BARONESS: Gold & Grey (ALTERNATIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

We had left Baroness 4 years ago with "Purple", whose impressive commercial success must not overshadow its personal and cathartic dimension after the serious road accident that its authors suffered in 2014 and in which they nevertheless found the strength to continue the adventure. Direct and immediate, this fourth opus was therefore mainly intended to regenerate, to weld the combo, not to revolutionize its sound.

In fact, "Gold & Grey" takes up where "Yellow & Green" left off almost seven years ago, this time offering a more audacious if not experimental Baroness. But perhaps not all of them will find their way into this record. However, the first contacts are familiars: the visual is recognizable between a thousand and one, while John Baizley's voice act as a powerful marker. An energetic start, 'Front Towards Enemy' first seems to want to start listening in a rather classic way, before taking a more aerial path, far from the expected rough discharge. This is only the first surprise delivered by an offering that looks like a labyrinth gradually sinking into the trap of quicksand.

Built around 17 tracks (!), six of which are only instrumental interludes, its fragmented architecture contributes to the tenacious impression of dealing, at best, with a puzzle, at worst, an aggregate that informs such diverse pieces that the program they propose seems to go in all directions. And it takes all the talent of the Americans to give meaning and coherence to this whole. What is there in common between the disenchanted pop of "I'm Already Gone" (and its rounded bass), the hypnotic groove of "Seasons" or that "Tourniquet" whose fragile intro can remind us of the purest Steven Wilson? Not much, in fact, except the same bitterness. In four tracks, Savannah's quartet has already explored many paths.

And we could continue this enumeration by highlighting the great gap between the intimate "I'd Do Anything" and the more stirring "Throw Me An Anchor". What about the curious "Emmett - Radiation Light" and its bony arpeggios or the "Pale Sun" vocalized by guitarist Gina Gleason, without forgetting those interludes ("Anchor's Lament", "Sevens"...) which, at irregular intervals, mimic this gigogne menu. But behind the apparent disorder he is unwrapping, "Gold & Grey" impresses with the quiet sadness of his melodies ('Cold-Blooded Angels') and his immense work of writing and arranging, which testifies as much to the demands of his creators as to the powerful sap that flows in their veins.

In the end, although difficult to access, it is nevertheless obvious that the real Baroness, at least the one who best corresponds to John Baizley's vision, is found more in "Gold & Grey" than in "Purple", a more effective but less original transition album. - Official website

BARONESS

GOLD & GREY

AUTRE LABEL

ALTERNATIVE ROCK