INTERVIEW: Simon Olsen – Baest

Although Denmark doesn’t quite have the same historical pedigree in metal as Norway, Sweden and Finland, the Scandinavian country is not to be overlooked. While the majority of Denmark’s contributions to the death metal scene are firmly rooted in the underground, the likes of melodic death metal titans MERCENARY, old-school crushers EXMORTEM and the brutal death metal outfit DAWN OF DEMISE are all essential listening, Century Media Records‘ newest purveyors of the extreme are on a course to the mainstream metal’s spotlight. BAEST made waves with their debut EP, Marie Magdalene, and are back with their debut full-length, Danse Macabre. Harnessing a distinctly old-school sound influenced by early Swedish and Tampa death metal, BAEST have a style that has a lot to offer. Prior to the release of their debut slice of death metal, we caught up with front-man Simon Olsen to discuss the concept and lyrics of Danse Macabre, signing with Century Media and what BAEST have in store for their live show.

Hey Simon, thanks for taking the time to chat today. With Danse Macabre due to drop next week, how are things in the BAEST camp at the moment?

Simon: Things are great in the BAEST camp! We just played the first show with I’LL BE DAMNED (who we’re touring with this fall) and that was a straight 10/10 experience. We’re preparing for our last Danish festival (Smukfest) and Summer Breeze in Germany at the moment, and these shows are gonna be awesome as well.

Danse Macabre is your debut album – how does it feel to be signed with a label as prestigious as Century Media for your first record?

Simon: Being signed to Century Media is a dream come true, as it’s one of the most prestigious rock and metal labels out there. Our ambitions are way up there, and Century Media are the guys that can make things happen.

Conceptually, the record is focused on the dance of death. Can you tell us a bit more about the concept, and how it materialised in the lyrics across the album?

Simon: The concept revolves around the Danse Macabre as the cover illustrates. In the lyrics you’ll find tales of human flaw, and the consequences of this. As the tracks unfold, the consequences become more extreme, as humanity is on its way to judgement. In Messe Macabre, Simon declares the seventh seal as broken, and chaos is from that point inevitable.

Writing a concept record for a first album is pretty ambitious. Do you have plans for other concepts you’d like to explore in the future?

Simon: The idea of a concept album came already in the beginning of the band. We feel, that writing with a lot of dogmas and an idea of a great tale, pushes us to focus even more. This is probably a method we’ll use in the future.

Danse Macabre is clearly influenced by the old-school Swedish death metal sound, with the buzzsaw riffs and heavy grooves. What bands from the scene were a primary influence and inspiration?

Simon: OPETH is a big influence as their discography is vast and very diverse, as is BLOODBATH‘s. ENTOMBED is of course one of the biggest influences, tone wise and style-wise. But we all listen to loads of bands, and that makes it hard to pinpoint one influence.

BAEST have a few festival shows, a run of dates with ABBATH, and a Denmark headlining tour all lined up for the next few months. What can we expect from a BAEST live show?

Simon: One can expect fury and fire from those live shows. We have prepared since the beginning to go on a tour like this, and it’s gonna be an insane show, with all the new tracks and some of the brutal classics from the EP. So, it’s gonna be as slow and deadly, as it’s going to be fast and chaotic.

Do you have any other touring plans for after the Danish tour?

Simon: There’s some tours after the fall, but sadly nothing we can reveal at this point. Keep your ear to the ground.

What songs from Danse Macabre are you particularly excited to play live?

Simon: Ego Te Absolvo is always a pleasure, as it is a bit different from our other songs. Atra Mors is both slow and fast, that’s fun, and Hecatombe is lightning fast – that’s always a blast! Crosswhore is really chanting friendly song, and it’s a great feeling when the crowd responds. Our drummer hates to play Marks Of the Undead from the EP because of the never-ending double bass, and that makes it quite fun to play live. He’s working hard on that one.

Aside from your touring plans, what does the rest of 2018 and early 2019 have in store for BAEST?

Simon: The rest of 2018 is about touring and Danse Macabre. We are booking the summer shows of 2019 and preparing the production for those shows. Who knows, maybe some recording is in store for us – we can’t say! But we are working hard to conquer the world, so more material is sure to be around the corner.

Are there any underground bands, either in your local scene or worldwide, that you feel deserve more attention from the wider death metal scene?

Simon: JUNGLE ROT always deserve more attention. As for the Danish scene, there are a lot of great bands coming up. ORM is an awesome Black metal band from Copenhagen. WAYWARD DAWN are some serious young death metal kids!

Thank you again for taking the time to chat with us. Before you go, do you have any parting messages for our readers?

Simon: Of course, thanks for having us! For the readers – check out the album, check out the videos and documentaries online, become a member of the BAEST! And see you on the road.

Danse Macabre is out now via Century Media Records. 

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