Forget everything that you have heard from or about Baroness to this point in your life; even their split record with Unpersons (A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk) earlier this year does not prepare you enough for the dramatic leap that they throw at you with The Red Album. Baroness effectively rewrite their place in the current musical maelstrom with this ten track monster (eleven if you include the long "Untitled" track) and set a new personal bar for themselves, as well as a new level of accomplishment. The Red Album is not just a refinement of their approach to music but rather a complete augmentation of their sound and songwriting abilities. The Red Album also marks the first recording with new guitarist Brian Blickle, who replaced Tim Loose some time after the recording of A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk, and actually serves as the first full-length from this Savannah, GA based outfit.
From the opening strains of "Rays on Pinion" that sound rather bright and cheery as it builds to the first sounds of vocals, but the really unexpected aspects of the song is how natural and organic it seems to flow; it seamlessly moves from one movement to another while flashing a new vocal style that is unexpected based on past efforts from Baroness. The upbeat mood continues with "The Birthing" which has a nice dual vocal attack, adding a new element to their sound; by the midpoint of the song, I realize how not heavy the album is to this point and also recognize that it does not bother me one bit as the music is just, well, rocking in the way that the music just moves all the time.
Even though it is only an instrumental, "Cockroach En Fleur" has a real pretty sound to it that has some nice acoustic guitar work in it; in fact, the last few notes of the track might be my favorite part of the whole album. "Aleph" is another instrumental (well, mostly and the few moments of vocals are rather out of place) on The Red Album, but it just does not have the effect of "Cockroach En Fleur" nor the overall prettiness of that song. "Grad" is one of my favorite songs on the whole album with its understated and laid back beginning that slowly builds into a more bombastic track that seems overly leisurely but instead is an example measured patience; Baroness' performance exemplifies the hard work and composition that they put into the song.
John Baizely (guitarist, vocalist, and artist) continues to astound with his artistic acumen. This time his efforts are on the behalf of his own band. In an age when so much of metal is death, destruction, guns, skulls, the color black, and other assorted grim aspects of the metal aesthetic, it is a breath of fresh air to see the genuine beauty and excellent use of color on this release's artwork, and it exemplifies the different take on that they have on their music.
The Red Album is a huge leap forward for Baroness; the sound is great on the record, and the production is spot on in a way that it enhances the album. One of the problems, and maybe the biggest problem, that I have with the record is that the whole album comes off as surface emotion through music. If Baroness would make more of an emotional connection with the music and vocals, this album would be an aural force to be reckoned with by listeners and critics alike. Then again, Baroness still leaves room to further expand for future releases. Also, the album has nearly half of its songs that are either completely instrumental or mostly instrumental on the record. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just that I was kind of expecting less of that and more of songs like "Rays on Pinion," "The Birthing", and "Isak". Still The Red Album is a real good record and a highlight of the year.
