Album Review: Baest - Necro Sapiens
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
2019’s ‘Venenum’ placed the Danish death metallers firmly in the premier league. Their second release, following 2018’s ‘Danse Macarbe’ was a punishing, bleak affair that matched their industrial homeland of Aarhus.
Third release ‘Necro Sapiens’ builds on both previous albums and provides further evidence that this is a band who have developed into one of the most promising death metal outfits in recent years. Perhaps the best compliment about ‘Necro Sapiens’ is that it sounds like a Baest record. Yes, it still draws from the classic death metal archive, with the likes of Bolt Thrower, Dismember and Entombed all evident in the band’s compositions, but there is ample progression and evolution which suggests that the band are now carving their own niche at the top table.
The five piece leave little to chance. Opening track ‘Genesis’ provides a varied flavour and combination of styles, blending slower, grinding riffs with more powerhouse paced passages. The hammer is well and truly delivered on the pounding title track. Simon Olsen’s gruff delivery is once more on point, his demonic growls somehow flying above the heavy duty riffing of guitarists Svend Karlsson and Lasse Revsbech.
Elsewhere tracks such as ‘Abbatoir’ and ‘Goregasm’ drip with controlled yet powerful and punishing passages that are visceral and brutal. Baest often forgo pace for crushing intensity but don’t lose an ounce of impact. When they do open the throttle, the speed is extreme, ferociously aggressive with Sebastian Abildstein’s battering drumming propelling the band at blistering speed.
The huge sound is complimented by the melodies of the dual guitars, which change from harrowing destruction to more measured combinations with an ease that is impressive. ‘Towers of Suffocation’ is a perfect example of the fine interplay. There is ample searing guitar work throughout this grisly workout with the explosive ‘Purification through Mutilation’ raging with battering thrash before slowing to conclude with a total change of pace and a slab of doom.
If you want your death metal steeped in classic style but with enough variation to make it contemporary, ‘Necro Sapiens’ is likely to be on your list.
