guitar leads and intricate melodies provide many opportunities for Adams to harmonize in ways reminiscent of the legendary performances of Thin Lizzy. Guitarists Baizley and Adams display great chemistry throughout the album. They complement each other's styles well and are able to harness their chemistry and create many sonically diverse layers and textures. The rhythm section hold up their end and deliver the yin to the guitarists' yang. The driving rhythms of drummer Allen Blickle and bassist Summer Welch provide a solid base for the guitar performances of Baizley and Adams to shine throughout the record. Blickle's tight jazz-inspired percussion work throughout the record keeps up the frantic pacing of the higher tempos while providing the groove for the slower tempos.



Baizley's intense vocal delivery throughout the record provides another layer to Blue Record. Unfortunately, Baizley's vocal delivery is also the one element of Blue Record that did not reach the same level of excellence as every other aspect of the album. While Baizley has improved his vocal skills greatly from previous Baroness records, he has delivered an overall uneven performance on Blue Record. Baizley's gravelly voice commands attention in songs in which he hollers and shouts his cryptic lyrics. Baizley contrasts his abrasive bellowing throughout the album with a collection of quietly sung passages on a select few tracks. Luckily, Baizley's vocals are not the focus of Baroness' songwriting and do not take much, if anything, away from the overall greatness they have achieved on Blue Record.



Baroness uses a multitude of dynamics, the changes in sound intensity and volume, in not only each song on Blue Record, but in also how the order of the songs sequenced. These varied dynamics play an integral piece to its success as an album, rather than a collection of songs. The lush guitar harmonies of instrumental tracks, "Bullhead's Psalm" and "Bullhead's Lament," bookend the album perfectly. The sonic journey that happens between these two tracks takes the listener on a dynamic rollercoaster ride that reaches several triumphantly bombastic highs and somber lows. Once the final note of "Bullhead's Psalm" has faded away, the thrash-inspired guitar riffs of "The Sweetest Curse" rush out and propel the album forward. Baizley's addition of acoustic guitar and piano on "Steel That Sleeps the Eye" give the listener a pleasant respite between the hard rocking tracks of "Jake Leg" and "Swollen and Hallow." The soaring guitar refrain of "Ogeechee Hymnal" provides a much-needed lull before the album's centerpiece track, "A Horse Called Golgotha." "A Horse Called Golgotha" is a song that showcases everything that Baroness does well on Blue Record and displays their songwriting craft beautifully. The driving rhythms, varied volume and tonal dynamics, energetic guitar solos and sing-along choruses provide a crushing exclamation point to the first half of Blue Record.



The second half of the record further displays Baroness' deft ability to effectively use dynamics to keep the listener interested. The acoustic intro of "O'er Hell and Hide" gives way to a galloping rhythm that is punctuated by a section of soaring three-part guitar harmonies. The bluegrass tinged acoustic guitar interlude "Blackpowder Orchard" does a good job of allowing the listener another welcome breath and break up the more raucous tracks "War, Wisdom and Rhyme" and "The Gnashing." Once the last notes of the final track "Bullhead's Lament" have faded away, the listener is amazed that the 44 minute 25 second album runtime has come to a seemingly abrupt end. The overall dynamics and pacing of the album ensure a listening experience full of variety that neither stumbles nor tires and feels much shorter than advertised.



Finally, the diverse and artistic nature of Baroness' songwriting on the Blue Record is married with lead guitarist and songwriter John Dyer Baizley's intricate and haunting cover artwork. The highly detailed composition mirrors the complexity of Baroness' songwriting on Blue Record. The intricate nature of the artwork elicits feelings that it is a work of art and not merely an album cover. The ambiguous cover image does not immediately give away what is contained inside nor does it make it obvious as to which genre Baroness' Blue Record belongs in. The cover artwork conjures up nostalgic images of rock `n roll album covers from the sixties and seventies and could easily sit on the same shelves as records from the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. The image is a fantastical depiction of two nude maidens lounging in an area of lush vines, flowers, feathers and poppies whilst being surrounded by several fish of different species in front of a full moon. The image appears to be steeped in metaphors, the meanings of which may only be known to the artist himself. Everywhere in the composition there is some new visual nugget to discover, including a rooster head atop one maiden's head with chicken eggs falling down her breast--some breaking--and a large channel catfish sitting on the lap of the other. The inside pages of the booklet display the cryptic lyrics for every song on the album. On each page is a unique abstract border surrounding the text. These border designs vary from a simple circle surrounding the text to flowing and twisting lines or gilded patterns that tie the entire package together.



Baroness' highly ambitious attempt at sonic perfection delivers on many levels--sonically and visually. Catching lightening in a bottle, Baroness' use of changing dynamics and intensity from hard-driving rhythms to delicate melodies provides a thoroughly entertaining experience. The skillful use of sonic diversity, songwriting and performances and visual artistry combine in Blue Record to form the best metal record of 2009. Baroness has delivered an album that is so complete that it demands to be listened as a whole and not only as a few notable "singles." Baroness has continued their exciting trend of producing great albums that have helped to keep the LP and record player relevant in an age of Internet downloads and iPods. I recommend Blue Record to anyone who desires a challenging, yet immensely rewarding, listening experience.

"