BARONESS
GOLD & GREY
Abraxan Hymns
Release: June 14, 2019
Baroness began life in Savannah, Georgia in 2003 even though all members of the band hail from Lexington, Virginia. Baroness eschew publicity, promotion and press kits, hence the sparseness of this bio. What they do is let their music speak for itself in the form of their live performances. Their touring schedule is relentless, with the band often playing over 250 gigs a year. (Source: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3166)
‘’Front Toward Enemy’’ is a great starter for an album. I love how high the volume the bass is in Baroness’s records, it is something that does separate them from the mainstream bands. The melody in ‘“Front Toward Enemy’’ is very catchy. The vibe and atmosphere on ‘’I’m Already Gone’’ is very chill and somewhat spacy, but just melodic enough to keep me interested. The same goes for ‘’Seasons’’, this is the perfect example of what I call a ‘’festival hit’’, chill yet loud enough to somewhat dance to. ‘’Sevens’’ is spacy as well, which confirms to me that this album is more stoner rock than metal. The track is entirely instrumental. ‘’Tourniquet’’ is a bit heavier again, but that is only hearable in the vocals. ‘’Anchor’s Lament’’ is another instrumental track. However ‘’Throw Me an Anchor” is one of the loudest tracks on the album and I love every aspect of it. I love the hints of electronics, it adds another layer to the music. Not that Baroness’s music is shallow, not at all(!), but that is exactly what makes the band so original.
Tracklist:
Front Toward Enemy
I’m Already Gone
Seasons
Sevens
Tourniquet
Anchor’s Lament
Throw Me an Anchor
I’d Do Anything
Blankets of Ash
Emmett-Radiating Light
Cold Blooded Angels
Crooked Mile
Broken Halo
Can Oscura
Borderlines
Assault on East Falls
Pale Sun
‘’I’d Do Anything’’ has a very high ‘’Coldplay-level’’, and I don’t like Coldplay. ‘’Blankets Of Ash’’ is another instrumental track. Following is ‘’Emmett-Radiating Light’’, a very slow ballad. I am very torn on this track. Same goes for ‘’Cold Blooded Angels’’, the only difference is that that song actually progresses to a rock song. ‘’Crooked Mile’’ is, you guessed it, instrumental. It sounds very twisted and weird though, and I like that. ‘’Broken Halo’’ is an awesome track! The buildup of the song is great and it hits the ears just right. This is so much better than the slow, stoner tracks in my opinion. The sounds in ‘’Crooked Mile’’ make a comeback as well!
‘’Can Oscura’’ is an instrumental track too, but it is not used as an interlude for ‘’Borderlines’’ which I find an odd choice. I would call ‘’Borderlines’’ your typical Baroness sound, so no complaints here. ‘’Assault on East Falls’’ is again instrumental. Usually I don’t mind an instrumental track or two, but this is just TOO MUCH. ‘’Pale Sun’’ is kind of boring to me.
It’s safe to say that I might have been expecting the wrong things from Baroness this time around. The amount of instrumental tracks was just too high for me, and it made it hard for me to even form a real opinion on the album itself. By seeing the tracklist I already thought ‘’what did I get myself into’’. However, I think I fail to see the beauty in this album. Speaking about beauty: the cover is once again phenomenal!
Rating: 7/10
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By Tamar
Line-Up:
John Baizley - guitar, vocals
Gina Gleason - guitar, vocals
Sebastian Thomson – drums
Nick Jost – bass/keyboard
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