RED ALBUM

I can't help it, but I think these guys are GRRRRRRRRRRRRRReat! This album (and the Blue Album) have both stood the test of time for me, and that test is, that I can listen to them several times and still think they are great. They do have some Post Metal elements, but seem to lean towards Extreme also. The vocals are somewhat growly, but not overly obnoxious and can also hold a melody in that growl, which is uncommon with that kind of voice. That is probably why I can still tolerate the vocals. In fact, I love the vocals. But on the Red Album, the band tends to let the instruments play a lot more, which is great also! There are several stand out tracks here: Rays on Pinion is an amazing song with a long instrumental section. The nice thing here is how the instrumental builds and becomes more exciting before it finally leads into the vocal section. I consider this song one of the best new prog compositions out there, but you need to be advised that my "best list" is quite long. This is a great introduction song for the band and I highly recommend you listen to this one to get a good feel for just what this amazing band can do. Other stand out tracks are The Birthing, Isak, Wanderlust. All of the tracks are great though. Even though I love this album and this band, I can't quite give it 5 stars because I think Baroness still can reach a little higher to get an essential album...but this one is very close. If they can create music like Rays on Pinion, then I definately have a lot of hope for them. If you like your music on the hard side, definately check them out. If you don't like it on the hard side, try them out anyway, especially the aforementioned Rays on Pinion track. I think you might like them anyway. I am definately a fan!

Edit 7/11/2018 Raised rating to 5 stars. After all this time this album continues to amaze. It still hasn't lost it's power.