Today's Sounds - Cult MTL

Record:

Baroness Yellow and Green (Relapse)

These grizzled metal heshers emerged from the sweltering Savannah heat in 2003 and quickly made deep marks with the crusty, tuned-down Southern sludge of their EP First, followed by Second. But it was in 2007, when they signed with Relapse and released Red, that they truly climbed out of their metal trench. That album went well beyond merely baring teeth and exposing empty angst and misguided aggression. Prog-fuelled riffs infiltrated their sound, paving the way for their shining moment, 2009’s Blue.

Which leads us to Yellow and Green, a record slated to either take over the metal mantle or see the band crushed under its own weight. Relapse may have finally found its metal Nirvana, but it won’t be an easy sell, especially to purists.

The proggy, psychedelic mood enhancements are all there, but Baroness have learned to say a lot more with a lot less. While fellow Georgians Mastodon chose to set their sights too firmly on the radio dial with their utterly soul-crushing attempt at modern rock (The Hunter), Baroness continue to push boundaries and firmly plant their Chuck Taylors on terra firma. Every song takes chances at every turn here, yet the wagging “sell-out” finger is imminent. It’s sad, really, because the band’s musical growth is undeniable.

The first song that will raise red flags is the obvious “hit,” “March to the Sea.” At an easily digestible length of just a hair over the three-minute mark, this is the band’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” moment. In fact, this two-record set is chock full of potential hits: the Cure-style jammer “Little Things,” the bubblegum metal number “Board Up the House” and “Take My Bones Away,” the closest relative to the band’s older material.

Of course, there are also some obvious clunkers amid these 18 songs: The ballad “Foolsong” never gets off the ground, “Sea Lungs” barely veers from the winning formula already established on “March to the Sea” and the XTC-influenced (yep, that’s right!) “Back Where I Belong” stretches way too far and can’t be reeled in.

The line in the sand is definitely drawn here, to the point where classifying Yellow and Green as “metal” is dubious. The Beach Boys harmonies could even make ol’ Brian blush, and the psychedelic flourishes and vintage analog synths come to the fore as the trademark metal barrage gets pushed to the background. This is definitely a record that will cross over into the modern rock world and lose the band some fans along the way. But if you bail on Baroness now, it would be a crying shame. You’d be missing out on a great, adventurous, honest and heartfelt rock record.