Honestly? The fact that Baroness had a new record coming out this year meant absolutely nothing to me. At the beginning of every year I’ll usually compile a list of forthcoming “heavily anticipated” releases based on what bands have previously announced, expected albums based on a given band being in the studio late in the year prior, and on Decibel Magazine’s January 20XX issue which offers perhaps the most comprehensive list of all (following their own “25 Most Anticipated Albums of the Year”).

Baroness and the whole ‘beard metal’ movement (High On Fire, Mastodon, etc.) has never really “done” anything for me when it comes to personal taste. I’ve never thought any of these bands “sucked” or weren’t talented, though I wouldn’t ever purchase their albums either since the music bored me a bit.

I have read and seen the reactions to the massive change in sound Baroness has made with “Yellow & Green” – I’m talking mostly by fans, not so much from metal publications, whether online or printed – and the vast majority of diehards seem to despise this double disc release. For whatever reason, I opted to take a chance on it since I knew I could at least re-sell the album to one of the handful of friends who LOVE their previous stuff if I didn’t want to continue owning it.

Putting it on for the first time after walking out of a local independent music shop (yep, we’ve still got some of those in this city), the album immediately gripped me in a way that none of their older material has (likewise, the album struck me as being infinitely better than any Mastodon or High On Fire record I had listened to). I happened to be driving to NYC that day, so I picked up the album on my way; listened to the entire thing from start to finish in absolute amazement.

Have you ever had one of those moments where an album you’re listening to for the first time perfectly coincides with the mood you’re in, to the point where it elevates your mood to an even more intense level of emotion, whether positive or negative (I’ve experienced both instances before). Well, in this case, “Yellow & Green” just so happened to make what was already a great day immeasurably better. I LOVE this record. Love the direction the band has taken and obviously I think this is Baroness’ swan song, at least thus far in their career.

When Mastodon “went soft” and turned away from their heavier, metallic roots in favor of progressive rock, I transitioned from being a “casual fan, at best” to an outright loather of their crappy “new style”. So I understand why people who are big fans of Baroness’ earlier material might hate this album. Hell, I’m still pretty perplexed as to why it resonates with me as intensely as it does. But I’ve been listening to it constantly since I purchased it and it only seems to get better as I delve more deeply into each disc and each individual song. Absolutely, without a doubt, one of the best albums released so far in 2012. 5/5 stars by me.