Baroness is a progressive heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia, that was formed by a group of high school friends who had grown up together in Virginia. Since the band’s formation in 2003, they have released an increasingly impressive string of albums. But, their trajectory was very nearly cut short when the tour bus that they were traveling on plummeted 30 feet off of an overpass near Bath, England. Singer/guitarist John Baizley was left with a broken arm and broken leg, and a long road to recovery.

The good news is that Baizley has fully recovered from his injuries, and Baroness is back with a new rhythm section and a brand new record on the horizon. Continuing their tradition of naming their albums after colors, Baroness will release Purple on December 18, 2015. Today’s Massive Metal Monday track is the lead single from that record. This is “Chlorine and Wine.”

Be sure to stay tuned right here at GoD for more info on Baroness and Purple as December approaches.

When I was growing up in rural Indiana in the early ’80s, there was very limited access to heavy music. These were the days before MTV blew up with the whole hair metal, Headbangers Ball phenomenon. But on Sunday nights, there was a two-hour radio show that came from WOXY, just across the state line in Oxford, Ohio (home of Miami University of Ohio). It was called Massive Metal for the Masses, and I would wait all week for it to air. It was through this show that I was introduced to bands like Venom, Bathory, WASP, Michael Schenker Group, Slayer, and countless others. This Monday weekly column is my tip of the hat to that show. I call it Massive Metal Monday. Every week, I pay tribute to defining moments by the artists that laid the groundwork for heavy metal to become the worldwide cultural bond for all of us metal heads.