BARONESS: RED ALBUM (2007)
1) Rays On Pinion; 2) The
Birthing; 3) Isak; 4) Wailing Wintery Wind; 5) Cockroach En Fleur; 6)
Wanderlust; 7) Aleph; 8) Teeth Of A Cogwheel; 9) O'Appalachia; 10) Grad.
By the time the band got around to making the
transition from short EPs to long, expansive musical statements, Baizley and
friends seem to have undergone subtle, but important stylistic changes.The
principle of allowing no breaks between songs is still there, but the songs
themselves are a tad more diverse (including acoustic interludes, among other
things), and the entire atmosphere is a little less «math-rockish», but not
that much more «metallic»: the sound is still generally friendly, and it is now
hearkening back to ages both long past, such as the «idealistic» heavy rock of Budgie
and Rush, and recent ones, like the noise-rock of And You Will Know Us By The
Trail Of Dead (but with significant noise reduction).
And I think that these subtle changes are for
the best — they do not exactly help Baroness carve out a unique identity, but
they make them more accessible for those listeners (like myself), who are more
easily seduced by, let's say, «unoriginal accessible bands» than by «unoriginal
inaccessible bands». In other words, a little extra bit of melody goes a long
way in proving your worth, when your previous «musical chess parties» turn out
to already have been played by better players (or, at least, equally good /
comparable ones).
ʽRays On Pinionʼ, the multi-part album opener,
illustrates this point better than anything. The first four minutes consist of
a minimalistic intro and a bluesy, guitar-weaving jam, both with a psychedelic
tinge. Eventually, the band comes in full throttle with a thick hard rock sound
and Baizley's trademark warrior scream, then, at about five minutes into the
sound, launches a clean, melodic double-guitar riff in the best tradition of
the 1970s — carrying it on for only a few bars before reverting to a heavier
tone. But all the different parts fit together and paint quite a dynamic and
meaningful picture — a journey, a battle, a natural phenomenon, whichever way
you might like to interpret it. It's not a masterpiece, but the riffs are
creative enough, and show fairly well that Baroness are at their best when they
don't strive too much for sonic
wizardry.
Subsequent tracks rarely diverge from the
formula, but there are enough changes in tempo, tonality, and riffage (the
latter seems to suck up to all sorts of heavy music from the previous four
decades, as long as they are formally disciplined and organized — thus, echoes
of Black Sabbath are more likely to be found than, say, echoes of Hendrix) to
keep us entertained for 45 minutes. I am particularly partial to ʽWailing
Wintery Windʼ, which, true to its name, goes for a less brutal, but more cold
and shivery atmosphere (the main melody is stylistically reminiscent of ʽShe's
So Heavyʼ from Abbey Road, which is
only natural, considering its own successful evocation of a «wailing wintery
wind»); to ʽTeeth Of A Cogwheelʼ, with a fun dialog of «biting» guitar licks
and ultra-busy percussion bursts; and to the merry martial exuberance of
ʽO'Appalachiaʼ. Less so partial, though, to stuff like ʽWanderlustʼ and
ʽAlephʼ, which have a bothering tendency to skedaddle away into «soulless»
math-rock territory, but maybe they just require more intensive listening — in
any case, they are all blood relatives, these songs.
Altogether, Red Album (this does seem to be its official title, despite the
lack of any words on the sleeve; all of the artwork for Baroness albums is
painted by Baizley himself, by the way) certainly deserves a thumbs up
— despite occasional slips into meaninglessness, and despite Baizley's highly
limited caveman vocal style, which many people have complained about. Maybe the
best thing about it is how it manages to consistently stay in hard rock
territory without ever becoming vicious or aggressive: where heavy metal
usually qualifies as «demonic» music, these guys go for a «titanic» vibe
instead — big, brawny, powerful, but ultimately benevolent. And this approach
could very easily lead to boredom, but somehow it doesn't.
Check "Red Album" (CD) on Amazon
Check "The Red Album" (MP3) on Amazon
Ooh, first time in ages you've reviewed an album I've been planning to listen to. I'll get on it soon then.
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