Stone

Album Of The Week: Baroness- Stone

There comes a time in every bands evolution when a change is needed. In the case of Baroness, they have been one of the most consistent bands in the sense of evolving. Be it member changes, color schemes, and life, there is no shortage of inspiration for this band. I still remember hearing the Red Album for the first time and digging it but, it wasn’t until the Blue Album, when I really think the band found its stride. Along the way, Baroness carved out their own little corner in the heavy music world and have pursued a path that is their own. And on their new album, Stone, Baroness have reached a true triumph as a band.

Carrying on the lineup from Gold & Grey, Baroness’s new album STONE, has defined the sound of the band. There is a resounding strength and focus found throughout this album. Musically, this album is on another level than they’ve gone before. Each member of this band Sebastian on drums, Nick on bass, Gina on guitar and vocal and of course John on guitar and vocals, are playing with a sense of confidence that takes new shapes and is quite inspiring. The rhythm section of Sebastian and Nick are quite the tandem in how they play off each other and the vibe that radiates from that part is captivating. Then you have the full emergence of Gina Gleason coming through on each song. I must say too, as a long time fan of this band and having seen all the different lineups, Gina is the perfect fit for this band. Just like Seb and Nick, Gina brought a new light to the band for the better and it’s really showing on this album. John still has a knack for those sludgey riffs and those delicate pieces that get quite tingling as each listen plays on. Thematically this record is quite the trip. One of the things that I truly enjoyed most about this album was getting swept up in journey that it takes you on. As an album enthusiast (albums are not lost on me. That’s a topic to be discussed at a later time), what you get with STONE is a piece of art that is explosive, delicate, psychedelic and introspective. Having songs like “Last Word,” “Beneath The Rose,” “Choir,” all in a row is a trifecta of YES!!!! Then there’s “Anodyne” and “Shine” that open up other worlds right into another trifecta of epicness with “Magnolia,” “Under The Wheel” and the closing track “Bloom.” One quick note that has to be made is, FINALLY, the album isn’t brick-walled into the skies above!

Listening to STONE and letting it take over is a journey you should most definitely take. It’s one of those albums that you’ve always known they had in them it just took the right lineup to make it. When you take Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Gold and Grey and put them together it forms a colorful stone and out of that you get Baroness.

Overall Rating: A

Review By: Brian Lacy

Baroness- STONE:

BARONESS ONLINE:

https://baroness.lnk.to/STONEYT

https://yourbaroness.com

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https://tiktok.com/@yourbaroness

New Release: Baroness- Beneath The Rose

Ever since they announced their new album, Stone, I’ve been on a pretty big Baroness kick. Lucky for me and you, today they’ve released another single, “Beneath The Rose” from their upcoming new album. This new song is pretty damn rockin’! One of my favorite things about Baroness, is their eagerness to experiment and try new things and on this song, they have definitely added some extra elements and textures to their repitoire. The roots of this song also go back to the bands previous album, Gold & Grey. Speaking about that vocalist/guitarist John Baizley said “This song is kind of a cool one because, when we were writing our last record, Gold & Grey, I had the outline for this song ready to go, but it didn’t quite work. We couldn’t figure out how to turn it into a full song at the time, so it was nice to dust off the bones of the song and breathe new life into it for STONE. It’s always nice to go back to a song that you’ve always felt had a potential, but you never saw through. It’s loosely based lyrically on a poem by George Eliot.” Stone comes out on September 15! In the meantime dig into this!

Baroness- Beneath The Rose:


New Release: Baroness- Last Word

This is exciting! New Baroness is on the way! Today, the first single “Last Word” from Baroness’s upcoming new album, Stone was released. On September 15 the long awaited new album arrives via the band’s label Abraxan Hymns. Speaking on the album singer/guitarist John Baizley said “An important through line in Baroness is we don’t like to repeat ourselves. It’s all about the willingness to take risks. When I was younger, the whole point of music was to be different, not to do the same thing, and not to listen to parents or play by the rules. That’s kind of goofy, but in practice, it works. It’s really sort of terrifying to be at the sixth record in your career and think that you’ll have to keep up with your history rather than continually invent. So, we doubled down on continuously inventing to see where it takes us. I think this record is a good reflection of that. ‘Stone’ is a lot more alive, more direct.”

Baroness spent a month shrouded amidst the pines, holed up in a vacation rental that became an impromptu recording space replete with big, vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and brick/glass walls. While they wrote “Stone”, Baizley recorded and pre-mixed it in real time, giving each song on “Stone” its own sonic treatment. After the group finished tracking drums, guitars, and bass, they took everything back to Baizley’s basement studio to record vocals. Stone, is the band’s first self-produced album and was mixed by Joe Barresi and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

Baroness- Last Word: