2019’s Venenum and 2021’s Necro Sapiens brought the Danish Death Metallers Baest right into the spotlight and into the big league in my view. I was at a small gig in Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff not long after, where the band were unstoppable. An EP, Justitia, followed in 2022. Having spent time fine-tuning their sound over the past couple of years, Baest are back, and with a sound that is surprisingly different.
Baest – Colossal
Release Date: 15 August 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
There’s a long history of Metal bands who have changed their sound and style, not always with the anticipated success. Whether Baest will turn the heads of many who have had their backs for the past few years is debatable.
Underneath it all, this remains a band rooted in Death Metal, and Simon Olsen’s guttural roars remain as visceral as before. But there is a bold gear change that sees the Danes meld their traditional style with a much more Classic Metal approach.
More melodies, more catchy riffs and flourishes that span the hard rock generations – Maiden to Dokken, Whitesnake and Ozzy. There are elements here that will surprise.
“We went on tour with the Krisiun guys a couple of years back, and every soundcheck they were playing ZZ Top songs,” says guitarist Svend Karlsson. “Everyone in the venue was rocking out, you know? So, let’s rock!
“As a band, you must 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 [Madsen – producer] 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].”
Any change of dynamic is going to produce a challenge, and the initial criticism here is that Baest has sold out. I do not buy that for one minute. For this is ultimately their choice, and if the direction does not please the palate, then it is time to search for one of the myriads of bands who churn out the average OSDM that is as tedious as it is unoriginal.
Nine songs power through in just over 40 minutes, and Colossal starts well. There is an alarming AC/DC riff before they plunge into the Viking-edged Stormbringer with an anthemic, fists-to-the-sky battle cry that would not be out of place on an Amon Amarth album.
A barrage of riffs and hardened drumming may bring immediate notice of the switch in approach. But it is on second track Colossus that there is a realisation of the shift, for it is a blend of forms that neatly includes some blistering OSDM extremity. The conundrum is real. Love it, loathe it or just average.
So far, so good, with two accessible yet solid bruisers opening the appetite and easing us into the new style. It is Classic Metal played with an extreme delivery, giving an album that certainly becomes more interesting on repeated plays and when listened to with an open mind.
If you are disappointed that the band have strayed from the path, fear not, for there is still much to enjoy. In Loathe And Love retains much of the savagery that was dominant in previous works, with some ferocious passages of play.
Baest are at pains to point out that their music is their music, and that there was a need to do something differently. “We began the process during Covid, and we found out that we needed to do something that everyone thought was fun,” Karlsson 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.”
They bring in Jesper Binz of melodic rockers D-A-D on King Of The Sun, a song which is anything but lightweight, a squally, riotous bit of chaos.
There is a Classic Metal instrumental on Light The Beacons, which stretches the cinematic soundtrack, and then there is the progressive finale, Depraved World, which, with searing visceral pace, takes you back to their earlier work. There is still a melodic element that echoes the Gothenburg sound of In Flames and even echoes Iron Maiden, as the man himself notes.
“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.’ “
Whether the fan base will be quite so embracing is another thing. But with repeated plays, this album has grown on me hugely.
It is definitely lighter than earlier works, but it is still heavy as a bus full of elephants, and still high-quality Heavy Metal.
My advice? Embrace and enjoy. Leave the gatekeeper role somewhere else. And be happy that the band are also content. It is their music, after all.
Baest release Colossal on 15 August 2025 via Century Media Records. For more details, visit baestband.com.
