Album Reviews

Ever since Baroness unleashed “Red Album”, they have been compared to Mastodon ad infinitum. While just a quick listen will reveal that they are indeed indebted to the band, these dudes are no mere ripoffs or wannabes. They’ve already proven that a couple of times before and they do it again with even more conviction on “The Blue Record”.

With the spirit of the seventies still alive, these Georgia natives are not afraid to let their freak flag fly. Only this time around they do it in more compact songs. They still hold back a little in opener “Bullhead’s Psalm” and “The Sweetest Curse”, only to come at you no holds barred in the next couple of songs. The saxophone in “A Horse Called Golgotha” is a nice touch and it’s one of the things that only add more diversity to an already pretty diverse sound. There are a couple of weaker moments strewn throughout the album (mostly in the second half). But it’s nothing that they can’t fix on the next album, which I’m pretty sure is going to be an instant classic. After having heard “The Blue Record”, I’d say the odds are definitely in their favour.