SOURCE – Releasing music in the streaming era often feels more like a continuous conversation than a singular event. How has your strategy changed around album cycles, singles, and promotional rollouts to maintain visibility in an attention economy that rewards constant content over slow-burning narratives?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – We haven’t released a full-length in quite some time, so we’re hoping this fact will bring a little more attention to the release than the last EP did. We’ve never really thought about how the cycles would work out; instead, we’ve been focusing on getting the material just right before releasing it. This time around, our first two singles were ready almost a full year before the rest, which has made the release process of Colossal a long one.
SOURCE – On King of the Sun, you have D-A-D’s Jesper Binzer guesting. Was that part written for him, or at least with a guest in mind from the outset?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – Yes, and it’s a dream come true! The part was written for Jesper, but without us knowing if he was even the slightest bit interested in doing it. Luckily, Jesper is an awesome guy, true to his roots, so he got straight to work after we asked him if he wanted to join the song.
SOURCE – You recently filmed a video for the track King of the Sun. Could you tell us a little bit about it?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – The sun is actually a trampoline with a light behind it. That video was an awesome shoot in a big hangar, and of course, we were starstruck when Jesper arrived.
SOURCE – How would you best describe Colossal as the latest Baest album?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – Colossal is a product of everything Baest grew up listening to, individually. It’s an album full of freedom, with no dogmas or rules in the songwriting. We are really happy to deliver an album like this—an album that’s very true to our vision for Baest.
SOURCE – Now that you have some distance from writing and recording Colossal, do you hear it differently?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – The album definitely grows when we listen to it now, free from uncertainties concerning what riffs should go or shouldn’t go on the record. It’s on there now, and we love them all.
SOURCE – Several artists have recently discussed issues with streaming services and lost revenue, while others have defended the practice. What are your thoughts on this evolution of the music industry?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – It’s an irreversible evolution now, but thankfully, the metal scene has always been die-hard, and the fans support us by buying merch and physical copies. Legends.
SOURCE – Other than album promotion, what other plans do you and the rest of the band have?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – We’re writing away—the creative juices are flowing!
SOURCE – In your opinion, what are some of the challenges of being a Danish band trying to break into the international touring circuit?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – Denmark is exploding with bands right now, bringing a lot of attention to the scene, and this is awesome. US visas are always difficult, but we managed to get them for the Arch Enemy tour, luckily. That’s the biggest practical challenge—besides the 10–12 hour drives to Germany, Holland, Belgium, and so on. But we have fun in the van, though!
SOURCE – What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Svend Karlsson (Guitars) – We’re gonna support the album, play some schools for kids (a two-week tour), and continue to play wherever we get the opportunity.
Photo Credit: Alexander Bachmann
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