On 2012’s Yellow and Green, it became apparent that sludge metal outfit Baroness was not going to be the band many knew them as for long. The double album saw the four-piece veering into a tighter, more streamlined brand of melodic rock; it’s still heavy and experimental, but much less prone to the drawn-out prog tendencies Baroness was previously known for.
Nobody, however, could have guessed just how much the band would change over the next few years.
Almost immediately after Yellow and Green’s release, the band was involved in a bus crash in England that left nine people injured — including rhythm section Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni, both of whom amicably split from the band shortly thereafter. But Baroness soldiered on, and in late 2015 released Purple, their fourth full-length.
Purple completes the transition from Baroness as sludgy demigods to a melodic rock powerhouse. Sure, their metal backbone is still intact, as stone-neck inducing songs like “Morningstar” and “Desperation Burns” recall vintage Baroness. But there are also songs like “Shock Me” (a radio-ready rocker that recalls Wasting Light-era Foo Fighters) and “Chlorine and Wine” (a seven-minute epic that shoehorns in some noodly experimentation into what’s otherwise an expertly crafted modern rock song).
Frontman and de facto bandleader John Baizley has always been one of the more restless guys in metal, from his work as a graphic artist to his constantly evolving work with Baroness; he’s the kind of guy who can bring out the best outcomes in whatever it is he’s doing. Musically, his knack for song craft and openness to change has helped turn his group into one of metal’s more exciting acts. But he also took a band marred by tragedy and pulled a truly impressive record out of them.
Unseating Deafheaven for 2015’s best metal album would have been a mammoth undertaking — at least in my book. But with Purple, Baroness came damn close.