Another day, another hot review for an even hotter band. Today we will be talking about a killer Danish death metal band that goes by Baest. These guys have been cranking out some seriously delicious death metal since 2016 but it was their sinister debut full-length Danse Macabre that dropped in 2018 that caught the metal world off guard. Since then they have dropped two more killer full-lengths and an EP. Today we will be discussing their new 6 song EP Justitia. Up first is the track Ecclesia and it comes right out of the gate into Baest’s mid paced death metal style. Double bass drums with guitars overtop as vocalist Simon barks with his killer growling style vocals early on before it kicks into a nice groovy riff to get the blood pumping as Sebastien beats the drums like there is no tomorrow. Following a nice little instrumental section, the track goes back to how Baest opened the track until a massive solo melts your face off to close the track. A nearly eight-minute track to start the EP off on the right track. Next up is the title track with a guest feature by Aborted’s Sven de Caluwe. This one starts off with a slow double bass and guitar before a grunt from Simon to bring the track to life. A nice groovy riff sits on top of some delicious drum work. The track slows down and takes on a more death doom style with a slower, more dissonant riff. Sven comes in and shows off those amazing vocals we all love him for over the last half of the track as the picks up in pace to a blisteringly fast speed to close it out. Next up is the track Gargoyles which also has a guest feature from the late Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder. The track starts off with an acoustic guitars strumming, showing off the two guitarists great skill. I always enjoy acoustic reprisals in death metal, adds a little flair in my opinion. Once they stop, the distorted guitar picks up with a single drum beat until the track leaps to life out of nowhere with more of that beautiful mid paced death metal. Papa Trev takes over about two minutes and absolutely destroys his guest feature as the rest of the band shred around his voice. A seriously spine tingling moment for me. The track takes a breather before leaping back to life with more of Papa Trev snarling as the drums pound and the riffs fly all around him before the track closes out with that thick, groovy Baest sound. Absolutely killer track. Next up is the track Creature and it starts with a quick yyaaaaa from Simon before the rest of the band flies out and starts pummeling you again with more of that wonderful death metal that they do. About half way through, they bust out a gnarly guitar solo before catching fire and unleashing probably the fastest part of the EP. This track would set a venue off without a doubt. Next up is a cover of Entombed A.D.’s Second to None and it absolutely is spot on, paying respect to the ones who paved the way in the death metal scene early on. The last track on the EP is an instrumental track of their song Genesis from their 2021 EP of the same name. So if you fancy yourself some death metal karaoke, let this one rip and do your own vocals with it! If you were not aware of Baest before reading this review, do yourself a favor and check not only this amazing EP out but the rest of their discography. These guys deserve a ton of love and I hope that one day they come over to the States because I know I will be on the barricade, banging my head and cheering them on!
I would like to dedicate this review to the great Trevor Strnad. I was starting to get my notes together for this review when I found out of his passing and I am still in total shock from it. Not only was his music massively influential on me but so was his love for metal and spreading the word about underground bands. His blog on Metal Injection showed me so many new bands, Baest included, and I am forever grateful for that. Rest in power Papa Trev, this one is for you!
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