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Baroness (band)

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Baroness
Baroness in 2018
Baroness in 2018
Background information
OriginSavannah, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyBaroness discography
Years active2003–present
Labels
  • Abraxan Hymns
  • Relapse
  • At a Loss
  • Hyperrealist
Members
Past members
  • Allen Blickle
  • Summer Welch
  • Tim Loose
  • Brian Blickle
  • Pete Adams
  • Matt Maggioni
Websiteyourbaroness.com

Baroness is an American heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia that has been active since 2003.[1] The early members grew up together in Lexington, Virginia. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes, with frontman John Baizley serving as the sole constant throughout. Baizley creates the artwork for all of the group's albums and has done artwork for other bands.[2]

History

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Formative years (2003–2007)

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Baroness formed in mid-2003 in Savannah, Georgia.[1] The original lineup consisted of guitarist and vocalist John Baizley, guitarist Tim Loose, bassist Summer Welch, and drummer Allen Blickle. Before Baroness, John, Summer, Allen, and future-member Pete Adams had played together in a punk rock band called Johnny Welfare and the Paychecks.[3] Much of the early Baroness material was written by John and Pete at a music store and later a small apartment in Savannah. This material was repurposed and expanded upon for Baroness' self-released demo, and later their debut extended play. The EP, titled First, was released by Hyperrealist Records on August 3, 2004.[4]

The band's follow-up EP, Second, was released by Hyperrealist on September 5, 2005. That same year, Tim Loose was replaced on guitar by Brian Blickle (brother of drummer Allen Blickle). After touring with the new lineup, Baroness reunited with Tim in the studio to record two final songs that would appear on a split album with fellow Savannah-based band Unpersons.[5] The album, A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk, was released by At a Loss Recordings on June 26, 2007. Baroness' demo was recorded by Steve West of Pavement and Marble Valley, while the band's other early material was recorded at The Jam Room Studio in Columbia, South Carolina and produced by Phillip Cope of Kylesa.

Relapse Records and Red Album (2007–2009)

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Baroness started recording their first studio album at The Jam Room with Phillip Cope in March 2007. It was announced shortly after that the group had signed with Relapse Records.[6] The band's first release on the label was a split 7" record with High on Fire and Coliseum; Baroness' contribution was the song "O'Appalachia" from their upcoming album. Their debut full-length, Red Album, was released by Relapse on September 4, 2007.[7] Hyperrealist also released a limited one-off pressing of the record on dark red vinyl with etched borders, of which there are 1000 copies.[8][9] Red Album was met with positive reception, with Heavy metal magazine Revolver naming it the top album of the year.[10][11]

On December 1, 2007, Baroness performed at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. The band's first music video (for the song "Wanderlust") debuted on December 6 on Headbangers Ball.[12] Throughout 2007–2009, Baroness toured and shared the stage with many bands, including Converge, The Red Chord, High on Fire, Opeth, Coheed and Cambria, Coliseum, Mastodon, Minsk and Clutch. On September 20, 2008, the band announced that Brian Blickle had parted ways with them. He was replaced with guitarist and vocalist Pete Adams of Valkyrie. On December 1, 2008, Hyperrealist released First & Second, a compilation album of remixed and remastered versions of the songs from the first two Baroness EPs.

Blue Record (2009–2011)

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On April 23, 2009, Baroness performed at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. On May 18, they entered The Track Studio in Plano, Texas, to record their second full-length album. Produced by John Congleton, Blue Record was released via Relapse on October 13, 2009. Material from their Roadburn performance was included as a bonus disc on the deluxe edition of the album, while the Japanese release featured a cover version of the Descendents song "Bikeage". Blue Record debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart[13] and reached 117 on the Billboard 200. It was named Decibel Magazine's top record of the year,[14] and would later be named the 20th "Greatest Metal Album in History" by LA Weekly.[15] Roughly six months after Blue Record was released, Baroness signed an agreement to be represented by Q Prime management.[16]

In February and March 2010, Baroness played at the Australian Soundwave Festival alongside bands such as Clutch, Isis, Meshuggah, Janes Addiction and Faith No More.[17] They toured Japan that March with Isis,[18] supported Mastodon on their US headlining tour in April and May 2010, and supported Deftones in August and September of that year. Baroness was selected along with Lamb of God as a support act for Metallica on their late-2010 tour of Australia and New Zealand.[19] The group performed at Coachella and Bonnaroo as well.[20][21] Through Relapse, Baroness released its first single, "A Horse Called Golgotha," on August 31. The 7" record included their cover of the Descendents' "Bikeage" as b-side. By 2011, John Baizley had relocated from Savannah, Georgia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[22]

Yellow & Green and bus crash (2011–2013)

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Baroness took a break from touring in 2011 to work on new material. The band launched a new website on May 23[23] and performed at Virginia's Best Friends Day festival in late August. Shortly after the festival, founding bassist Summer Welch left Baroness.[24] They entered the studio as a three-piece and recorded their next album in November and December 2011. John Congleton again produced the record, while John Baizley performed the bass parts in addition to his usual guitar and vocal duties. By early 2012, former Unpersons bassist Matt Maggioni joined Baroness for their next touring cycle. The new album's lead single, "Take My Bones Away," was released along with an album teaser. A second single, "March to the Sea," followed one month later. The double album Yellow & Green was released through Relapse on July 17, 2012.[25] The album charted at 30 on the Billboard 200, the highest debut in Relapse Records' history,[26] it and was named the top metal album of the year by both Entertainment Weekly and Spin.[27][28] Just days before its release, the band performed songs from Yellow & Green live in Maida Vale Studios. This session resulted in an EP, Live at Maida Vale, which became the group's final release through Relapse in 2013.

While touring Europe on August 15, 2012, nine passengers were injured when the German-registered bus in which the band were traveling fell from a viaduct near Bath, England. Emergency services were called to Brassknocker Hill in Monkton Combe after the coach fell 30 ft (9m). Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the incident happened at 11:30 BST; because of heavy rain and reduced visibility it was not possible for an air ambulance to land. Emergency services said two people were transported to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol while seven others went to the Royal United Hospital in Bath.[29] As a result of the crash, frontman John Baizley suffered a broken arm and leg on his left side, while Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni each suffered fractured vertebrae. Pete Adams was treated and released from the hospital the day after the accident.[30] Baroness canceled their remaining tour dates while the other members spent months recovering from their injuries.

Recovery and line-up changes (2013–2015)

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During the subsequent months of recovery, Baroness began scheduling tour dates once more. In January 2013, John Baizley joined Converge onstage in Philadelphia to perform their song "Coral Blue." The next day, John and Pete Adams opened for Neurosis as a stripped-down version of Baroness, playing "Foolsong" from Yellow & Green.[31] John performed an acoustic set and artwork exhibition from March 14 to 16 at SXSW in Austin, Texas.[32] In addition, Baroness made plans to perform at festivals such as Chaos in Tejas,[33] Free Press Summer Festival,[34] and Heavy MTL in Montreal, Quebec.[35]

On March 25, 2013, through a statement posted on Baroness' website, it was announced that both Matt Maggioni and founding member Allen Blickle had left the band.[36] This made John Baizley the sole remaining original member. April 1, the first leg of Baroness' 2013 US Headlining Tour was announced, as was the addition of bassist Nick Jost and Trans Am drummer Sebastian Thomson.[37] Both musicians remain in the band to this day. On September 27, 2013, the group started a European Tour in Tilburg, Netherlands.

New label, Purple, and Grammy nomination (2015–2017)

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John Baizley at Roadburn Festival 2017

The band's fourth album, Purple, was recorded in 2015 with producer David Fridmann at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York.[38] On August 28, Towards the end of a two-week European tour, "Chlorine & Wine" was released as the album's first single. They also announced that Purple would be released on their own newly formed record label Abraxan Hymns.[39] On September 24, Baroness released the official music video for "Chlorine & Wine" and announced a North American small venue tour for the fall.[40] On November 15, 2015, the band released the single "Shock Me", which debuted on BBC Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter.[41] The song reached number 28 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart [42] and was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Purple was released through Abraxan Hymns on December 18, 2015. The album was included at number 23 on Rock Sound's top 50 releases of 2015 list and at number 7 on Rolling Stone's Best Metal Albums of 2015 list.[43] Two more singles were released on December 12, 2017, and both featured alternate recordings as b-sides.[44] "Try to Disappear" includes a live version of song from a 2016 performance at Los Angeles's Fonda Theatre, while "Morningstar" features a demo version of the track. All four singles from Purple were released as 12" picture discs with illustrations by artist Marald Van Haasteren.

Gold & Grey (2017–2020)

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On April 21, 2017, Baroness once again performed at the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands. On April 26, in an interview in Teamrock, John Baizley said that they had begun writing material for their fifth studio album, stating: "We've started writing a few tunes that we're working on. The really cool thing now is that Sebastian and Nick have been in the band long enough that they understand what we do."[45] On June 1, 2017, it was announced that Pete Adams was leaving the band to stay closer to home and focus on Valkyrie. His final concert with Baroness was the group's Roadburn Festival performence weeks prior. Guitarist and vocalist Gina Gleason replaced Pete, and she still remains in the band.

On March 9, 2019, Baroness began teasing the release of Gold & Grey, a new album again produced by David Fridmann. Three days later, they released the album art on their social media accounts, saying "This painting was born from a deeply personal reflection on the past 12 years of this band's history, and will stand as the 6th and final piece in our chromatically-themed records."[46] The tracks "Borderlines," "Seasons," and "Throw Me an Anchor" were all released as digital singles,[47] and "Front Toward Enemy" debuted as part of Adult Swim's Metal Swim 2 compilation.[48] Shortly after playing a K! Pit show, the band released Gold & Grey via Abraxan Hymns on June 14, 2019. The album was received very well, achieving a score of 91 on Metacritic with 14 reviews.[49] Critics praised the album's artistry, the instrumental musicianship, and the use of vocal harmonies as well as stylist breadth that builds upon elements from the band's past works while also incorporating new stylistic elements.

Your Baroness Tour and Stone (2020–present)

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In a September 2020 interview with MetalSucks, Baizley noted that Baroness had written approximately 30 new songs for what would become their sixth studio album. "We started doing Zoom meetings every Monday night, and mostly that's because we've been writing since March or April," he said. "We're talking about new stuff we're doing, which is all file sharing, all trading elements of songs, and [we're] hoping when we get together that they congeal."[50] By November, Baroness had begun recording their sixth studio album at a rented vacation home in Barryville, New York.[51][52] On November 27, 2020, the band released the EP Live at Maida Vale – Vol. II through their label. The release includes songs from Gold & Grey which were recorded live in studio the previous year. Originally an exclusive vinyl release for Record Store Day,[53] it was later made available digitally.

In 2021, the band began the "Your Baroness" tour in North America. It was a by-request show, with fans voting on which songs they wanted to be performed.[54] The tour continued into 2022, where they played shows in Europe and North America with bands such as Kvelertak, Mastodon, Killswitch Engage, and Lamb of God.[55][56] On March 11, 2022, former Baroness guitarist Brian Blickle joined the band on stage to play "Isak" at the Golden Pony in Harrisonburg, Virginia.[57] In June 2023, the band officially announced their self-produced sixth album, Stone. They shared the album's lead single, "Last Word", and announced a North American tour with support acts including Sheer Mag, Jesus Piece, Portrayal of Guilt and Primitive Man.[58] On July 14, the band unveiled the single "Beneath the Rose" and its corresponding music video.[59] On August 18, the band released the third single "Shine".[60] On September 15, 2023, Stone was released via Abraxan Hymns to positive reviews. The deluxe and Japanese editions of the album included bonus live tracks recorded during the "Your Baroness" tour. To promote the album, Baroness embarked on another tour after its release.

Musical style

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Baroness play a mix of heavy metal styles, including sludge,[61][62] progressive,[62] and alternative.[63][64][65] Pitchfork has described the band's sound as "rock music that folds in... more metal leanings, along with something more delicate and spare."[66] Invisible Oranges called Baroness "a band of extremes" and said "within a single record—sometimes a single song—they lash out in pummeling guitars and punk-rock screams, then drop into finger-picked acoustic guitar reminiscent of bluegrass and country. Their music fuses the meticulousness of prog-metal with the warm, lazy embrace of psychedelic rock."[67]

Members

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Timeline

Discography

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Main article: Baroness discography

Accolades

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Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 "Shock Me" Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance Nominated

Best-of lists

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Baroness Interview". Deaf Sparrow. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  2. ^ "A Perfect Monster — Official art blog of John Dyer Baizley". aperfectmonster.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  3. ^ Ali, Nadeem (October 11, 2007). "Baroness - Band Profile". newnoise.net. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "A Conversation With Pete Adams: On Valkyrie's New Album, Baroness, and Growing Up". Monster Riff. July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "BARONESS: Men of few Words". deafsparrow.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  6. ^ "BARONESS signs to Relapse Records". metalinjection.net. April 6, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  7. ^ [1] Archived February 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Releases". hyperrealist.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "News". hyperrealist.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Revolver's Top 2007 Metal Albums". Sputnik Music. December 31, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Baroness biography". Relapse. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
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  14. ^ a b "Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2009". Stereogum. November 24, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  15. ^ "The 20 Greatest Metal Albums in History: The Complete List". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
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  17. ^ "Baroness". Mammoth Booking. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  18. ^ "ISIS – On The Road Once Again". Isis official blog. March 16, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
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  20. ^ "Coachella 2010 Lineup: Jay-Z, Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke????". Stereogum. BUZZmedia. January 19, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  21. ^ Dombal, Ryan (February 9, 2010). "Bonnaroo Lineup Announced". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
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  25. ^ Ramirez, Carlos (April 11, 2012). "Baroness, 'Yellow & Green': Georgia Sludgesters Announce Third Album". Noisecreep. AOL. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  26. ^ "Baroness Discuss Guitar Work In New In-Studio Clip Available Via Guitar World". Relapse. July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Best and Worst 2012: The six best metal albums of the year". Entertainment Weekly. December 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
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  32. ^ "Baroness – Official Website » SXSW". Baronessmusic.com. March 1, 2013. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  33. ^ "Baroness – Official Website » Chaos In Tejas". Baronessmusic.com. March 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  34. ^ "Baroness – Official Website » Free Press Summer Festival". Baronessmusic.com. February 28, 2013. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  35. ^ "Baroness – Official Website » Heavy MTL". Baronessmusic.com. March 26, 2013. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  36. ^ "Baroness – Official Website » Update". Baronessmusic.com. March 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  37. ^ a b c "Baroness – 2013 Headlining Tour". Baronessmusic.com. April 1, 2013. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  38. ^ "Baroness — Recording with Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Road..." Yurbaroness.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  39. ^ "Baroness — ABRAXAN HYMNS". Yourbaroness.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  40. ^ "Baroness — FALL TOUR ANNOUNCED, "CHLORINE & WINE" OFFICIAL..." Yourbaroness.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  41. ^ "Baroness and Arcane Roots, Rock Show with Daniel P Carter - BBC Radio 1". BBC. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  42. ^ "Baroness Shock Me Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  43. ^ Bird, ed. 2016, p. 26
  44. ^ "BARONESS To Release Final Two Picture Discs In 'Purple' Series". blabbermouth.net. November 20, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  45. ^ Hammer, Scott Munro2017-04-26T08:30:00 115Z Metal (April 26, 2017). "Baroness have started writing material for Purple follow-up". Metal Hammer Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "Baroness on Instagram: "Here is the full cover painting for our new album, Gold & Grey. This is just the first piece of a much larger puzzle. Like the forthcoming…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  47. ^ "Listen to new Baroness single Throw Me An Anchor". loudersound.com. May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  48. ^ "Adult Swim's Metal Swim 2 Compilation is Out Now! Featuring New Music From Baroness, Sunn O))), Eyehategod and More". metalsucks.net. May 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  49. ^ "Gold & Grey by Baroness". Metacritic. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  50. ^ "Baroness Have Nearly 30 New Songs In The Works, Share "From Towards Enemy" Performance From Recent Livestream". ThePRP. September 14, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  51. ^ "Baroness Are In The Studio". ThePRP. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  52. ^ "Baroness - In The Studio". Metal Storm. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
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  54. ^ Cox, Gasmyne (September 29, 2021). "Baroness Announce Your Baroness Fall 2021 Tour Dates With Fan-Favorite Setlist". Mxdwn. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  55. ^ "Mastodon Announce European Shows With Kvelertak & Baroness". Metal Anarchy. September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  56. ^ "OMENS Tour: LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, BARONESS, SUICIDE SILENCE – MGM Music Hall @ Fenway, Boston September 21, 22, 2022". HEAVY. September 28, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  57. ^ "Baroness "Isak" (w/ Brian Blickle) live at The Golden Pony Harrisonburg VA 3/11/22". YouTube. March 12, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  58. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 20, 2023). "Baroness – "Last Word"". Stereogum. Stereogum Media. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  59. ^ "Baroness have dropped another new track, Beneath The Rose". Kerrang!. July 17, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  60. ^ "Baroness' New Single "Shine" is a Sonic Journey Worth Taking". MetalSucks. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  61. ^ Henry, Dusty (July 8, 2012). "Stream: Baroness – Yellow and Green". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  62. ^ a b "Where the Thunderclouds Are Rolling: Baroness, Sludge, and Southern Rebellion". PopMatters. July 15, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  63. ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 16, 2015). "Hear Baroness' Aggressive, Dark New Song 'Shock Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  64. ^ "After tragedy, Baroness has the mettle to push on - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  65. ^ Dan DeLuca, Inquirer Music Critic (May 24, 2013). "Resilient alt-metal band Baroness to open U.S. tour here". Philly.com. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  66. ^ Stosuy, Brandon. "Baroness: Purple Album Review". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  67. ^ "Interview: John Dyer Baizley of Baroness". Invisible Oranges. February 28, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
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