Baest @ Jailbreak 2024
See if you can spot Waldo in that crowd
(Review: Magnus Jørgensen)
The new death metal pride of my native Denmark – my little region of Denmark, actually. Of course this is gonna rock – it always does. It seems like only a few years ago that I saw one of their very first shows, but I looked it up, and it's been eight. They were pretty damn good back then, and countless shows later, the band is a well-oiled machine. Their career arguably peaked at Copenhell, where the festival announced that more than a thousand crowdsurfers were in the air. I have no idea how they counted that, but I believe them.
Pretty much everyone at Jailbreak has gathered to see Baest. When the guitar duo Svend and Lasse (yes, I'm using their first names) come charging out, the crowd explodes. Simon's vocals are as brutal as ever, and as they hammer through "Meathook Massacre", "Crosswhore", and "Necro Sapiens", the bond between band and audience gets even more intense and energetic.
The sound is pretty damn awful. The bass drums are way too loud and the guitars are way too muddy. But the fans give exactly zero fucks, and it seems like the circle pit never stops. When Simon decides to join the revelry and roar his way through a song from the middle of the whole thing, hundreds of ecstatic metalheads thrashing in circles around him, you wouldn't be surprised if the unleashed energy created a mushroom cloud.
Baest has been compared to Bloodbath, and while their songwriting doesn't rise to the level of the Swedes' first two albums, their live show is miles ahead of them. Even if you are into death metal, you might not remember a whole lot from their songs, but if you go to a Baest show and don't have a party, you're doing it wrong. Shit, even if you're not into death metal. In fact, virtually any band in any genre could do well by seeing Baest live and taking business-level notes.
If there's any problem with Baest, it's that you can't not love 'em. They are so charming, cheerful, and immaculate that they lack the chaos and volatility we associate with death metal. Instead, it's a party. But a death metal party is a great fucking party, all right!
Rating: 4.5 out of 6
Genre: Death metal
Venue: Jailbreak, outdoor stage
Date: Sat., Aug. 17th, 2024
Setlist:
- Genesis
- Abattoir
- Colossus
- Meathook Massacre
- Crosswhore
- Imp of the Perverse
- Ecclesia
- King of the Sun
- Gargoyles
- Necro Sapiens