Baroness

Baroness play an eclectic brand of heavy metal, embracing the ferocity and sharp technique of new-millennium metal but with melodic accents and intelligent guitar work that suggest the influence of indie rock and post-punk bands. The four members of Baroness -- John Baizley on guitar and vocals, Brian Blickle on guitar, Summer Welch on bass, and Allen Blickle on drums -- are all originally from Lexington, Virginia, but they pulled up stakes and relocated to Savannah, Georgia, when they formed the band in mid-2003. Baroness made their recording debut in 2005 with First, a three-song EP released through Savannah-based indie label Hyperrealist Records. A second EP from Baroness, simply called Second, appeared in stores later the same year. In 2006, Baroness teamed up with another offbeat but powerful band from Savannah, Unpersons, for a split EP entitled A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk, released through At a Loss Records. In 2007, Baroness signed with the well-respected independent metal label Relapse Records, and in the fall of 2007 they issued their first full-length disc, The Red Album, followed by extensive touring. In the fall of 2009, the group released its sophomore effort, Blue Record. Baroness spent the following year touring, opening for bands like Metallica, Mastodon, and Deftones before heading back into the studio to begin work on their third album, Yellow & Green, which would arrive in 2012. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi