Grammy-nominated exploratory rock band Baroness return with their most ambitious work to date, fifth album Gold & Grey. Set for release on the band's own Abraxan Hymns, Gold & Grey spills triumphantly past genre barriers, their anthemic alt-metal hooks ricocheting between the circuitous twists of prog and jazz, the moody swirls of space-rock and noise, and the hypnotic pulses of trip-hop and 20th Century minimalism.
"This is the most clear representation of the artistic vision I have for the band that we've ever done," says Baroness vocalist, guitarist and founder John Baizley. "I'm surprised that we got as far with it as we did."
Baizley sees the diverse, adventurous album as a "lateral step" from the streamlined, immediate guitar-rock of the band's last release, Purple, championed by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and L.A. Weekly as one of the best metal albums of 2015. Gold & Grey works like a melodic puzzle, melodies and harmonic ideas borrowed, repurposed and reinterpreted across three sides of vinyl. Lyrics are full of sonic Easter eggs; unorthodox prog is hidden inside the most accessible songs; tunes emerge from swirling chaos and dense layers of sound. The album is given color by strings, glockenspiel, tubular bells, piano, synthesizers and even field recordings of the chaos after a transformer blew up outside of the recording studio.
"The term I kept using was that I wanted to create something that was more kaleidoscopic than our former records," says Baizley, who embraced the wide lens and limitless journeying of artists like Pink Floyd, Neurosis, Massive Attack and Scott Walker. "We were trying to say something new with our instruments, with our sound intact, with the spirit of the band intact, but not applying the typical conventions when possible."
~~~~~~~~
BARONESS formed in 2003 in Savannah, GA, comprised of a group of friends who grew up together in Lexington, VA, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Shortly after their formation, the band released two EPs and a split EP with Unpersons entitled respectively, First, Second andA Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk. From their origin right through the release of these EPs, BARONESS toured non-stop throughout America and Europe, building up a steady underground fan base.
In late 2006, the band began working on their first proper full-length, and debut for Relapse, Red Album. Recorded by Philip Cope (Kylesa), the album was a big step forward from the band's earlier material; they began to develop a sense of melody and song structure as a counter-balance to the EP's brute intensity. The release of Red Album saw the band touring world-wide and year-round for the next two years. The record received high critical praise, eventually garnering the #1 Album-of-the-Year slot in Revolver Magazine.
In between tours, and exactly two years after writing Red Album, BARONESS returned to the studio to record a follow-up record. The band enlisted the help of Grammy-nominated engineer/producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent, Black Mountain, etc.). In 2009, Relapse released Blue Record, another comprehensive step forward for the band's ever-evolving sound. The record continued the band's growing sense of melody while directing the focus to an "album-as-an-art-form" concept. Blue Record was named 2009's Album-of-the-Year by Decibel Magazine, and made an impact on the Best-Of lists in publications as varied as Pitchfork, Village Voice, PopMatters, Revolver, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.
show less
"This is the most clear representation of the artistic vision I have for the band that we've ever done," says Baroness vocalist, guitarist and founder John Baizley. "I'm surprised that we got as far with it as we did."
Baizley sees the diverse, adventurous album as a "lateral step" from the streamlined, immediate guitar-rock of the band's last release, Purple, championed by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and L.A. Weekly as one of the best metal albums of 2015. Gold & Grey works like a melodic puzzle, melodies and harmonic ideas borrowed, repurposed and reinterpreted across three sides of vinyl. Lyrics are full of sonic Easter eggs; unorthodox prog is hidden inside the most accessible songs; tunes emerge from swirling chaos and dense layers of sound. The album is given color by strings, glockenspiel, tubular bells, piano, synthesizers and even field recordings of the chaos after a transformer blew up outside of the recording studio.
"The term I kept using was that I wanted to create something that was more kaleidoscopic than our former records," says Baizley, who embraced the wide lens and limitless journeying of artists like Pink Floyd, Neurosis, Massive Attack and Scott Walker. "We were trying to say something new with our instruments, with our sound intact, with the spirit of the band intact, but not applying the typical conventions when possible."
~~~~~~~~
BARONESS formed in 2003 in Savannah, GA, comprised of a group of friends who grew up together in Lexington, VA, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Shortly after their formation, the band released two EPs and a split EP with Unpersons entitled respectively, First, Second andA Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk. From their origin right through the release of these EPs, BARONESS toured non-stop throughout America and Europe, building up a steady underground fan base.
In late 2006, the band began working on their first proper full-length, and debut for Relapse, Red Album. Recorded by Philip Cope (Kylesa), the album was a big step forward from the band's earlier material; they began to develop a sense of melody and song structure as a counter-balance to the EP's brute intensity. The release of Red Album saw the band touring world-wide and year-round for the next two years. The record received high critical praise, eventually garnering the #1 Album-of-the-Year slot in Revolver Magazine.
In between tours, and exactly two years after writing Red Album, BARONESS returned to the studio to record a follow-up record. The band enlisted the help of Grammy-nominated engineer/producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent, Black Mountain, etc.). In 2009, Relapse released Blue Record, another comprehensive step forward for the band's ever-evolving sound. The record continued the band's growing sense of melody while directing the focus to an "album-as-an-art-form" concept. Blue Record was named 2009's Album-of-the-Year by Decibel Magazine, and made an impact on the Best-Of lists in publications as varied as Pitchfork, Village Voice, PopMatters, Revolver, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.
Grammy-nominated exploratory rock band Baroness return with their most ambitious work to date, fifth album Gold & Grey. Set for release on the band's own Abraxan Hymns, Gold & Grey spills triumphantly past genre barriers, their anthemic alt-metal hooks ricocheting between the circuitous twists of prog and jazz, the moody swirls of space-rock and noise, and the hypnotic pulses of trip-hop and 20th Century minimalism.
"This is the most clear representation of the artistic vision I have for the band that we've ever done," says Baroness vocalist, guitarist and founder John Baizley. "I'm surprised that we got as far with it as we did."
Baizley sees the diverse, adventurous album as a "lateral step" from the streamlined, immediate guitar-rock of the band's last release, Purple, championed by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and L.A. Weekly as one of the best metal albums of 2015. Gold & Grey works like a melodic puzzle, melodies and harmonic ideas borrowed, repurposed and reinterpreted across three sides of vinyl. Lyrics are full of sonic Easter eggs; unorthodox prog is hidden inside the most accessible songs; tunes emerge from swirling chaos and dense layers of sound. The album is given color by strings, glockenspiel, tubular bells, piano, synthesizers and even field recordings of the chaos after a transformer blew up outside of the recording studio.
"The term I kept using was that I wanted to create something that was more kaleidoscopic than our former records," says Baizley, who embraced the wide lens and limitless journeying of artists like Pink Floyd, Neurosis, Massive Attack and Scott Walker. "We were trying to say something new with our instruments, with our sound intact, with the spirit of the band intact, but not applying the typical conventions when possible."
~~~~~~~~
BARONESS formed in 2003 in Savannah, GA, comprised of a group of friends who grew up together in Lexington, VA, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Shortly after their formation, the band released two EPs and a split EP with Unpersons entitled respectively, First, Second andA Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk. From their origin right through the release of these EPs, BARONESS toured non-stop throughout America and Europe, building up a steady underground fan base.
In late 2006, the band began working on their first proper full-length, and debut for Relapse, Red Album. Recorded by Philip Cope (Kylesa), the album was a big step forward from the band's earlier material; they began to develop a sense of melody and song structure as a counter-balance to the EP's brute intensity. The release of Red Album saw the band touring world-wide and year-round for the next two years. The record received high critical praise, eventually garnering the #1 Album-of-the-Year slot in Revolver Magazine.
In between tours, and exactly two years after writing Red Album, BARONESS returned to the studio to record a follow-up record. The band enlisted the help of Grammy-nominated engineer/producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent, Black Mountain, etc.). In 2009, Relapse released Blue Record, another comprehensive step forward for the band's ever-evolving sound. The record continued the band's growing sense of melody while directing the focus to an "album-as-an-art-form" concept. Blue Record was named 2009's Album-of-the-Year by Decibel Magazine, and made an impact on the Best-Of lists in publications as varied as Pitchfork, Village Voice, PopMatters, Revolver, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.
read more
"This is the most clear representation of the artistic vision I have for the band that we've ever done," says Baroness vocalist, guitarist and founder John Baizley. "I'm surprised that we got as far with it as we did."
Baizley sees the diverse, adventurous album as a "lateral step" from the streamlined, immediate guitar-rock of the band's last release, Purple, championed by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and L.A. Weekly as one of the best metal albums of 2015. Gold & Grey works like a melodic puzzle, melodies and harmonic ideas borrowed, repurposed and reinterpreted across three sides of vinyl. Lyrics are full of sonic Easter eggs; unorthodox prog is hidden inside the most accessible songs; tunes emerge from swirling chaos and dense layers of sound. The album is given color by strings, glockenspiel, tubular bells, piano, synthesizers and even field recordings of the chaos after a transformer blew up outside of the recording studio.
"The term I kept using was that I wanted to create something that was more kaleidoscopic than our former records," says Baizley, who embraced the wide lens and limitless journeying of artists like Pink Floyd, Neurosis, Massive Attack and Scott Walker. "We were trying to say something new with our instruments, with our sound intact, with the spirit of the band intact, but not applying the typical conventions when possible."
~~~~~~~~
BARONESS formed in 2003 in Savannah, GA, comprised of a group of friends who grew up together in Lexington, VA, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Shortly after their formation, the band released two EPs and a split EP with Unpersons entitled respectively, First, Second andA Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk. From their origin right through the release of these EPs, BARONESS toured non-stop throughout America and Europe, building up a steady underground fan base.
In late 2006, the band began working on their first proper full-length, and debut for Relapse, Red Album. Recorded by Philip Cope (Kylesa), the album was a big step forward from the band's earlier material; they began to develop a sense of melody and song structure as a counter-balance to the EP's brute intensity. The release of Red Album saw the band touring world-wide and year-round for the next two years. The record received high critical praise, eventually garnering the #1 Album-of-the-Year slot in Revolver Magazine.
In between tours, and exactly two years after writing Red Album, BARONESS returned to the studio to record a follow-up record. The band enlisted the help of Grammy-nominated engineer/producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent, Black Mountain, etc.). In 2009, Relapse released Blue Record, another comprehensive step forward for the band's ever-evolving sound. The record continued the band's growing sense of melody while directing the focus to an "album-as-an-art-form" concept. Blue Record was named 2009's Album-of-the-Year by Decibel Magazine, and made an impact on the Best-Of lists in publications as varied as Pitchfork, Village Voice, PopMatters, Revolver, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer.
show less
Date/Times:
The UC Theatre
22 Upcoming Events
2036 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.