Baroness are a polarizing entity in the
world of modern metal. They have been making their presence felt
profoundly over the last half decade; playing Coachella, touring with
Metallica, etc, but their detractors still decry them as
Mastodon-lite. Over the course of their previous two albums the band
from Savannah, Georgia has been trying to stake a claim to their
unique identity in among the world of sludge metal. Their latest
album, a 75-minute double CD opus Yellow & Green, may be
their strongest statement of individuality yet and hopefully one that
sticks once and for all. In today's world of MP3s, iTunes, and
Soundcloud some would argue that full-length albums are a dying art
form which makes a double-album (the mainstay of 70s prog rock)
particularly audacious. But that is indeed what Baroness have made;
two short albums that are linked thematically but can be easily
digested as separate entities.
The Yellow half starts on a
familiar note. After the short introductory instrumental the
barn-storming 'Take My Bones Away' picks up right where Blue
Record left off. It is a song bellowed at top volume, riffs and
hooks aplenty, and has a vigorous pace that is carried on by 'March
To The Sea'. It is the second half of Yellow that really takes
flight. From the gothic-acoustic 'Twinkler' onwards the album hits an
almighty stride; through the brooding and buzzing 'Cocainium', the
mournful expanse of 'Back Where I Belong', the desperation of 'Sea
Lungs', and finally 'Eula' which ends the first half on a gorgeously
dark note. The increased uses of melody and harmony elevate these
songs and let them plant hooks in your mind that take days –
sometimes weeks – to remove. But if Yellow felt like
Baroness chasing their Blue Record muse to its logical, proggy
conclusion then Green is a voyage into uncharted waters. It
touches upon indie rock, post-rock, country, dub, electronica and so
much more making it the “experimental” disc by comparison. By now
Baizley has settled well into his clean-singing style and the
listener has gotten used the groove and the rhythm of the album which
makes room for these stylistic leaps.
What made Blue Record so
striking was the self-assured classic rock undertones. For Yellow
& Green these tendencies have bloomed into a psychedelic
fingerprint which runs rampant. How else can you accommodate the
subtle acid rock flourishes of 'MTNS' from one of America's great
sludge proponents? That track is revolutionary in that it has more in
common with Morphine than it does Slayer – an outright sin in the
metal-verse. That is not to say that Baroness have forgotten
themselves in part two, just that they've taken some time to expand
their horizons. If you should feel lost or alienated in this calm but
dreadful storm just hold out until the end. Right at the end the
familiar returns in the form of 'The Line Between', positively
erupting back into glorious sludge metal albeit with a healthy dose
of harmony.
Special mention must be made of the
usage of the bass guitar. Metal acts are notorious for
under-utilizing the four string but Baroness seem to be reversing the
trend. It is front and center on Yellow's 'Little Things' and
'Cocainium', practically more prominent on these tracks than the
other guitars. It is a small alteration in the mix but it gives the
album an entirely different feel to both Red and Blue.
I actually cannot remember the last time that a metal album (by any
definition of the term) really struck me lyrically as much as Yellow
& Green has. There might have been an arcane meaning behind a
song like 'Isak' or 'A Horse Called Golgotha' but it was hidden under
mountains of metalisms. 'Back Where I Belong' does not suffer the
same fate, allowing you to comprehend the ingenious cruelty in a line
like “Here's the rub / there's no difference / between poison and
the cure / when the one tastes so great its a crying shame / that I'm
back where I belong”.
Heavy is no longer about saturating
your songs with amplifiers and bong-crushing bass, but rather
something that is emotional and psychological by nature. Lowering the
volume a little has allowed a lot of heart and soul to creep in. It
is by this philosophy that Pink Floyd can be as heavy as Led
Zeppelin, King Crimson as heavy as Black Sabbath, Tool as heavy as
Pantera. It is an elemental weight
that is evident even in the quiet passages. But this is not the quiet
of exhaustion – it is of isolation and dread. Baroness have joined
the likes of Opeth and Mastodon in the upper echelons of acts who
have evolved beyond merely being a metal band. You can feel them
crossing the line of being a heavy band with the potential for great
musicality to being musicians capable of great heaviness. Ironically
Baroness' most introspective album to date is the most likely to
propel them to stardom. If Red
Album was a primal
scream and Blue Record
a hungry growl, then Yellow
& Green are a buzz
and a moan respectively and make for one of this year's most
intriguing listening experiences.
Yellow
Rating: A+
Recommended tracks: Cocainium, Sealungs, Eula
Green
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Board Up The House, The Line Between
Overall Rating: A
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