Baroness – Blue Record (2009)
‘Blue Record’ is one of those albums I was looking forward to without really looking forward to. Having heard and enjoyed 2007’s ‘Red Album’ I knew that Baroness were good but had some room to grow. I knew the next album would most likely kick ass and hoped they would thicken up their sound a little with that magic metal sauce that makes both stereos and my ears very happy (side note: I think, but am not positive, that this sauce is a molten concoction of a James Hetfield guitar pick, one of Geezer Butler’s busted strings, half of a lukewarm PBR and a copy of Aqualung on vinyl, for some reason).
Well? They did. About twenty seconds into ‘The Sweetest Curse’ you know Baroness has made a motherfucker of an album. The sheer girth of shreddage that is ‘A Horse Called Golgotha’ is enough to make a guitar nerd like myself yell ‘YES!!’ at the stereo, provoking odd looks from those nearby. The production of the album, courtesy of John Congleton (an odd choice, he has not done many metal bands), rubs your face right in what ‘Red Album’ lacked sonically. Apparently, Relapse decided to pony up for a bottle of the aforementioned ‘sauce’.
The deluxe version comes with a second disc, ‘Live at Roadburn Festival 2009’, which serves as a killer encore to the album and a victory lap for the band.
‘Blue Record’ is more than just sharpening the axes, though, listening to ‘Swollen and Halo’ invokes smoky garages and attics where classic rock is still religiously spun on vinyl. Baroness kept all the right parts of their sound intact and expanded on them. Spots of acoustic guitar, plenty of solos, and the album ends just like it starts which is always a good thing. I dig it. Basically what I’m saying is I am so fucking glad someone finally busted out a Rotovibe for a trippy-ass interlude. No idea what I’m talking about? Go spin this album. You can thank me later.
Review by Metal Matt ~ @metalcobra
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