Purple is their triumphant comeback, encapsulating the grief, recovery, and revitalization of Baroness.
Savannah, GA sludge metal outfit Baroness returns with the latest installment in their color-coded album series, Purple.
Purple is a far more focused and fiery beast; both a return to the stormy riffing and skewed melodies of old and a subtle but unmistakable lunge for mainstream glory.
Though not as "experimental" as their previous couple of records, as a whole Purple is far more focused, and it's certainly more euphoric.
The band unapologetically attempt to reach beyond the limits of their primary genre’s audience and welcome in anyone who appreciates a good song. And there are many very good songs among Purple’s ten cuts.
It mightn’t possess the brute strength of those Relapse releases, Red and Blue, but there’s a greater balance between aggression and introspection to these songs.
What defines Purple ... and allows it to transcend a mostly hokey, overwrought sound is the technicality and experimentation with which Baroness attacks melody, mostly via the busy drumming of Sebastian Thomson (also of Trans Am) and expert guitar work by Baizley and Peter Adams.
To be fair, Purple is an enjoyable ride that's unlikely to disappoint avowed fans of the band. But playing it safe and not advancing their thesis substantially invites comparisons to earlier artifacts of their sonic template, artifacts that shine brighter than the present one.
Weezer needs to take notes
This was my first taste of Baroness, a metal group that I’ve been told about by some friends. I feel like I can be kind of picky with metal sometimes, but this shit hits ALL the right spots. Pretty sure Imma do a discog dive after hearing this record cause this shit is fire. Amazing performances, there is seriously so much talent here. The production is also so satisfying with so many little details and great transitions. The vocals are brutal, and when those ... read more
After a bus accident that could have led to an untimely demise, Baroness rise from the ashes and deliver what is arguably their best album (although my personal go to has always been Yellow & Green). I met John Baizley when they were touring this album, very sweet guy but I noticed he had a cast on before the show, I'm sure because he was still healing from the accident... and then all of a sudden he gets on stage with the rest of the band and absolutely wails on the guitar... completely ... read more
Bem decepcionado com esse, um álbum aclamado, atual e de um gênero que estou aficcionado, estava com muita expectativa e simplesmente não clicou comigo. Pretendo escutar novamente após ler o que fez o pessoal gostar tanto.
Trebla Freeman recommendations Pt. 1
I don't hate it, getting that out of the way, there's a lot of cool riffs, and a lot of catchy hooks ... and ummm, what else. I don't know, maybe if I listen to it stoned I'll like it more, but to me the lack of track variety, messy production work, and sub par vocal performance just kind of builds up to make this almost fade into the background. An album like this should keep me pumped up during the whole runtime, and while it definitely has its highs, and ... read more
1 | Morningstar 4:16 | 79 |
2 | Shock Me 4:17 | 81 |
3 | Try to Disappear 4:52 | 81 |
4 | Kerosene 5:10 | 77 |
5 | Fugue 2:34 | 73 |
6 | Chlorine & Wine 6:49 | 87 |
7 | The Iron Bell 4:24 | 76 |
8 | Desperation Burns 4:14 | 71 |
9 | If I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?) 5:41 | 76 |
10 | Crossroads of Infinity 0:16 | 55 |