After falling in love with Purple a few years ago and Gold & Grey more recently, I’ve decided that it’s high time I dig deeper into Baroness’ celebrated back catalog.
And with just a precursory listen to their first three records, they’ve established themselves as a band that can do no wrong. This is clearly displayed on their debut full-length, Red Album, a nonstop, heavy metal tour-de-force.
After becoming a fan through their more recent work, I’ve always been a bit confused by Baroness being labeled sludge metal. At times, I’ve even felt that the only reason for that designation is that they’re a metal band from Georgia.
But listening to Red, that label makes way more sense. This record trudges through slow tempos and thick riffs, burning through eleven tracks with a relentless heaviness. That heaviness isn’t all doom and gloom though. Baroness implements elements of post rock, folk, and prog with generosity.
“Rays On Pinion” opens with a moment of gentle swelled chords, building through a Mogwai-esque instrumental passage before launching into a full doom metal assault that doesn’t even stop to go into the next song, “The Birthing.”
“Isak” only stops the onslaught for a moment, opening with a wah-pedaled, rhythmic clicking guitar and a grooving drum riff before launching into a scorched earth riffage. “Wailing Winter Wind” pairs ambient guitars with an urgent drum pattern, building patiently for four minutes before exploding.
“Wanderlust” and “Aleph” sound the most familiar to my mind’s version of Baroness, playing with prog elements and harmonized guitar lines. But that doesn’t mean at all that they skimp on the sludgy, doomy riffs.
“Teeth of a Cogwheel” and “O’Appalachia” are the most aggressive tracks, the prior an instrumental led by a fiery guitar solo and the latter a fast-paced headbanger.
The instrumental closer “Grad” returns to the post rock anthemcraft that opens the record, offering one of the records few major key moments without losing any of the record’s power.
And in the tradition of the CD era, there’s even a hidden track! A bluesy hoedown tacked on at the end of a track of silence. It’s nothing notable, but it is a fun addition that shows despite the monstrous heft of the record preceding it, Baroness isn’t taking themselves all that seriously.
While there’s a sonic world of difference between this record and Gold & Grey, there’s no mistaking it as the same band. The guitars are more fiery, the songs are more focused on riffs and jams than songwriting, and lead vocalist/cover artist John Baizley’s voice is rawer—when he’s singing at all—even screaming at moments (something he’s abandoned in his delivery the last few albums).
Despite those differences, it still has Baroness’ undeniable melodic sensibilities—even at its heaviest. And while it may not be quite as ambitious as their later records, Red is a stunning debut from a band that would go on to prove that they are one of the most important metal bands around.