Baroness, the four-piece that formed in Savannah, Georgia, but now reside in Philadelphia and New York, plays a type of metal that’s heavy. But even those who swear they aren’t fans of the genre come away with an appreciation — if not love — for the music of Baroness. Whether it’s the harmonies (both of the vocal and guitar variety) of John Baizley and Gina Gleason; the complex rhythms of drummer Sebastian Thomson and bassist Nick Jost; or the emotional power that such loud, distortion-laden songs emit, Baroness is a band that’s hard to ignore, as seen recently at Rams Head Live.

Baroness’s trajectory hasn’t been a straight line. And maybe that informs a lot of the emotional energy the band displays in both the six full-length LPs they’ve produced as well as their frenetic live shows. Formed in 2003, the band went through a live-changing accident while on tour in the UK and some line-up changes before their fourth album, Purple. In that period, Baizley moved from Georgia to Philly, where he met Gleason, who had been playing guitar as part of the Cirque du Soleil cast.