"Purple" is the fourth studio album from heavy metal band Baroness. With the bus crash incident the band suffered through in 2012, it's been almost four years since the band released a studio album. You can tell from the lyrics and even the cover art that John Baizley (lead vocalist) wanted to portray that experience here in a way that brings you to the very moment before, during, and after a bus crash. The riffs hit you like a bus, the vocals cry out the pain and agony of recovery and restructure, and ultimately, you've got a band using hindsight as their drive and direction.
The opening track "Morningstar" rips right into "Purple" with ferocity as the lyrics speak about damage done and how to carry the weight of it thereafter. "Shock Me" speaks about being thrown into a new reality needing to rebuild, in a good way. The way Baizley shouts these songs gives off a sense of happiness and thankfulness as he chants his new lease on life throughout the album. The lyrics are epically depicted as a type of knight's tale through flames and destruction as Baizley paints with his words and progressive melodies.
The next couple of tracks mellow out for a bit including the instrumental "Fugue" which fuses together melodic guitar riffs with wah-wah sprinkled over it. It brings the middle of the album to a calm as we're brought to the first single released off of "Purple" "Chlorine & Wine". This track does an excellent job of slowly bringing the album back to the pace of the beginning. The almost 7 minute epic starts with the tail-end of "Fugue" and eventually climbs back into the drivers seat; with lyrics speaking of survival and prevail.
"Iron Bell" and "Desperation Burns" provide two more hard hitting tracks paved with melodic riffs and "If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain?)" is a breath of fresh air as its completely different from any other track on the album. Its played at a slower, rock beat with metal elements added in. The lyrics are powerful as it leaves you with a feeling of breathing your final breath and pondering how you would spend it.
Final Summary:
"Purple" drives you through tragedy, recovery, reflection, and aftermath. It shows you Baroness' experience over the past four years in a way only they can; through progressive metal/sludge metal, elements of rock, and shouting cries of rebirth. Although I am not a huge metal fan, I can appreciate the passion put into this project and all the steps taken by Baroness to make this album happen. Given the circumstances leading up to this album, "Purple" leaves you with a sense of amazement, joy, and love for life.
Rating: 8.6/10
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