Baroness (Photo by Jimmy Hubbard)

Heavy metal band Baroness thundered back with their fourth album, Purple, 2015. Although it is the fourth full-length from the band, led by vocalist John Baizley, it also is full of firsts!

It’s the first album from the band’s own label Abraxan Hymns. And it’s the first album with new band members in bassist Nick Jost and drummer Sebastian Thompson. Critics clearly liked what they heard, as Metacritic gives the album high marks for “universal acclaim.”

Well, you don’t have to trust the critics, because you can hear it for yourself when Baroness come to DC to perform live. Baroness launch a new tour on Friday, August 12 at the Howard Theatre!

Purple is full of pulse-pounding rhythms and rolling drums, such as those found in the latest Baroness single, “Shock Me.” Watch the official music video for “Shock Me” by Baroness on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6OCeW6FVvY]

“Shock Me” ranked #10 on Entertainment Weekly’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, while Purple hit #5 on Pitchfork’s list of Best Metal Albums of 2015 and #7 on Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Metal Albums of 2015.

“The cathartic experience of playing live music has not changed over the 13 years of performing,” John said in a recent interview with the SF Weekly. “But the sense of relief and release I feel as an adult is as intense, if not more than, when I was younger. The response to this record has been really, really overwhelming. There have been some pretty dramatic changes in the way that our audiences react to our songs, and I couldn’t be happier about that.”

Arkansas doom metal quartet Pallbearer open for Baroness. Tickets are available online.

Baroness
w/ Pallbearer
Howard Theatre
Friday, August 12
Show @7pm
$25
All ages