Bæst "Necro Sapiens" (2021)

 

Released in March of this year, this attempted behemoth of Death Metal disgust, Necro Sapiens, managed to slip under my radar! In previous efforts I've described Bæst as the Danish Bloodbath for similarities musically but more notably for the dense guttural roars of Simon Olsen which mirror that of legend Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth.

At forty four minutes this third record has felt like a meaty affair on every occasion. Its search of grandeur ever-present as grueling themes play out with an unrelenting intensity. Reaching for the epic, its march of brutality is a grinding one. The music gasps for breaths of air while strangulated by the demonic roars of Olsen who drowns out any melodic refrains to lighten the tone. That intensity seemingly holding it back.

As so often a Death Metal record does, an arsenal of riffs is lined up for assault. Necro Sapiens deploys all forms, from evil melodic inflections to slamming pummels of chugging palm mutes with all in between. The bad news is the lack of originality or freshness. At this point in a stagnant genre, the ideas have all been heard before and the arrangements in search of greatness seemed to fall ill of its own medicine.

I can hear the vision, a careful composition of riffs exchanging brutality and dramatic themes with its unruly lyrics peering into wretched biblical filth of angels and demons and the scourge of humanity. Its all to be expected however it just doesn't click! I'm left with nowhere to point for an excuse, the performance and execution is excellent, the record sounds wonderfully rich and powerful yet with every listen these songs fail to muster that adrenaline charged excitement. I'm left wondering is it me or the music?

Rating: 5/10

My Top 10 Music Discoverys In 2019

Looking back at my thoughts and words from 2018, it seems I may repeat the same sentiment again. Maybe one of the years I'll actually develop a broader discovery of new music because as you'll see once again its dominated by Metal! I just can't seem to get away. In my defence life changes and my time devoted to music and this blog has been stretched so who knows what the new decade will hold! Anyways here is the years discoveries!

(10) Hunt The Dinosaur

They may be somewhat novelty and outrageous but that's the charm. I always love a bit of obnoxious chugging and Djent but these guys stand apart thank to their singers fiery guttural raps. The music is very textural and over the top yet in their first record, Dankosaurus, a couple of invigorating gems are to be found. If they work on their songwriting this group could really become something!

(9) Arkhtinn

Admittedly not the most impressive discovery but one that scratches an itch started by Darkspace over a decade ago. This breed of Black Metal is of epic proportion, an astral experience propelled into the abyss by its smothering wall of narrowing sound. Their newest release 最初の災害 seems to be the best of what I've heard so far.

(8) Shade Empire

 

An English band with lavish orchestration and brilliant song writing. Arcane Omega is practically a masterpiece of its own style and I'm surprised I'd not learned of them sooner. No doubt in the new years I will get through a few more of theirs however I am not so sure there sound is consistent but certainly hoping for more in this vein.

(7) Fairyland

Power Metal has never been my forte but this year Fairyland and Sabaton have begun to turn the tides. Of Wars In Osyhria is a record that fits so well into my taste, it has measures and fractions of tone and tune I've heard in many another project and together they make a magical adventure. The other two records don't get close unfortunately however they have been fun.

(6) Bæst

I adore Bloodbath and their era with Mikeal Akerfeldt. The Danish group Bæst have pretty much emulated that sound and style to the bone. Even oi they lack originality, its such a great execution and the songs they write are fantastic. It will be interesting to see if they take off in the Death Metal scene given the similarity but personally I am just glad this niche will continue onwards.

(5) Lil Peep

 

When I first heard of Emo Rap and Lil Peep I ignorantly turned my nose up at it. His music is sad, the fact that it sometimes takes someone passing to get your attention is sadder too but most of all his youthful passing is the saddest, almost haunting as the pains of his emotive music and storey of drug abuse and hopelessness seemed to have manifest. Besides the storey though his music is undoubtedly special and gloomily moody.

(4) Anna Van Hasswolf

I'm noticing that Scandinavian voices frequently seem to be my thing. I'm dead guilty of somehow not getting past this one record, Dead Magic, which I listen to often. Its beautifully ethereal, a fraction esoteric and moodily engrossing and spiritual. I will get to more of her records in the new years but lets linger on that album cover for a moment. Its utterly haunting. Having seen it countless times it still gives me a chill.

(3) Aurora

And here is another Scandinavian voice who's currently my addiction! Having only recently found Aurora I still have two records to get through. What a treat! Interestingly enough music was not her primary pursuit but given her talent she choose to pursue it for those who may need it and I did not know I needed to hear her voice until I did! A beautiful singer, can't wait for more.

 (2) Queen

It should be obvious that I of course already knew of Queen, rather well to in terms of their greatest hits. They make it onto this list as I've really come to know of them in a new light and have harvested an even bigger respect for these legends. It was kicked of by the Bohemian Rhapsody movie, a stunning tribute and I am determined now to get through every single record!

(1) Tool

This is the epitome of a turnaround. Without really knowing much about them, my youthful ignorance had cemented them in my mind as a smelly band I wanted nothing to do with. I missed my opportunity to see them live in 2006 because of this attitude but thanks to my friend Rendog I was convinced there was something about Tool and so I gave it a try. It was a slow process, it took a long time to find the spark but since discovering it I have come to adore them and seeing them live this year was a fantastic experience. The new record Fear Inoculum is a bit of a mixed bag though. Their return is a welcome one but I think they may need to get back in the groove before they reach the peaks of the past again.

Bæst "Venenum" (2019)

Not long on from discovering this gem of a band, the Danish Death Metal outfit Bæst return, monstrous as ever! Continuing with the brutal Mikael Akerfeldt era Bloodbath sound, they have assembled a collection of lean and powerful, fist clenching tracks to crush and menace listeners with its evil guitar riffs and gut wrenching demonic screams. Broken up only by an equally mediocre Spanish guitar interlude, like before, the record marches through its punishing line up of songs that hold together a brutal atmosphere. Either thumping steady tempos or thrashing hardened sprints, its deployment of intensities always result in gripping gruesome ride through the carnage.

With Nihil the lead guitar emulates Egyptian vibes similar to that of Death Metal legends Nile. Its a true moment of distinction, its winding, unraveling guitar lead is tantalizing and the brooding atmosphere birthed is something to remember. As Above So Below achieves something similar with less of a cultured direction. Again its lead guitar slowly unwinds in a gratifying manor as the song takes its time moving into a crunching dash of grinding aggression. Ending on a Bolt Thrower cover was a nice touch. I don't know the original but the flavoring of this bands aesthetic seems to work wonders. This feels like a steady improvement upon their debut but I think it would serve them well to land on something to stylistically separate them from Bloodbath.

Favorite Tracks: Nihil, Heresy, As Above So Below, Sodomize, No Guys No Glory

Rating: 7/10

Bæst "Danse Macabre" (2018)

What does one do when your favorite Swedish Death Metal "super group" loses their way? You pray for this record! Its been seven years since Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth left Bloodbath and they haven't sounded the same. Not only did they loose the visceral edge of his gutteral demonic roar, the band pivoted stylistically with Grand Morbid Funeral. That's where Bæst come in! This Danish band have flown under the radar, not gaining much reputation yet dropping in with an absolutly infatuated debut album that simply picks up from where The Fathomless Mastery left off.

Singer Simon Olsen has an uncanny resembles to the dense and deep, throaty roars of Anderfeldt, one of the best voice in this territory. That textural shout was an instant draw, giving me goosebumps. The rest of the music follows suit. Ripping guitar tones, the varying temperaments of ferocious Death Metal. Aesthetically and musically these compositions really do mirror Bloodbath in the best of ways. You could label them a rip off but their music is so good it just doesn't matter. The key distinction is melody, a couple of the songs have a colorful lead they return to, bringing a little tune alongside the onslaught but its mostly that sound defined by another band, a pleasure for a fan.

The album is a tight Thirty Four minute affair deploying an assault of punishing music that only has respite with a couple of classical guitar interludes. They are vanilla but have a mysterious tone, perhaps lacking in layering or depth, they could of birthed a little more atmosphere. As just a lone instrument it fails to dazzle. The musics composition is fairly narrow, utilizing typical arrangements of blast beats, aggressive drum grooves and menacing guitar riffs that tend to sound best at their most brutal, with the added enjoyment of demented guitar solos and lead melodies waging in on occasion. Its a lot of fun and has really scratched an itch. Will be interesting to see where they go from here. A sophomore record looms later in the year!

Favorite Tracks: Crosswhore, Hecatomb, Ego To Absolvo

Rating: 7/10