I started writing a blog post about this record a few years ago. The saddest thing is that was probably when I last listened to this album (these albums?) - I chronically under-appreciate Baroness.
I bought this double LP on something of a whim - I was in Banquet and found it in the racks. It was about a month after their infamous tour of the UK where their bus crashed near Bath, so the name was firmly lodged in my head. However, I'd heard a lot about Baroness in the months leading up to that event too - Yellow & Green had got great reviews and their tour was clearly incredible based on the things I'd been reading. On top of that, there were a bunch of other factors that made me decide to buy it that day - it'd been a month since I'd bought any records and I was already picking up a bunch of other ones, and at £20 for a double album, it was only really £10 per album, which is a steal (kind of). I also hoped that the records would be coloured, since having them on yellow and green vinyl is so obvious, but it seems that that luxury was saved for those who bought the album sooner. Oh well.
I knew Baroness were a bit proggy, because it's impossible to have a prog-influence without someone calling it out, but up to the point the needle hit the record, I don't think I actually knew what Baroness sounded like. The vocals were the thing that hit me first - they're very distinct and not 100% my cup of tea, but I enjoy them nonetheless. The thing that really surprised me about Baroness was that they weren't heavier - I was definitely expecting a much heavier sound from them. I guess that was guided by a few things, but most notably from thinking about the people I knew who were fans, as well as the name and that very-metal artwork.
Despite those initial struggles, I enjoy these albums - whilst I just said they weren't as heavy as I was expecting, they're certainly heavier than most prog-rock (just not as heavy as regular metal) and that really works. On top of that, there are some huge choruses (take March to the River and The Line Between for example) and great moments littered throughout (like Psalms Alive). The slower ones like Eula work well too. Green starts in a hugely triumphant way, which always reminds me of Bill and Ted in the best possible way and Board Up the House was the first time I heard their punk-influence coming through.
It feels like such a petty complaint, but not getting an mp3 download with this LP has really impacted my enjoyment it though - that is, I've not spent anywhere near enough time with it to really get into it properly. I certainly wouldn't have gone years without playing it had I had mp3s of the album to listen to at work. The sad reality of life is that I don't spend anywhere near as much time in front of my record player as I do sat in front of my work computer with iTunes open. I like Baroness, I should probably try harder with them.
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeves
Tracks: 18
Cost: £20 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 11/09/12
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
