Baest are back, with a new sound and a badass attitude. Over the last decade, the Danish quintet have become one of the most celebrated and respected death metal bands in Europe. Their reign of terror began with debut album Danse Macabre, which emerged to great acclaim in 2019. Since then, the Danes have been relentless. Subsequent albums Venenum (2019) and Necro Sapiens (2021) cemented their reputation as extreme metal mavericks with an ear for lethal hooks, while their passionate dedication to playing live enabled them to spread the word at shows and festivals around the world.
But things are slightly changing with album number 4: Colossal. Pieced together in the aftermath of Covid lockdowns, and fine-tuned over the last couple of years, the new Baest album is an absolute monster. The new songs are still rooted in the belligerent death metal that informed previous records, but Colossal represents a wholesale transformation. Inspired by and infused with old school, classic metal riffs and a giant helping of rock ‘n’ roll bombast, Baest have written an album that delights in the glory of heavy metal and the fine art of rocking out. Bursting at the seams with catchy riffs and classy melodies, with stylistic salutes to everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Dokken, through to Iron Maiden and Whitesnake, this is the magnificent rock ‘n’ roll rebirth of Baest.
“We went on tour with the Krisiun guys a couple of years back, and every soundcheck they were playing ZZ Top songs,” says Baest guitarist Svend Karlsson. “Everyone in the venue was rocking out, you know? So let’s rock! As a band, you have to mature a little and figure out that you have to write songs for yourself, and that way of thinking has brought the best out of us. When we talked to Tue about it, we called it ‘Ozzy death metal’. It’s really exciting to see what people think. We’re looking forward to people hearing this album. We released two singles last year that were in a different direction, but the fans haven’t heard the Dokken stuff yet! [Laughs]”
From the explosive assault of the opening Stormbringer, the new Baest album is an electrifying dose of the good stuff. Produced by the legendary Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio in Denmark, Colossal never bends to current trends. Instead, this is a thrilling celebration of heavy metal, played with extreme metal intensity. Vocalist Simon Olsen has evolved into a truly formidable frontman, with a vastly expanded array of shouts and growls, and his band mates – Karlsson, guitarist Lasse Revsbech, bassist Mattias Melchiorsen and drummer Sebastian Abildsten – have grown in power and stature. As Karlsson explains, this change of direction was simply about Baest being true to themselves.
“We began the process during Covid, and we found out that we needed to do something that everyone thought was fun,” he states. “Then we tried to zoom in on what makes different songs fun. On the first EP, before we signed to Century Media, there is a lot of melodic rock ‘n’ roll stuff. I think it’s there because we hadn’t learned yet to do more death metal riffs, so those were the riffs that Lasse and I had from our upbringing. This time, we turned back to all of those kinds of riffs, being influenced by Zakk Wylde and Jake E. Lee, Accept, Metallica and all that kind of stuff. We figured that if it’s fun and we enjoy playing it, then it’s going to fit! We finally had the guts to try it, and not to worry about what the death metal fans are going to think.”
Although they may anticipate a backlash from death metal purists, Baest are confident that their evolution will be well received. With songs ranging from the anthemic ‘80s metal fury of the title track, and the brutal rock squall of King Of The Sun (featuring a cameo from D-A-D’s Jesper Binzer), to the progressive, true metal avalanche of epic closer Depraved World, Colossal takes Baest back to the essence of their craft.
“When we wrote Depraved World, that’s a riff from when Lasse was 14 years old,” says Karlsson. “He said, ‘I’ve got this riff!’ and we were like, ‘Let’s do an Iron Maiden death metal song!’ [Laughs] It’s so much fun, because it’s long and so different. The headline for the whole album is that it’s different, it’s catchy, and it’s rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll vibes, but in the aggressive form of extreme metal. This is our first time working with Tue Madsen, and he’s a no-bullshit kind of guy. He’s been in the industry for so many records and with so many different bands, so he’s like, ‘Fuck what people think! Let’s do what seems fun and what sounds catchy!’”
2024 saw the release of two singles from Colossal: the viciously catchy Imp Of The Perverse, and the aforementioned Colossus. Both were rapturously received, and generated a lot of excitement about Baest’s next move. Now that they have the new music in the can, Svend Karlsson and his comrades are brimming with confidence and commitment to the heavy metal cause. Armed with songs that are guaranteed to send metal crowds into a joyous frenzy, Denmark’s smartest death metal band are perfectly placed to conquer the entire world.
“I think we needed to figure out that we were okay with being a heavy metal band,” Karlsson shrugs. “There are also a lot of progressive elements to the record, that we started developing on the Justitia EP. That’s when we realised that it works live, and people really like the Ozzy riffs! So let’s do some more! We played a new, unreleased song on the last tour. Nobody had heard it before, but instantly everyone started clapping along and jumping and having fun. Everybody wants to party, right?”
BAEST line-up:
Svend Karlsson - Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Simon Olsen - Vocals
Lasse Revsbech - Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Sebastian Abildsten - Drums & Percussion
Mattias ‘Muddi’ Melchiorsen - Bass
Album Artwork:
Solomacello
Production:
Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio
Special Guests:
Jesper Binzer of D-A-D on "King Of The Sun"
ORM on "Misfortunate Son"
Formats (U.S.): Ltd. CD Digipak / LP / Digital Album
BAEST online:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
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Century Media online:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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