Baroness

John Dyer Baizley is what you might call a modern-day Renaissance man. As the sole constant member of Baroness since their inception in Savannah, Georgia 16 years ago, not only does he continue to steer the band’s musical output with passion and creativity, he also paints their beautifully vivid album artwork. The band’s new, fifth album Gold & Grey closes the chapter of a 12-year-long, colour-coded mega-concept. What could be proggier than that?

For all their progressive tendencies, Baroness began life leaning more towards prog’s nemesis – punk rock – and were active in the Georgian metal scene of the noughties alongside bands like Mastodon – another band who have found a home in the prog world – and Black Tusk.

“We were into punk and classic rock like Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin, but we always had an interest in more ‘outthere’ bands,” explains guitarist and vocalist Baizley, mentioning Camel, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Steve Reich and Comus. As he excitedly reels off band, it’s blindingly clear that this is a man who is excited about all kinds of music across a wide and diverse spectrum.