Purple (Baroness album)

Purple
Studio album by
Baroness
ReleasedDecember 18, 2015
RecordedMarch–May 2015[1]
StudioTarbox Road
Cassadaga, New York
Genre
Length42:33
LabelAbraxan Hymns
Producer
Baroness chronology
Live at Maida Vale
(2013) 		Purple
(2015) 		Gold & Grey
(2019)
Singles from Purple
  1. "Chlorine & Wine"
    Released: August 28, 2015[4]
  2. "Shock Me"
    Released: November 15, 2015[5]
  3. "Try to Disappear"
    Released: December 12, 2017[6]
  4. "Morningstar"
    Released: December 12, 2017[6]

Purple is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. It was released in 2015 through the band's record label, Abraxan Hymns.

Background

[edit]

Baroness began writing Purple in early 2014.[7] The album was recorded and mixed by producer Dave Fridmann from March until May of 2015 at Tarbox Road Studio in Cassadaga, New York.[1] Purple is the first album from Baroness following their 2012 bus accident and the first to feature members Sebastian Thomson and Nick Jost.[2] It is the last album to feature Pete Adams, who left the band in 2017.[8]

Release

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Purple was released on December 18, 2015, through the band's newly founded record label, Abraxan Hymns. It is available on CD, vinyl, cassette tape, and as a music download. The cassette copies were a limited edition given away for free with the purchase of CD and LP editions of the album at participating stores.[9]

Four singles were released from Purple as part of a series of 12" vinyl picture discs featuring illustrations by artist Marald Van Haasteren.[10] The album's lead single, "Chlorine & Wine," was released on August 28, 2015.[4] The second single, "Shock Me," was released on November 15[5] and later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[11] The last two singles were released in December 2017, and each feature a B-side: "Try to Disappear" includes a live performance of the song that was recorded in 2016 at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, while "Morningstar" includes a demo version of the track.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubB[14]
Drowned in Sound8/10[15]
Exclaim!9/10[16]
The Guardian[17]
Metal Hammer[18]
Pitchfork8.5/10[19]
PopMatters[20]
Rolling Stone Australia[21]
Spin8/10[22]

Purple was met with critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 19 critics, the album received a score of 85/100, which indicates "universal acclaim".

In Dom Lawson's review of the album for The Guardian, he described the album as a "far more focused and fiery beast; both a return to the stormy riffing and skewed melodies of old and a subtle but unmistakable lunge for mainstream glory. It's a balance they pull off brilliantly."[17] Pitchfork's Brandon Stosuy was likewise praising of the album, writing that "These are some of the biggest, strongest songs that Baroness has written; it's rock music that folds in their more metal leanings, along with something more delicate and spare. The hooks and melodies are their best."[19] Addison Herron-Wheeler of Exclaim! said that "Purple has just as much energy and power as the group's older works, but with a more refined and mature sound." She delcared the album a "must-hear," saying "Baroness are back, and they sound as good as ever."[16]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic said, "Though not as 'experimental' as their previous couple of records, as a whole Purple is far more focused, and it's certainly more euphoric. Surviving a close brush with death resulted in a celebratory affirmation of life that equates physical bombast and rockist swagger with woozy, dreamy, rainbow-streaked beauty."[13] In a review for Spin, Dan Weiss wrote "Whether the devastation of the [band's bus] accident has imbued Baizley with new life, or his dual successes in the arts are just making him a fuller person, somehow Purple is still heavier than Yellow & Green despite being a leaner machine"[22] In Mike Diver's review of Purple for Drowned in Sound, he referred to the album sa a "quite wonderful record," "a certifiable triumph," and "a beyond-commendable comeback."[15]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Purple debuted at No. 70 on the Billboard 200 with nearly 17,500 sales in its first week.[23] It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart and topped the Independent Albums chart.[24] The album's second single, "Shock Me," reached number 28 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.[25]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by John Dyer Baizley; all music is composed by Baroness

Purple track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Morningstar"4:16
2."Shock Me"4:17
3."Try to Disappear"4:52
4."Kerosene"5:10
5."Fugue"2:34
6."Chlorine & Wine"6:49
7."The Iron Bell"4:24
8."Desperation Burns"4:14
9."If I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?)"5:41
10."Crossroads of Infinity"0:16
Total length:42:33

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2015–16) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 64
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[27] 96
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 91
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 75
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 64
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[31] 36
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 88
US Billboard 200[33] 70
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[34] 1
US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[35] 3
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[36] 51
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[37] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[38] 5
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[39] 8

Accolades

[edit]
Best-of lists
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
L.A. Weekly US 10 Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2015[40] 2015 3
Loudwire US 20 Best Rock Albums of 2015[41] 2015 9
Metalholic US 50 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2015[42] 2015 5
New Noise US Top 50 Metal & Rock Albums of 2015[43] 2015 4
Pitchfork US The Best Metal Albums of 2015[44] 2015 6
Rock Sound UK Top 50 releases of 2015[45] 2015 23
Rolling Stone US 20 Best Metal Albums of 2015[46] 2015 7

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 "Shock Me" Best Metal Performance[11] Nominated

Kerrang! Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Purple Best Album[47] Nominated

Loudwire Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Purple Best Rock Album[48] Nominated

Metal Storm Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015 Purple Best Sludge / Stoner Metal Album[49] Nominated
Best Album Artwork[49] Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "News". davefridmann.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Keith Rodrigues (4 February 2016). "ALBUM REVIEW: Baroness - Purple". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  3. ^ Jon Blistein (28 August 2015). "Baroness Prep 'Purple' LP, Pour Powerful New Song 'Chlorine and Wine'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 Sep 2015.
  4. ^ a b Michael Nelson (28 Aug 2015). "Baroness – "Chlorine & Wine" + Purple Album Details". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 Sep 2015.
  5. ^ a b Peter Helman (15 Nov 2015). "Baroness – "Shock Me"". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 Nov 2015.
  6. ^ a b "BARONESS To Release Final Two Picture Discs In 'Purple' Series". blabbermouth.net. 20 Nov 2017. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  7. ^ Baroness (October 8, 2015). "BARONESS - Twelve Months In A Basement [Making Purple]". YouTube. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "BARONESS' PETE ADAMS SAYS GOODBYE, BAND INTRODUCES NEW GUITAR PLAYER GINA GLEASON". yourbaroness.com. June 1, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "'PURPLE' IS OUT TODAY". yourbaroness.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "BARONESS RELEASE FINAL TWO PICTURE DISCS IN PURPLE SERIES". indiepulsemusic.com. November 21, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees". grammy.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  14. ^ Warwick, Kevin (December 18, 2015). "Baroness' Purple is a triumphant epilogue to disaster". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Diver, Mike (December 21, 2015). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Herron-Wheeler, Addison (December 16, 2015). "Baroness - Purple". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Lawson, Dom (December 3, 2015). "Baroness: Purple review – metallers lunge for mainstream glory". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  18. ^ Alderslade, Merlin (December 8, 2015). "Baroness: Purple". Metal Hammer. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Brandon Stosuy (December 10, 2015). "Baroness - Purple". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  20. ^ Whitelock, Ed (January 5, 2016). "Baroness Purple". PopMatters. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  21. ^ Doreian, Robyn (December 9, 2015). "Baroness Purple". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Weiss, Dan (December 14, 2015). "Review: Baroness Rebound From Tragedy With a 'Purple' Haze". Spin. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  23. ^ "News". lambgoat.com. June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Baroness Shock Me Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  26. ^ Ryan, Gavin (December 26, 2015). "ARIA Albums: Adele '25' No 1 for Fifth Week". Noise11. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  27. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Baroness – Purple" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Baroness – Purple" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  30. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Baroness – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Baroness – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  33. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  34. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  35. ^ "Baroness (Indie Store Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  36. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  37. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  38. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  39. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Roche, Jason (December 8, 2015). "The 10 Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2015". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  41. ^ Staff (December 9, 2015). "20 Best Rock Albums of 2015". Loudwire. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  42. ^ Rose, Rustyn (December 31, 2015). "Metalholic's 50 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2015". Metalholic. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  43. ^ Ringo, Brandon (January 7, 2016). "Top 50 Metal & Rock Albums of 2015". New Noise. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  44. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (December 21, 2015). "The Best Metal Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  45. ^ "Albums Of The Year 2015 by Rock Sound (2015)". besteveralbums.com. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  46. ^ "20 Best Metal Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 10, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  47. ^ "Kerrang! Awards Details Unveiled". Kerrang!. April 5, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  48. ^ Chad Childers (January 10, 2017). "6TH ANNUAL LOUDWIRE MUSIC AWARDS: COMPLETE WINNERS LIST". Loudwire. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  49. ^ a b "Metal Storm Awards 2015". Metal Storm. 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (January 2016). "Top 50 Releases of the Year". Rock Sound (208). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
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