From Swagger to Brutality – Baest’s Colossal Has It All

Baest, the 5-piece death metal group from Denmark, is set to release Colossal on August 15. The title could not be more fitting. While colossal usually describes a statue or figure of at least twice life size, here it captures the sheer scale of this record. Every track, every instrument, every vocal is larger than life. Whether you are new to Baest or a fan since their 2018 debut, you will find something here that will soon make this your new favourite Baest album.

I had the opportunity to see them perform live, opening for Arch Enemy, earlier this year and was instantly consumed by their sound and commanding stage presence. While it isn’t as heavy as the aforementioned Danse Macabre, there are still elements of that heavy Death Metal sound on this album. Some of the tracks on Colossal have the same swagger as tracks like Atra Mors while others have melodic sounds of a track like Nihil from Venenum. That said though there is no rehashing of old sounds on this new album, it’s a new Baest. An updated Baest. A better Baest? You’ll have to wait to find out — but trust me, the wait will be worth it.

Once again, I’m not going to get into a full track by track review. I want to leave you wanting more, hungry enough to hit play before you even finish reading this.

The first two tracks on this album, along with 2 other singles already available for you to consume en mass, are an incredible start; don’t let the near AC/DC opening on Stormbringer lull you into thinking this is going to be anything but a heavy hitter. Colossal is a fusion of hard-driving riffs with just enough groove, a combination that sticks like tar. King of the Sun, featuring Jesper Binzer from D-A-D, is a collection of ear worm riffs that you can’t help still hearing play in your head 3 days after you first hear it. Check out the video below, not my fault if you can’t get it out of your head for the next week. The last single available before the release date is Misfortunate Son, featuring ORM, is a blend of death metal with a touch of black metal in its veins.

While these are all amazing tracks and should provide you with enough of a taste to both hook you and hold you over until you can enjoy this album in its entirety – none of these are my favourite tracks on this album.

Mouth of the River is reminiscent of previous Baest albums. It is one of the tracks that most closely aligns with the death metal genre, so you know it is going to be one of the top picks for me. There is this incredible tempo switching that keeps you locked in from the first note to the last crushing hit. The track opens with a ridiculous alternate-picking riff that moves into a chunky chug, then into a filthy groove, then back again to that opening riff like getting hit with the same sledgehammer twice. You would think this much change-up throughout the track would be disorienting, but it works so well. Near the halfway mark, we are transported into a brief low-and-slow section before being pummelled by the opening riff once again. I will leave the last third of the track as something you just need to experience for yourself.

And of course I would be a fan of a song titled Imp of the Perverse. The title alone is reason enough, and the mix of neck-breaking riffs and beats makes it the perfect track, equal parts menace and swagger. While it falls further from the strict death metal spectrum with its groove riffs and drum-laden push, the halfway point flips into filthy riffing over double bass and drum fills that no self-respecting headbanger could resist.

If you want to dig deeper into how Colossal came together, I spoke with Baest about the writing and recording process, the guest appearances from Jesper Binzer and ORM, and how they worked classic heavy metal into their trademark death metal assault. You can read the full interview here.

As death metal goes, this album does not fit the traditional mold, but it is not so far off base that it does not belong in the genre. Colossal bends genres without losing its death metal roots, delivering moments of brilliance from start to finish. You can tell these Danish death metallers wanted to put something different into the world to claim their space, and they have done it with such mastery that you cannot deny Baest is a colossal in the metal world, a band carving their name into the genre’s foundation. You are going to hear nods to old-school heavy metal throughout this album, but they are blended so well that none of it feels cliché or cheesy. Not only can I not wait to see them live again, but I will be not-so-patiently waiting for their next album while I play this one on heavy rotation.