Rob’s Album Of The Week: Baroness’ Gold & Grey

In order for a band to evolve, they have to try different things while maintaining their musical identity. It can be incredibly difficult to pull off but when it’s properly done it can be an incredible thing for the ears to experience. Savannah, Georgia metal troubadours Baroness took this approach with their fifth album, Gold & Gray, that hit music download sites and record store shelves on June 14 via their own label Abraxan Hymns. It pays dividends with an abundance of progressive techniques and melodic structures. This installment has a lot to offer and at first listen there will be elements that sneak up on the senses.

The album marks the first release from the current edition of the band after much changeover throughout the years. Sole original member John Baizley on rhythm guitar and vocals, bassist Nick Jost, Gina Gleason on lead guitar and drummer Sebastian Thomson syncopate in incredible ways. Much like the band’s prior 2015 release Purple that incorporated electronic tones, this album brings in a ton of prog. Gleason’s skills especially shine with scorching solos and blistering riffs. There’s also some ambient parts that serve as nice departures as the songs roll along.

Bands like Baroness always make me wonder what metal exactly is in the 2010s. The music has a ridiculous amount of subgenres and the bands affiliated within it…