When I was first offered the new Baest album, Colossal, I went into it with an open mind. I had only heard a few Baest songs before this, so I didn’t have any expectations as it were, I was just along for the ride. Album number 4 was inspired by classic metal like the late, great Ozzy Osbourne, Dokken and Iron Maiden so I expect a more rocky album when compared to the extreme metal they have tracked in their past 3 albums. The quintet of fiery Danes began the process of writing Colossal during Covid. Influenced by the greatness of Zakk Wylde and Jake E. Lee, Metallica and all the awesomeness of the wild 80s and early 90s, Baest were hell bent on coming out with something different to the metal they had previously recorded, releasing the fun side of Baest out into the waiting world. And here it is, in all of its glory, the newest edition to the Baest catalogue, Colossal. Let’s check it out together, shall we… Song 1. Stormbringer starts like something out of AC/DC but soon turns into a Baest ballbuster. There’s a bit of everything in this song. Sick drumming, and a riff that sounds like it came straight out of the 80s, and vocals that sound typically Danish, strong and bursting with energy. Stormbringer builds into a thumping climax which, in my humble opinion, ends a fucking great and solid opening song. Next is the song, Colossus. The song starts slow for the first 90 seconds before exploding into a grinding vocal performance and faster instrumentals before settling back into the repetitive riff, “Under the weight of the Colossus” growled with intensity by vocalist Simon Olsen. I can imagine being stuck at home during Covid and thinking to myself that we were all pretty much fucked and trapped “under the weight of the Colossus” which was Covid itself. I’m not saying that is the meaning behind this song, but it is what comes to mind when I listen to it. Deep shit! In Loathe and Love, this song I instantly enjoy. Gutsy and ravenous. Sick riffs and a killer breakdown again about 90 seconds in. Blast beats briefly break up the song, but it remains heavy throughout. A damn good metal ditty to wrap your ears around. King of the Sun definitely has an old school feel to it, even breaking out the cowbell! I can hear the Dokken and a little Van Halen influence. Jesper Binzer of D-A-D features in a cameo about halfway through the song, helping out with vocals and some harmonies throughout the latter half of the song. All in all, this song was as solid as a brick shit house and I love the guitar chops of Svend Karlsson and Lasse Revsbech, they are truly focussed on bringing the best quality licks be they death metal or heavy rock, they add their own spin on the guitar parts and they come together perfectly. Imp of the Perverse certainly has a rock n roll feel to it, very Zakk Wylde/Ozzy in style. Chaos reigns in this pulverising rock track. Again, in the middle of the song they speed things up for about 20 seconds for their old school fans, but this is a rock track through and through brought to life by brilliant guitars and drumming from out of this world. Coming from listening to metal in the 80s I know this song would have fit in beautifully back then, just as it does now. Great song. Misfortunate Son is a sick song. Blasting guitars again and the drumming, again I need to point out just how good Sebastian Abildsten is behind the kit. He can turn a rock song into a death metal song with a few simple strokes of his sticks and kicks. These riffs seem to come from another time but with a modern style. It’s very interesting to me how Baest have managed to do this with this album. It’s fun for me to listen to. It’s a bit like having my own personal DeLorean. The seventh song of the fourth album Colossal is Mouth of the River. Sounds ominous just from the title. The Mouth of the River reflects all our sins. Throwing oneself into the mouth of the river cleanses you of all your sins. Baptism and repentance. Now, I don’t think the Danish are like the Eskimoes who send their elderly loved ones to travel off to their death floating down a cold and icy river, but this song reminds me of something like that. A baptism of ice and repentance of sins before drowning and meeting your maker. Eerie stuff! (Full disclosure: I don’t know if Eskimoes do what I said they do, but there is a culture somewhere in the frozen tundra that do say goodbye to their elderly loved ones that way. If my kids try that shit with me, we’re going to have a problem.) The penultimate song, Light the Beacons is a guitar laden bow to the songs of old. An acknowledgement of the 80s guitar legends past and present. It’s hard not to love this instrumental piece, typical of many 80s and 90s bands who loved to pop an instrumental song in their albums back in the day. Love it, love it, love it. And before you know it, it’s finished, just like that. But I want to listen to it again! That is the sign of greatness. And just between you and I, I did listen to it again and liked it even more. The final song on this masterfully written album is Depraved World. Like it or not, that is what we live in at the moment, a depraved world, filled with disgusting people who want nothing less than to see us plebs fall of the face of the Earth. My simple retort to them is FUCK YOU! This has a definitive Iron Maiden feel to it, but Baest make this song their own. A 6-minute masterclass in how to take a bow to the past while at the same time modernising the melodies for the millennial crowd. A wonderful way to end the album says this Gen X’r. No matter if you’ve listened to Baest since their inception, or if you’re like me and have only just dipped your toe into the Baest water, I think you will like this album because of what it represents. It is a solemn bow to the music, the artists and the fans of the past (and present) and an astounding album that gives the listener everything they need to rock out, bang their heads and feel like the past has met the present in a way that is very pure, yet nostalgic at the same time. Quite the task if you ask me. My favourite song’s: Light the Beacons and Depraved World, they saved the best for last, but overall, a fantastic album to chill out to.