Baroness: Gold and Grey

Baroness are now well and truly established in the music loving psyche of the modern fan of heavy, and after bouncing back from some major trials and tribulations have confirmed why they are such a loved and coveted band.

The album opens with solid 1-2-3 punch of ‘Front Toward Enemy’ ‘I’m Already Gone’ and ‘Seasons’ that show off everything Baroness has learned, from their beginnings as a just another sludge band to the darlings of the heavy music scene they have become. All three bounce along with an urgency eventually leading to the restful ‘Sevens’, a quieter acoustic piece allowing the opening cuts to sink in as music just swirls around. This tactic is used to great effect throughout, as the band creates several slow interludes, exploring musical terrain and lulling the listener into a false serenity before coming out full steam.

The best example of this is the pairing of ‘Anchor’s Lament’ and ‘Throw Me An Anchor’, playing a great back and forth of musical crunch and relaxing experimental outreach that adds a certain something to what is going on

Another new feather in the Baroness cap is the heavy use of new guitarist/vocalist Gina Gleason’s higher register contrasting with John Baizley and his gruffer rock vocal style, adding a vocal harmony that is sometimes well hidden, taking a few listens to come out, but at its best on ‘Emmett-Radiating Light’ or ‘I’d Do Anything’ where it adds a new dimension to the band’s formula.

At first glance, Gold and Grey seems over long being only one track shorter than the two disc effort Yellow and Green, although where that album separated certain pieces of the band’s musical output, this makes everything feel more welcoming and condensed.

If you are not on the Baroness band wagon yet, this album may do little to convince you that you need to buy into their form of musical majesty, unless you are looking to add that something different to your playlist of heavy hits. If you are already on board, you will be more than happy.