BARONESS is one of Relapse's latest signings and the band is not the classic Death/Grind band that you would expect from this label. As you have seen, Relapse has made a slight turn towards the Sludge/Post scene. I think you've got the point. BARONESS belongs to the specific genre and The Red Album is an indicative sample of what the band has to offer through its new label.

The US (Savannah, Georgia) metallers have delivered some pretty good releases (demos, EP's and split CD's) in the past, and now Relapse offered them the chance to release their debut studio album and show that they can do equally good in a full-length release. The only one that can judge that is the listener himself.

BARONESS' music is what you could call dirty Post Rock/Hardcore with many influences from bands like NEUROSIS, ISIS, PELICAN and KYLESA. The band seems to be in search of its music identity, since the experimentation is endless and the sounds that are involved in this album are miles away the one from the other. While listening to The Red Album you will come across doomy breaks, jazzy jamming, as well as southern experimentations. The vocals are pretty diverse, thanks to Baizley's vocal abilities. This singer can sing in a harsh and raw style, as well as he can sing in a clean and melodic one.

The Red Album is a pretty good and different album, although I believe that even experimentation has its limits. This album is really hard for someone's ears and must be played many times until you start realizing some things about this band's music. In my opinion, BARONESS should try to start clearing out some of their influences and make something more specific, since the sound is so diverse that ends up being tiring sometimes.