Album Review: Baest – Venenum (Century Media Records)

On September 13th 2019 Denmark’s death metal heavyweights, Baest, will release their second studio album, Venenum, via Century Media Records.

Looking to beat listeners around the head with nasty sounding death metal release, Baest’s Venenum is violently disruptive. The hyperactivity of Vitriol Lament, punishing with bone-scrapping riffs, filthy guttural vocals and percussion that is dangerously heavy burns into Gula. The brain-melting chugging at the start is head-banging gold descending into shocking depths of death metal.

Nihil is one of the less inventive sounding tracks on an album with some serious death metal invention. However some high pitched guitar whines and an unexpected solo still puts it squarely in the positive camp. Before Baest stop giving a damn and erupt with fury on the title track.

So far, so very heavy and so very death metal. The feeling of familiarity is there if you’re a regular listener of this sub-genre. However, Baest certainly know how to thrill with their efforts but even they know to take a break on occasion as the folksy strumming of Styx attests too.

The ‘break’ is short lived though as they come back in full force for Heresy. Following that with the riffier As Above So Below and the face-melting Sodomize. Three tracks that all offer the same fiery death metal intensity, while also having just enough differences to not melt into one another.

Keeping things very tight and ensuring their blistering effort doesn’t overstay its welcome. Baest go out in blaze of death metal glory with Empty Throne, the vocals digging deep and No Guts No Glory. The latter delivering a ballsy performance with some proper old-school hooks that dig deep.

Baest – Venenum Full Track Listing:

1. Vitriol Lament
2. Gula
3. Nihil
4. Venenum
5. Styx
6. Heresy
7. As Above So Below
8. Sodomize
9. Empty Throne
10. No Guts No Glory

Links

Pre-order | Facebook