Beseech Fanclub Interview with Cristian "Bullen" Silver

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What’s it like to work with Beseech?

It is really great!
One of the best acts to work with in many ways.

Is there any difference in working with Beseech compared to other bands?

Yes, everything in the recording progress always works very smoothly.
That is what’s most amazing and unusual about Beseech.
One of the great things about working the beseechers is that they let me produce and have my ideas come to life. We also get along very well when we don’t work, so a night of drinking is always just around the corner.

How many of the Beseech albums have you produced?

I have recorded and mixed all their albums.
But I think my work as a producer wasn´t really noticable until and after Souls Highway.
Of course I had an impact on the previous albums as well, but maybe not as prominent. I was more of an engineer than a producer when we all started out. Now I´m the pruducer first and engineer second.

Manne, your co-owner of the studio is now a fulltime member of Beseech, does that have any effect on the work with the new Beseech album?

Manne has helped me and the band on previous albums, but as a member his role has become a lot bigger in the studio. In our spare time we can work on the album even if the other members are not around. Since Manne and I are used to work together, he often understands my ideas and have a good way to get theese ideas across to the band.
With Manne in the band I find it a lot more fun to go with them on festivals and live shows. This might help me see what works on stage and maybe get that across on the recordings.

How much do you, as producer have to say about the songs? Are you able to contribute with ideas or are they (Beseech) very determined about what they should sound like?

First of all I help them with drumbeats, they have an idea about a pattern and then I sort the ideas out, and arrange the drums.
Then I help Daniel with his sound, and I’m also writing some basslines. It’s almost the same thing about the rythm guitars, helping them out with the sound and then arrangements. Regarding keyboards and effects I just make sure that is is not too much and that they are using quality sounds. This is where Manne really comes in and helps me out on other alblums that I produce. Micke and Robert are really good at arranging keyboards so now that Manne is in the band there is not really much for me to do regarding keyboards.
With vocals it is different from album to album. On this album that we are working on right now, I have recorded all vocals and produced it together with Robert, Micke, Manne, Lotta and Erik. I have also made some vocal arrangments that we’ve recorded, and they are still there, so they must be good.
When the vocals were recorded on Drama, Manne and I were cruising around in the U.S.A,
so they handled it all by themselves. And as you all know it turned out great.
On Souls Highway the vocals where recorded in Studio2 when Manne and I was working in Studio1. When they were done with a track I always listened to it before I approved it.

What other bands have you worked with?

In the metal genre, to name a few:
Impious, The Crown, Lake of Tears, Mannhai, Arise, Anata, Cemetary, Sundown,Old Mans Child.

We can actually hear you play on some recorded Beseech songs can’t we?

I sometimes record drums just to show my ideas and then Jonas plays what I have written.
But it´s me you hear on the ABBA cover on Souls Highway, it was done five o´clock in the morning and Jonas were back at his daily work so it had to be me.
I always play the Tambourine though.

Thanks a lot!
/Morgan
The Beseech Fanclub Crew