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Gold & Grey

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Gold & Grey
Studio album by
Baroness
ReleasedJune 14, 2019
RecordedFebruary–November 2018[1]
StudioTarbox Road
Cassadaga, New York
Genre
Length60:29
LabelAbraxan Hymns
ProducerDave Fridmann[3]
Baroness chronology
Purple
(2015) 		Gold & Grey
(2019) 		Live at Maida Vale – Vol. II
(2020)
Singles from Gold & Grey
  1. "Borderlines"
    Released: March 14, 2019[4]
  2. "Seasons"
    Released: April 10, 2019[5][6]
  3. "Throw Me an Anchor"
    Released: May 15, 2019[7][8]

Gold & Grey is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. It was released on June 14, 2019, on the band's own label, Abraxan Hymns.[9]

Background

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The album is the band's first to feature new guitarist and vocalist Gina Gleason. It was mastered by frequent Flaming Lips collaborator Dave Fridmann, who also produced Baroness' previous album.[10]

"Our goal is, was, and will always be to write increasingly superior, more honest and compelling songs, and to develop a more unique and challenging sound. I'm sure we have just finished our best, most adventurous album to date. We dug incredibly deep, challenged ourselves and recorded a record I'm positive we could never again replicate. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to know Sebastian, Nick and Gina as both my bandmates and my friends. They have pushed me to become a better songwriter, musician and vocalist. We’re all extremely excited for this release, which includes quite a few 'firsts' for the band, and we're thrilled to be back on tour to play these psychotic songs for our fans. Expect some surprises."

— Baizley on the album[10]

The band debuted the album's first single, "Borderlines," in Houston at the start of their co-headlining tour with Deafheaven in March 2019.[11][4] "Seasons" and "Throw Me an Anchor" were released as singles in April and May, respectively. "Front Toward Enemy" debuted on May 3 as part of Adult Swim's Metal Swim 2 compilation.[12][13]

During a European tour in support of Gold & Grey, the band performed songs from the record live in Maida Vale Studios[14] for BBC Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter. This session resulted in an extended play titled Live at Maida Vale – Vol. II, which released the following year.[15]

Album title and artwork

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In an interview with Revolver, frontman John Baizley explained that the band members were calling the record Orange until the day before it was mastered. He was not fond of the title, and after noticing the phrase "gold and grey" present in lyrics from two of the album's songs, he settled on the Gold & Grey title.[16]

As with all previous releases by the band, the cover art was done by Baizley and echoes themes seen on prior recordings that prominently feature scantily clad woman intertwined with scenes inspired by nature. The art work was leaked by music identifying app Shazam which forced Baizley to release it early on the band's Twitter account.[17][18]

"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 album itself, it is the result of an intense, tireless, and psychotically convoluted creative process. 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. I hope you all enjoy this album cover (sorry it's not called Orange). Don't look too closely, you might just see all the hidden elements."

— Baizley on the album's artwork[17]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic91/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Consequence of SoundA[21]
Exclaim!9/10[22]
The Guardian[23]
NME[24]
Pitchfork8.0/10[2]
PopMatters9/10[25]

Gold & Grey was well received and on aggregate website Metacritic, the album received a score of 91/100 from 14 critics indicating universal acclaim. Loudwire named it one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019.[26]

Commercial performance

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Gold & Grey debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard 200 with roughly 13,000 sales in its first week.[27] It peaked at No. 5 on the Top Album Sales chart, No. 2 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and it topped the Independent Albums chart.[28] The album also debuted atop the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, the highest chart position achieved by Baroness to date.[29]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Front Toward Enemy"3:44
2."I'm Already Gone"3:50
3."Seasons"4:26
4."Sevens" (instrumental)2:05
5."Tourniquet"5:45
6."Anchor's Lament"1:39
7."Throw Me an Anchor"4:00
8."I'd Do Anything"4:10
9."Blankets of Ash"1:04
10."Emmett – Radiating Light"4:12
11."Cold-Blooded Angels"5:38
12."Crooked Mile" (instrumental)0:41
13."Broken Halo"4:24
14."Can Oscura" (instrumental)2:01
15."Borderlines"6:17
16."Assault on East Falls" (instrumental)2:19
17."Pale Sun"4:14
Total length:60:29

Personnel

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Baroness
  • John Dyer Baizley – lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion, piano, artwork
  • Gina Gleason – lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, lead vocals, synthesizer
  • Nick Jost – bass, synthesizer, keyboards
  • Sebastian Thomson – drums
Guests
  • Katie Jones – violin and viola on "Anchor's Lament"
  • Jodi Milbert, Marald van Haasteren, Ben LaFond, Sara Schatz – spoken words on "Blankets of Ash"
  • Isabela Dyer Thompson Baizley – vocals on "Cold-Blooded Angels"
  • LMPD – megaphoning on "Borderlines"

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 52
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 124
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 72
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 177
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 14
Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] 35
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[38] 57
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 64
US Billboard 200[41] 39

References

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  1. ^ "News". davefridmann.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Kelly, Kim (June 25, 2019). "Baroness: Gold & Grey Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "Baroness Prep New LP 'Gold & Grey,' Issue Winding Song 'Borderlines'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Baroness Announce 'Gold & Grey' Album, Debut 'Borderlines' Single". Loudwire. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "Single - Seasons". spotify.com. April 10, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "Baroness releases invigorating new single 'Seasons' - listen". bandwagon.asia. April 11, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "Single - Throw Me an Anchor". spotify.com. May 15, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  8. ^ "Listen to new Baroness single Throw Me An Anchor". loudersound.com. May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  9. ^ "Baroness announce release date for Gold & Grey album, unveil 'Borderlines' video: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Baroness share 'Borderlines,' detail new album 'Gold & Grey'". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  11. ^ "Baroness – "Borderlines" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Stream Adult Swim's Metal Swim 2 Feat. Sunn O))), Baroness, Oathbreaker, & More". stereogum.com. May 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  14. ^ Kendrick, Monica (November 25, 2021). "Baroness play fan-picked favorites on their first tour since the pandemic". chicagoreader.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Baroness - Live at Maida Vaile BBC Vol II". recordstoreday.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Baroness' John Baizley on Chaos and Secrets of 'Gold & Grey' Cover Art". revolvermag.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "BARONESS Reveal The Cover For Their Next Album, Gold & Grey". Metal Injection. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Baroness Reveal Stunning Cover Art for New Album 'Gold & Grey'". Revolver. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  19. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  20. ^ Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  21. ^ Pementel, Michael (June 11, 2019). "Baroness Deliver Radiance and Heart on the Stunning Gold & Grey". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Morin, Max (June 11, 2019). "Baroness - Gold & Grey". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  23. ^ Simpson, Dave (June 14, 2019). "Baroness: Gold & Grey review – ambitious rockers go beyond metal". The Guardian. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  24. ^ Bhagwandas, Anita (June 10, 2019). "Baroness – 'Gold & Grey' review". NME. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  25. ^ Blum, Jordan (June 11, 2019). "Baroness Gold & Grey". PopMatters. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 5, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "News". lambgoat.com. June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "Weekly Rock Chart Round-Up". Sound Mouth. June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  30. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #530". auspOp. June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  31. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top40: Longplay-Charts". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Baroness – Gold & Grey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Baroness – Gold & Grey" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  34. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  35. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 25, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Baroness – Gold & Grey" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  37. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 25: del 14.6.2019 al 20.6.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Baroness – Gold & Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  41. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
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