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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive, 26 Sep 2007
It's pretty hard to give a balanced review for 'Red Album'. In some ways this is a definite 5 star album but some of it doesn't quite gell or stand out as much on an overall listen.
Given the fact that this is a relapse release, I was hoping it would be heavier than it is. It certainly isn't as heavy as Mastodon or as complex as a band like Dysrhythmia, although there's plenty to keep you interested. Not being a band I'd really heard of before, I wasn't that sure what to expect and it took a good few listens to get into. Also, it feels like the ideas start to run out slightly towards the last few tracks, but there is a wealth of talent & progression on display in the best stuff.
Opener 'Rays of Pinion' is definetly on the heavy side, a melodic, uplifting intro leads into heavy riffs & a fierce vocal delivery. The more you listen, the more its apparent that the band have a blatant disregard for song structure, which generally, although not always, works to great effect. Quite often the vocals drop in & out of the muscial tapestry without using a chorus or particular phrase as the hook. The tracks meander along, sometimes focusing on the bass, sometimes the drums or the brillant guitar interplay. This is something the band do have in common with Mastodon. The twin guitar style works well to create constantly evolving melodies & moods. 'The Birthing' starts out in rollicking style, only to break down into a heavy bass, almost dub like sound which then reverts back to the heavy riffing. This is interspersed with a southern riff, that splits the track in two, ending in the same way it begins, with a burst of heaviness. The majority of tracks continue to work in this way, mixing slower or longer proggy sections with bursts of noise & aggression. Chugging riffs frequently phase in & out in certain sections. All of the members of the band know how to play, showing several different influences at once. Praise is particularly due to the drummer, who displays a constant variation & skill.
Other quality moments come from 'Isak', the atmospheric 'Wailing Wintry Wind' & personal favourite 'Wanderlust', which again uses a very Mastodon-esque opening riff & then breaks into a punky flow which stays just on the right side of commercial. There's also afew instrumentals such as the beautiful 'Cockroach En Fleur' which delicately shows off what this band does best. While being only a short acoustic track, it begins with a southern melody & breaks halfway into a superb display of finger-plucking worthy of any classically trained musician.
The result, while slightly varied, is an album that definetly requires repeat listens to be understood & properly digested. While I wasn't that keen at first, this gets frequent plays & show a very talented group of lads who will be making some amazing music in the future. Also, the album artwork by band frontman John Baizley, is simply stunning, perfectly capturing the depth of the work on display. A more suitable score for this would be 8.5 out of 10. Very good.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
gonna make my top ten of 2007 , 22 Oct 2007
baroness are from savannah in virginia,southern america and their sound has that feel and identity without ever restricting itself to that and that alone.
The band have been compared to mastodon,explosions in the sky,clutch and isis,record labels love to do that to catch fans unaware but in this instance the comparisons are more or less on the money.
The album has ten tracks whipping in at 44 minutes long,there is a hidden track that is 11 minutes long but its mainly silence so i wont mention that.The band are epic without ever really being so,confused,you should be,its the way they develop the song at times that gives them that personna,slow ,structured,never in a hurry but delivering when they feel like it,not when you would expect!
Swirling soundscapes give way to fierce riffing but not that fierce,this band arent as heavy as some of their peers but when you listen you will be drawn in.The band dont always follow the post rock path,on tracks liek the brilliant 'wanderlust' they just go for it and never stop,the four instrumentals here vary in style but complement what comes before and after and as for the last track 'grad',a beast of a closer that features a roaring trumpet,goose pimples or what my friend,something else.
Baroness experiment here but dont really stray that far from the norms of music,so that can be viewed one of two ways but for my opinion this is great stuff,a fine debut album from a band that should be taken very seriously,thanks treeny.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ingeniusly refreshing, 20 Sep 2007
As a fan of heavy metal, I found this album extremely refreshing. I discovered Baroness when I heard 'Isak' on the Radio 1 Rock Show. The majority of the Red Album is musically-oriented, sparing on the vocals. The major highlight to the music is the drummer's contribution - which was astounding. The vocals are the worst aspect, and lyrics are poor. But i recommend this album for people who appreciate guitar metal. And I cannot stress how blown away I was by listening to the drumming - it's not anything as tense as heavy metal, yet just as intricate.
Stand out tracks are Rays on Pinion, Isak and Wanderlust.
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