Red Album

BARONESS - "Red Album" CD (Relapse)
A hard rock/heavy metal band that mixes classic rock, post-hardcore sounds like ISIS and KYLESA, stoner rock, MASTODON, crusty hardcore and even southern rock. All with a progressive metal/rock leaning. The album produced by Phillip of KYLESA. The very clean, sung vocals on a lot of tracks threw me but I still dug it.
1. Patient and slow at the beginning. Enter what sounds like alternative/classic rock guitar. The beginning of the track could also fall under post-rock. Surprising clean vocals. This track is an odd mix of sound, which ends up sounding like progressive metal.
**2. Continues where track 1 left off. Clean vocals and a progressive hard rock sound. Some guitar sounds that remind me of PELICAN. The guitar changes it's sound and gets a bit wanky. Is that THIN LIZZY guitar I hear towards the end.
**3. Clean choppy guitar into 70s metal guitar. Part MASTODON and part THIN LIZZY/UFO?
4. Ambient beginning with drum stick clicks. The track slowly builds and just when you think they are going to rock out they pull back and have a very 80s metal instrumental section. Dramatic but never very heavy.
6. Starts with medium paced guitar noodling. Big sung vocals. Progressive rock.
7. That a guitar tuned way down? Mellow intro. When the track gets heavy it's a unique and somewhat uncomfortable transition. The track progressively gets heavier. No vocals till the end and then it's just a scream or two.
**9. Heavy forceful short track.
10. Very quiet for the first minute or so. Track slowly builds. Similar to PELICAN.
Excellent stuff. -mph