Baroness formed in the Summer 2003 in Savannah, GA, United States with all members, past and present, hailing from Lexington, VA in the foothills of the mighty Blue Ridge Mountains. Maybe that’s where the band draws inspiration for their music, or maybe their style is inspired by their name, or maybe it's just when these four band-mates come together the end result is always bold and impressive?
With a sound built upon a resolute sense of purpose and shaped by hundreds of explosive live shows, Baroness position themselves at the forefront of heavy music with their first full length and Relapse debut Red Album. Red Album is at once powerful, expressive, confident, and commanding. The record sees the band expand its sonic vision; colossal riffs and haunting vocals roll like thunder across epic songs spanning both the intense and the sublime. As with each Baroness recording, Red Album was recorded at the Jam Room Studio in Columbia, SC w/ producer Phillip Cope and engineers Jay Matheson and Steve Slavich.
In 2009, the Blue Record was released by Relapse Records. With this release, they continued to push the envelope and development as their style progresses. This progression ultimately gave them the Album of the Year award from Decibel Magazine and gave them numerous Best of lists from Pitchfork, Village Voice, Popmatters, Revolver, Rock Sound, and Metal Hammer.
Baroness hadn't toured for the entire year in 2011 to focus on creating a new, both in the sense of music and in the literal meaning, album. Yellow-Green was recorded with producer John Congleton in Hoboken, NJ and Dallas, TX. The new album was released on July 17th, followed by extensive touring.
BARONESS has forged forward with heavy independent touring -almost 250 shows a year - since the band’s inception. They've criss-crossed the U.S. three times, Europe, and the UK twice, and have performed at international music festivals such as SXSW, MacRock, ZXZW in The Netherlands, Australia's Soundwave Festival and more. Baroness has toured with many friends and peers, including Mastodon, MUNICIPAL WASTE, TORCHE, KYLESA, ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, CURSED, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, and many more.
On May 23, 2011, the band launched their official website.[17] The first content released on the new page gave hints to work on a new album being produced again by John Congleton. On May 14, 2012, the single "Take My Bones Away" from the new album was released over YouTube, along with an album teaser.
Baroness released Yellow & Green on July 17, 2012 through Relapse.[18]
On August 28, 2015 towards the end of a two-week tour in Europe they released the song "Chlorine & Wine" and announced that their new album Purple would be released December 18, 2015 on their own newly formed label Abraxan Hymns.
Purple was recorded with Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York.
On September 24, 2015, Baroness released the official music video for "Chlorine & Wine" and announced a North American small venue tour for the fall of 2015.
On November 15, 2015, the band released the first official single "Shock Me" from the forthcoming album Purple, which debuted on BBC Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter.
Purple's track "Shock Me" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
Gina Gleason joins Baroness in June of 2018 after Peter Adams departure.
In 2019 and 2023 Baroness released their fifth and sixth albums, "Gold & Grey" and "STONE."
Baroness is:
Sebastian Thomson - drums
Nick Jost – bass
John Baizley – guitars, vocals
Gina Gleason – guitars
Discography
2004 First (Hyperrealist Records)
2005 Second (Hyperrealist Records)
2007 A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk (At a Loss Recordings)
(aka: Third), split CD with Unpersons
2007 Red Album (Relapse Records)
2009 Blue Record (Relapse Records)
2012 Yellow & Green (Relapse Records)
2015 Purple (Abraxan Hymns)
2019 Gold & Grey (Abraxan Hymns)
2023 STONE
Tower Falls
Baroness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lest ye be bold
Until the quickening
Unlearned and sill untold
Praise not this dawn
(That will become tomorrow today)
The soil pressed into dust by the heel
Tower falls
Read
Reprise and reconvene
Take heed an emperor
Does not an empire make
Taste of this wine
(That has become tomorrow today)
Stolen limb from cast
Nothing will ever return
Ever
As we lie
Tower Falls
Search eye and you will find
Not idly they fly
The lyrics of Baroness's song "Tower Falls" are a warning to those who have become too confident and arrogant in their power or success. The first stanza, "Burn/Lest ye be bold/Until the quickening/Unlearned and still untold/Praise not this dawn/(That will become tomorrow today)" cautions listeners to not get too comfortable in their present state, as things can quickly change and one could be unprepared for what is to come.
The second stanza, "The soil pressed into dust by the heel/Below nothing can ever return/Tower falls/Read/Reprise and reconvene/Take heed an emperor/Does not an empire make/Taste of this wine/(That has become tomorrow today)" uses metaphors of soil, a tower, and wine to represent the fragility of power and success. The imagery of the soil being pressed into dust by the heel suggests a sense of finality and no return. The tower falling represents the collapse of one's power or empire, and the advice to "take heed an emperor/does not an empire make" is a reminder that power can be fleeting and should not be taken for granted. The last line, "Taste of this wine/(That has become tomorrow today)" reinforces this idea that what may seem like a blessing or triumph today can quickly become a downfall tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Burn
Start the song with a strong command to burn, creating an intense and passionate atmosphere
Lest ye be bold
Warning to the listeners to not be overconfident and to listen carefully to the lyrics of the song
Until the quickening
Reference to the moment when something suddenly becomes active, alive or significant
Unlearned and still untold
The secrets and mysteries about life and the world that are yet to be discovered or shared
Praise not this dawn
(That will become tomorrow today)
Do not celebrate the present moment as it will eventually become the past, instead focus on tomorrow which is the future
The soil pressed into dust by the heel
Below nothing can ever return
Tower falls
A metaphor for the destruction of something once great and the inability to bring it back, represented by the collapse of a tower
Read
Reprise and reconvene
After understanding the meaning behind the song, repeat and regroup together
Take heed an emperor
Does not an empire make
The power and success of an empire does not solely depend on the efforts of the leader, but also on the people and system behind them
Taste of this wine
(That has become tomorrow today)
Repetition of the earlier message to focus on the future and not dwell on the past
Stolen limb from cast
Nothing will ever return
Ever
Another metaphor for the permanent damage and loss that cannot be undone, represented by a broken bone which will never be the same again
As we lie
Tower Falls
The final moment of the song where the tower falls and everything is destroyed, representing the end of something great
Search eye and you will find
Not idly they fly
A call to action to investigate and seek out the true meaning behind the lyrics, as they were not written casually or carelessly
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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