Years ago when I gave the Red and Blue records a listen, I realized that Baroness is a reckoning force in the progressive sludge realm. As they evolved through the Yellow, Green, and Purple releases, their sound inevitably matured to a more emotional-driven rock identity. Somehow, I never was able to catch these guys live, but I finally grabbed the opportunity by the balls at this year's Ozzfest. The quartet was given a little less than an hour to blow the minds of the side stage crowd at around 3pm. And boy was it magical.
After their performance, I spoke to vocalist/guitarist John Baizley and drummer Sebastian Thomson backstage in what turned out to be a very laugh-filled interview. I highly advise to please consider sarcasm and dry humor when reading a large majority of the answers below. Nonetheless, we discussed plenty of fascinating topics including Sebastian's fascination with Ozzy, the upcoming record, and more. Also, stay tuned for a Baroness dream tour and setlist article!
First of all, I wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you guys for the first time today. How was it for you guys up there?
Sebastian Thomson: I had a blast, I got to say. I had a great time. Sometimes, it’s more about the vibe more than how precisely you were playing and to me the vibe was really good today.
John Baizley: What do you think I didn’t have a great time? I had a great time. And the vista was fantastic. Genuinely, I was surprised. It was really beautiful.
This is the first time Baroness has been featured in an Ozzfest lineup. Have you ever previously attended an Ozzfest or Knotfest?
Sebastian: I have not, but I have got to tell you something. I’m seasoned and I have a brother that’s older than me. So when I was a little kid, he bought Diary of a Madman and Blizzard of Ozz. I grew up with that shit and I was a huge Ozzy fan as a little kid. I have not once seen Ozzy live ever. I’m stoked for tonight.
John: I love Ozzy. I’ve seen Ozzy, but I’ve never been to Ozzfest. And everyone knows that Sebastian’s favorite drummer is Tommy Aldrige.
Sebastian: Tommy Aldridge, who did not play on the first two Ozzy albums. He played on Bark at the Moon, which is eh, but he did play on Speak of the Devil. And he played live a lot.
Are there any bands you saw today earlier today?
Sebastian: Iron Reagan was sick. It was a little hectic for us today because we were setting up and soundchecking between sets.
John: I saw a little bit of Kreator and they were incredible, but yeah the Iron Reagan set was just fucking bananas. We heard a little bit of High on Fire, but unfortunetly they were playing while we were setting up.
I understand that you guys have begun work on your fifth LP, what is the progress on it?
John: We are less than halfway. Nah, we're more than halfway. Nah, we're done. [laughs]
Sebastian: It really depends. In the best case scenario, we're less than halfway done. But if we had to go to the studio right now, we could get something done.
This would be the band’s first release with your new guitarist, Gina Gleason. So far, what can you tell us about what she brings to the table?
John: She's a different guitar player than our former guitar player, Pete [Adams]. So she has a different style that she's bringing that to the table. For us, the work is to integrate that style, but at the same time, not so much so our old songs sound different. I think right now, we're balancing things up. We will know when we listen to the record. It's hard to say exactly what it is until we're done.
Purple was definitely more prog rock compared to the sludgy prog metal identity of previous records. Do you predict this upcoming album to follow a similar prog rock identity?
John: I thought it was more like psyched-up rock. I wouldn't necessary call it prog rock though.
Sebastian: The early Baroness stuff is way proggier with all the time changes. So, you're wrong. Say you're sorry. Our next album will be fifth-wave ska.
John: New-school big band.
Purple was also the first album to be self-released through your label, Abraxan Hymns. Do you see yourself continuing releasing way in further albums and do you recommend self-releasing?
Sebastian: I think Abraxan Hymns is dropping us.
John: They're moving on to more commercially viable and accessible music. But yeah, if you have limitless energy and patience, yes I'd recommend self-releasing. It's a lot of work, but if you can do it, why wouldn't you retain all the rights that you can and keep all of your music that you wrote and recorded yourself rather than license portions of it out to a label that can do what you're capable of doing.
Sebastian: Back in the day, labels were also basically a bank because they advanced all of the expenses for the production of your album. But if people can lend you some money and you can hire out some of the things that have to be done, then just get rid of the middle man.
John: The royalty checks that come in now are for the band who wrote the album, not divided up and gone to various labels and people not involved in the recording of the album.
Besides your musical talents, you are a seriously skilled artist. Are you working on any art for upcoming releases of other bands?
John: I wish I could say yes to that. I'm working on some solo work right now, but not for any albums.
Sebastian: John gets a lot of requests, but he turns down a lot of people.
Anything else coming up for Baroness?
Sebastian: Just fucking trying to work on finishing this album. Working on some grooves, some chord progressions, some vocal hooks, some melodies, some riffs, some fills, some bass lines, some lyrics. We're hitting the studio in early 2018. And then we'll master the record for three years.
John: We'll release bits of the album in ten second increments for the next couple years, randomly so you can't put a song together. In 2019 we'll break up, and then in 2020 we'll have a reunion tour.
