Baroness: How we made the Purple riffs

Baroness have released a video about the making of their new album, Purple. It’s the band’s first release since 2012’s Yellow & Green, and will be released on December 18 on the band’s Abraxan Hymns label. In the video, the band talk about their approach to making the riffs an the new record.

“To do something new or interesting with this type of music is very, very difficult,” says singer and guitarist John Baizley. “You gotta have two guitars. You gotta have a bass player and a drummer. That’s how you define rock music. So by default, yes, we’re a rock band. But here’s the thing: we’ve never really felt the necessity to be pigeonholed, and we’ve never really felt any inclination to be part of anything other than our own thing.”

“It’s still rock. But with a question mark behind it,” he adds. “What we’re trying to do is write a stunning, beautiful, powerful, emotional, artistic creative rock record.“

“It manages to rock pretty hard,” says drummer Sebastian Thomson, “and yet be pretty fucking catchy at the same time. It’s very high energy, very aggressive.“

Baroness have already released streams of Morningstar, Shock Me and Chlorine & Wine, and a behind-the-scenes video focussing on the band’s vocal work.

Baroness US Tour Dates
Dec 09: New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
Dec 11: Gainesville, FL - 8-BIT Bar (Sold Out)
Dec 12: Savannah, GA - The Jinx (Sold Out)
Dec 13: Atlanta, GA - The Earl
Dec 15: Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 (Sold Out)
Dec 16: Richmond, VA - Strange Matter (Sold Out)
Dec 18: Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery (Sold Out)
Dec 19: Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s (Sold Out)
Dec 20: Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar (Sold Out)

Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal's most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you're into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you'll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.