| Drama Reviews
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Uttertrash
If you like dark, melodic, gothic heavy
metal, then this is one album you shouldn't miss!
Beseech is a seven piece unit from Sweden. (Digression:
/ON) Hold on, yet another superb Swedish hard rock band? What
is it about that country, anyway? I mean, most music scenes would
love to have two or three great acts emerge on the national (or
international) scene each year. Yet every time some janitor at
a Swedish label farts or blows his/her nose, it's awesome! (Digression:
/OFF)
This is their fourth full length album, but just the first to
be "officially" released in America. Their previous
efforts had been import only, with the video clip for "Between
The Lines" (from "Souls Highway") being heavily
traded and downloaded with the band's full permission. This technique
has paid off, with Ryko picking up their latest effort. In a word,
this album is: awesome.
Erik Molarin's vocals are less Peter Steele-ish this time around,
and the band is truly developing a style all their own. Female
singer Lotta Haglan's style is likewise getting more diverse,
and the songwriting has been kicked up a notch. In the past, Beseech
has been compared to HIM and Evanescence, and not unfavorably.
This album is more mature and less derivative, and a thoroughly
pleasant listen. Standout cuts include "Drama" (the
first single), "Forever Falling", and "Addicted".
If you like dark, melodic, gothic heavy metal, then this is one
album you shouldn't miss!
(Taliesin Govannon)
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Gothic.gr
This album has many
really beautiful compositions!
The year 2003 finds Beseech without one of their former guitarists
and main song-writer of the band up to “Soul’s Highway”,
Klas Bohlin. Now the only former member of the band is the other
guitarist of the band, Robert Spånglund, that bears the
burden to write most of the songs of Beseech in “Drama”
(2004). The album continues from the moment “Soul’s
Highway” ended sounding more melodic, more various and heavier
(maybe because of the good production). It is obvious now that
the doom/death days have passed without return and the path that
Beseech will follow is the one of gothic “metal”.
The lyrics remain deeply esoteric and emotional dealing with
the human esotericism and pacing totally with the emotional music
of Beseech. What can someone notice is that the production of
“Drama” is the best that Beseech ever had with every
instrument being heard clearly, the keyboards participate more
in the compositions and Lotta Höglin participates more in
singing, as she did in “Soul’s Highway”. The
cover of the booklet for one more time is enchanting and filled
with beautiful colours and we can see that the logo of the band
has changed seeming more beautiful. By the way, I really wonder
what did the narrow-minded metalheads thought when they saw Erik
wearing eye-liner on his pictures in the booklet, I really liked
it!
“Drama” is the first composition and begins the album
in an appropriate way! A deeply emotional composition with Erik
interpreting in an unequalled way the melancholic lyrics that
compare life to a “drama”, a “show that must
keep on going”. “Higher Level” is a magnificent
up-tempo composition with heavy guitar riffing and both Lotta
and Erik giving their best!
“Voices” that follows is a composition that sounds
to me deeply inspired by Type O Negative, a good one though. “Forever
Falling”, a good soft composition with Lotta enchanting
the listener with her expressive voice, that follows reminded
me somehow of Katatonia musically. “Bitch” comes next
and turns on the volume with the heavy guitar riffing; a very
inspired compositions with Lotta and Erik showing for one more
time their vocal abilities!
“Addicted” continues the album in up-tempo melodies
as “Bitch” did, both heavy and filled with emotion.
“Come on In” follows and fills the atmosphere with
violet colours and melancholic sounds (can you hear the beautiful
gothic rock guitar chords?), definitely one of the best songs
of the album! And “Drama” closes, “the curtains
closing down”, with “Friend Emptiness” which
is a mid-tempo composition with both calm and heavier moments,
being just a good song.
“Drama” is a must for all the Beseech fans and an
alternative option for the fans of gothic metal! This album has
many really beautiful compositions!
“But the show must keep on going And the show goes on…”
/RozzWilliams
4,5/5
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Musictap.net
Guaranteed to be in your CD
Player for weeks
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I had heard a couple of songs
from these Swedish rockers before from their last release, Souls
Highway . They were good, chunky, had a little groove, a nice
beauty and the beast vocal balance and, c’mon, they covered
Abba’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” how funky is that?
Still, I never got around to getting the album. Like I said,
what I heard was good, but it just didn’t hook me enough
to warrant dropping the dough. Drama, however, is a whole different
story.
There is both the unique and the familiar on Drama. Songs have
delicious hooks that keep you constantly playing them over and
over, yet at the same time there’s actual depth, something
a lot of goth-rock can lack in its attempt to woo listeners in
as quickly as possible. While on the surface, the lyrics sometimes
appear the typical love lost, love gained, love used fare, there’s
more underneath. Far from ignorant religion bashing, “Addicted”
calls for humanity’s respect for the earth and less for
blind faith.
Some of the songs, such as “Higher Level”, stow the
deep thought and get us back to our “baser” tendencies:
“Get down on your knees when I command. Lay back and take
what’s yours to have. I know exactly what to do to reach
a higher level of you.”
All of this is wrapped in the voices of Erik Molarin and Lotta
Höglin, who are really the centerpieces of this album. Whereas
the male/female vocal back and forths for some, such as current
“it” band Lacuna Coil, have a tendency to feel contrived,
there is actually a lyrical reason for Molarin and Höglin
to be dueling it out, be it over one woman’s desire to be
with her lover, her god, or for one man to feel the sting of his
own rejection. Neither vocalist carries the other, be it on their
looks or their voices. Molarin moves from mid range vocals to
dark croons akin to Peter Steele and even ekes out some ambient
growls for one song. Höglin all at once has a voice slightly
familiar yet wholly unique. Her harmonies are sensual and striking
and it’s a shame they, like the rest of this band, have
not attained the deserved limelight of some contemporaries.
With exception to “Come on in”, which admittedly
sounds a cross between Lacuna Coil and Tiamat, Beseech, and Drama
is a very distinctive experience. It’s heavy, moody, slick
and hip and ends far, far too quickly. Guaranteed to be in your
CD Player for weeks. It’s still in mine.
4/5
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Metal
Rules
DRAMA is my first experience with Sweden’s Beseech, and
indeed I had never even heard of them before, despite the fact
that they’ve been together for over a decade and have already
put out three full albums prior to this. The band was formed in
1992 in the town of Boras and they spent the next six years refining
their sound before getting picked up by Metal Blade for their
debut release in 1998. Since then the band has toured Europe with
Lacuna Coil and Theater of Tragedy and put out two other albums.
It’s apt that the band has toured with the likes of Lacuna
Coil because they are very similar in sound to the Italians. Gothic
rock/metal is Beseech’s chosen stomping grounds and by now
theses guys (and girl) are old pros at it. You can tell by listening
to DRAMA that Beseech are experienced. The songs are put together
perfectly and cover all of the expected bases of the gothic metal
genre. However the music is far from being clinical or sterile,
as, like Lacuna Coil, the band manage to infuse the songs with
emotion, largely due to the fantastic vocals of Erik and Lotta.
The opening one-two punch of “Drama” and “Higher
Level” kick ass with both being up-tempo rocks with extremely
catchy riffs. From there the band expands into the meat of the
album with more atmospheric songs like “Voices” and
“Forever Falling” (do I detect a slight Cranberries
influence here?!?) but quickly getting back to rocking out for
the rest of the album (“Bitch” and “Addicted”
are both awesome stompers) until the melancholic closer “Friend
Emptiness”.
This is album is so addictive that I’ve been unable to
get out of my CD player for a month now with no sign of that changing
any time soon. This album is mandatory listening for all fans
of gothic metal. Go and purchase.
4,5/5
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Metal
Observer
Napalm Records are among the most underrated “well known”
Metal labels there is despite having some very cool bands, some
being interesting (VINTERSORG, KORPIKLAANI) while others are just
good and enjoyable, which is where BESEECH´s latest album
comes in, more on that shortly. Until recently I haven’t
done much to follow the Austrian label; I’m sure they’re
professionals at what they do, it feels like a release from them
is just as good as a couple of albums from Nuclear Blast or Metal
Blade, meaning that Napalm Records is a sanctuary for inspirational
artists and not a second home for puppets who are being told how
they should sound like, no offence to the previously mentioned
labels.
Don’t they look like the happiest people you’ve ever
seen? The band picture reads a typical gothic imagery, thankfully
the artwork has a more intimate and tense concept going on that
invites you to come in and have a look at the dark minds of these
six individuals.
Gothic Rock with modern overtones is the main event for the next
forty minutes of your life when you put on “Drama”.
Stylistically BESEECH sound more accessible than being slow and
killing, it’s not experimental even if they have electronics
and other intriguing sounds and samples. The goals are simple
and achieved as far as I’m concerned: to make catchy and
heavy songs. The songwriting has more to it than you think at
first. While the songs appear straightforward and easy going there’s
a tiny world beneath the accessible arrangements.
A Gothic Rock band wouldn’t be complete without the traditional
arguments between the depressed male and disheartening female.
Erik Molarin and Lotta Løglin act as your guide to certain
misery and are well rehearsed. Lotta´s voice is very calm
and controlled; she has an independent quality but can also imitate
Anneke Van Giersbergen without much effort (check out “Friend
Emptiness”). Erik has a cool and dry tone but can also put
on an intense shout when he feels like it (check “Addicted”).
Together the two vocalists arrange their parts rather interestingly
and put on a soulful performance. Robert Vintervind (awesome last
name he he) is the man behind most of the material. He’s
open-minded and tries out different sketches, the most daring
being the almost happy, naive Pop Rock sounding “Forever
Falling”, which I find myself enjoying very much.
Although I haven’t heard anything of this band before “Drama”,
I feel that BESEECH have carved a niche in the modern areas of
Gothic Rock; they use all the traditional elements but also turn
to their own rules when adding more detail to the songs, plus
the guitars are way heavier than normal, they really bite at you.
Take a moment to remember classic albums of gothic bands like
SENTENCED, THE GATHERING, LACUNA COIL, THEATER OF TRAGEDY and
TIAMAT... (silence)... can never beat those I know that but BESEECH
could end up being the choice of the day if you’re not satisfied
with the current destination of the bands I just mentioned: take
the plunge, this is their play, let the drama unfold. (Online
April 1, 2004)
7,5/10
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Harvestmoon
Music
Drama is a solid follow-up
to its classic forerunner and is an all-around well-executed Gothic
Metal album
The Swedish Gothic Metal icons Beseech have returned in early
2004 with Drama, their highly anticipated follow-up to the classic
Souls Highway. The latter album had simply blown me away and,
as a result, was awarded the first ever 5-star rating here at
Harvest Moon Music. Would Drama be able to hold up against such
a powerful predecessor? As seemingly simple a question as that
may be, the answer cannot be confined to a simple yes or no response.
No, Drama does not match the pure power and emotion of Souls Highway
so those expecting Souls Highway Part 2 will be disappointed.
However, Beseech (more specifically main songwriter Robert Vintervind)
has reached out and embraced new elements and subtly incorporated
them into the bands core sound, thus expanding upon the winning
formula of their previous album. In comparison to Souls Highway,
the music of Drama is softer, not as heavy, and relies less upon
guitar melodies and more on the keyboards and vocals for atmosphere.
The departure of lead guitarist Klas Bohlin has ineed affected
the overall sound of Beseech, with the guitar being less in the
forefront and with a slight change in overall guitar tone, but
the difference is not detrimental.
The majority of the songs on Drama are noteworthy, but there were
a couple that for me stood a tad above the rest. The first is
"Higher Level", a mid-paced song of lust and Gothic
sexuality (the subject matter having much to do with why it's
my favorite track on the album). Heavy on the bass with a decent
driving riff, Erik Molarin's baritone during the chorus makes
it one of the most memorable tunes on the disc. The comparisons
to Type O Negative have come often, and aren't unwarranted, though
Beseech possesses a sound distinctly different from the Brooklyn-based
Godfathers of Goth - that is, until "Voices". This track
could have come straight off of Life Is Killing Me or October
Rust with its melancholic piano, fuzzy atmospherics and crushing,
distorted riffs. Erik even adopts a softer baritone that mimics
Pete Steele quite remarkably. You'd alomst think it was a guest
appearance. The striking similarities aside, the song is a wonderful
Gothic composition in its own right. While the first half of the
album is a bit slow compared to Souls Highway, "Bitch"
revs up the pace with considerably distorted riffs and a heavy
bass drive. The wall of guitar sound is punctuated by Mikael Back's
piano and great vocal interplay between Erik and Lotta Hoglin.
"Addicted" shows somewhat of a departure of style for
the band. Incorporating Industrial synth elements and groove,
the song comes off sounding very much like Marilyn Manson. Again
with heavy bass, but this time with a more aggressive drive to
the riffs, the band pulls off the switch. Closing out Drama is
"Friend Emptiness", somewhat of a power ballad featuring
the alluring voice of Lotta. While she figures prominently in
most of Beseech's songs, to me it seemed as if she was holding
something back. Clearly she was! On this track her voice simply
soars, reaching new heights of power and emotion. At times sounding
a bit like Shirley Manson (Garbage), Lotta delivers big and makes
a marginal ballad one of the most pwoerful songs on the album.
For me the weak spot of Drama was "Forever Falling",
with an opening guitar sound that belongs on a Chris Isaak album
instead of here. The slow pace of the song didn't do much for
me either. Besides that one complaint, and the fact that the album
is far too short, Drama is a solid follow-up to its classic forerunner
and is an all-around well-executed Gothic Metal album. Fans of
the band will be satisfied, but those looking to try Beseech for
the first time should instead start with Souls Highway
4/5
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Norweigan review
Drama is a level and good Goth
album, that sworn goth rock/metal fans may safely check out.
Sweden’s Beseech started up in 1992, and ‘Drama’
is their 4th full length album. Beseech plays Goth rock/metal
such as The Gathering, but also have elements that can remind
of bands like Type O’negative and Pist On. There are also
some industrial/electronical elements in their music.
Beseech use alternately clean male and female vocals. The contrast
between Lotta Höglin’s beautiful bright female vocal,
and Erik Molarin’s grumbling dark Peter Steel like voice
is awesome. The vocal presentation on the record is evenly good,
Lotta sings very well. Erik’s voice also works perfectly,
but now and then it seems like the low notes is on the edge of
what he can manage, and sounds a bit assumed. There is nothing
to put off the musical area on the record,(tough they’re
not really put on any Big challenges here..) and it is well produced.
The song material is varied and good. The record starts with the
title track ‘Drama,’ here we get Molarin at his best,
which is the strongest track on this record, after this it evens
a bit. ‘Voices’ reminds me a lot of Type O’negative,
with its heavy guitars and deep vocal. On ‘Friend Emptiness,’
Höglin gets to unfold herself on solo vocal, something I
would have enjoyed hearing more of on the record. Together with
the other songs mentioned above, these form my favourites.
‘Drama’ is a level and good Goth album, that sworn
goth rock/metal fans may safely check out.
7,5 out of 10 points
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Rockreport
I’m already curious as
to how their next one will sound like!
I’m sure not many of you will know “Drama”
is already Beseech’s fourth effort. Even less will know
that the band exist since 1992. That year, a couple of Swedish
guys made their dream come true and formed a doom/death metal
band. However, it was not until 1998 that their debut album “…From
A Bleeding Heart” saw the light of day. The record had been
lying on the shelves since 1995, but label problems kept on delaying
its release until the band got signed by Metal Blade. Only one
year later though, they switched labels again and started work
on their second album “Black Emotions”. That album,
released mid 2000, forced a breakthrough for Beseech, who had
opted for a more gothic style and therefore had recruited female
vocalist Lotta Höglin. A European tour with Theatre Of Tragedy
and Lacuna Coil followed shortly after and gave them the necessary
exposure to expand their fan base.
2001 saw the departure of vocalist Jorgen Sjöberg and by
the time Beseech had parted ways with their label for the third
time, new vocalist Erik Molarin had taken his place. A new demo
tape with the united vocalist duo fell into the hands of the people
at Napalm Records, who did not have to think twice to sign the
band. Mid 2002, the third Beseech album “Souls Highway”
was released as the first effort of this new alliance. Many positive
reactions followed, being the confidence rising confirmation that
they had finally found the long sought after balance in the band
situation as well as their song material.
Not surprisingly, the band’s brand new album is a continuation
of as well as another improvement over “Souls Highway”.
“Drama” adds diversity and better songwriting to the
recipe that was already used on its predecessor. The majority
of the songs are much in the vein of recent The Gathering –
vocalist Lotta Höglin also sounds like Anneke van Giersbergen
– but the band dare to go a little further as well with
heavier gothic metal songs as “Addicted” and the opening
title track.
“Drama” is a very fine release for those into gothic
rock and metal. Beseech managed to improve on each and every effort
and I’m sure they’re able to continue doing that on
future albums. I’m already curious as to how their next
one will sound like!
(SL) 4/6
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Göteborgs
Posten
Beseech might get the breakthrough
they been struggling for since 1992.
Fittingly I’m reading Bram Stoker’s, Dracula during
my first listen to Beseech’s fourth album. The moods fits.
Darkness and romance. A man and a woman shares the vocals, and
thoughts go to Type O Negative and The Gathering. But the band
still has found something of their own, and not the least the
music is nice with a well thought balance between the components
and opposites. Given the success of more popy but nearby Evanescence
and HIM (listen to the potential hit, title track), Beseech might
get the breakthrough they been struggling for since 1992.
Bella Stenberg 4/5
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Ancient
Spirit
At the time, when “Souls
Highway" was released it couldn't knock me dead which the
following album “Drama” accomplished.
Drag me backwards, has it already been two years since the last
album from Beseech came out? At the time, when “Souls Highway"
was released it couldn't knock me dead which the following album
“Drama” accomplished. What causes it? Very simple:
the songs are better! And that immense, and then at once the opening
and title song “Drama” wakes an exaltation in me,
which the whole album sticks to. The songs “Forever falling”
and “Friend emptiness” are breathing THE GATHERING,
“Voices” reminds of TYPE O NEGATIVE, or such brilliant
tracks such as the dominating “Higher Level”, the
martial “Addicted”, the modern sounding “Come
on in”, with Eric’s brilliant voice. Altogether the
songs are varied and without any noticeable flaws, regardless,
that some already above mentioned songs are much like the originals,
were only available in the B-grade reduction. At last “Drama”
is an outstanding Gothic Metal Album without any weak songs. Those
who find HIM too pompous, SENTENCED sound to drive one to suicide,
THE GATHERING you only can stand under drug influence, or never
liked ENTWINE, should absolutely buy this album.
SasH 10.5
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Borås
Tidning
When I listen to Drama at full volume in the dark, images immediately
grows from the dark.
Dim lights emerges and schimmers far away, enticing. Suddenly
the lights transforms inte six vague, black and mysterious figures
and the tones sweep out across the room. A cold sweeps through
the room and the dark gets even darker, but soothing. The music
takes me into the mist, that is Beseech's latest product.
At first I get restless. The songs doesn't have good refrains.
But all while the six members from Borås does their best
to blow my poor speakers the cd comes from clarity to clarity.The
songs melt together and the lost refrains are suddenly heard.
The fourth full length album from "Borås finest"
, to a certain extent fulfills the high expectations you should
have on them. The songs that are tightly related to Type O Negatives
dark and red wine smelling rock, are very well produced and pretentious
in a positive sence.
By Karl Åkerström
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The
Metal's Den
I was introduced to BESEECH’s universe with their
excellent « Souls Highway » album which included a
good number of great rock / metal gothic tracks proportionally
growing my enthusiasm to its successor. Here it is finally, «
Drama » is their fourth album and marks a musical evolution
notably on the composition level because it is not the work of
a single person anymore, in this particular case Klas Bohlin (guitar)
who left the band after ten years. Thus came along more of a band
creative process and we moreover feel a better variation on this
album.
« Drama » is in fact a bit more experimental without
moving away too much from its path. « Forever Falling »
is more lifting joining the roots of a The Gathering. «
Drama », the title track, overhangs some nice arrangements
resulting from the marriage of acoustics, electric and the piano
whereas « Addicted » shall re-enforce your neck muscles
thanks to the heavy and mid-tempo rhythms supported by some inserted
roaring. The radio potential is revealed with, among others, «
Come On In » and its rhythms and techno tones.
As you can figure out, this last offering from BESEECH marks
a new chapter in the history of this band that has chosen to distance
itself from the lot and comes out victorious.
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Vampire
Magazine
‘Drama’ lets us
hear that Beseech is ready to conquer the hearts of a bigger audience
Beseech is a gothic rock/metal band from Sweden, and no, this
is not just another band that wants to profit from the popularity
of this genre these days. It all started back in 1992 when a few
guys from Borås (a village near Gothenburg) started making
music. In the same year the band already recorded their first
demo and became deeply involved in the underground scene. In 1995
the Beseech signed a contract with We Bite/Corrosion Records and
recorded their debut album ‘...from a bleeding heart’.
But due financial problems of the label they couldn’t release
the album until the band signed a deal with Metal Blade, with
a delay of more than 3 years the album was finally released in
1998.
After this release Beseech signed a deal with Pavement Music and
started the recordings of the second album ‘Black Emotions’
which saw daylight in 2000. The style on this second album was
changed quite a lot; on the debut album the band sounded as a
atmospheric doom/death metal band, yet slowly they changed their
style into a gothic rock/metal orientated sound. The responses
on ‘Black Emotions’ where very good and the band joined
Theatre of Tragedy and Lacuna Coil on an European Tour in 2001.
A year later Beseech released their third, and first album for
Napalm Records. The responses on ‘Souls Highway’ where
even better than on the 2 previous albums and Beseech established
their name at the absolute top of the genre.
Yet still the band wasn’t; and still isn’t, as popular
as they should deserve. Hopefully for the band the popularity
will grow and finally get more appreciation for their music with
the release of ‘Drama’. The album is very catchy and
songs like ‘Drama’, ‘Bitch’ and ‘Friend
Emptiness’ are potential songs that could get some radio-airplay.
The music is very accessible; even for non-metal fans. The clean
vocals of Erik Molarin are in most songs duelling with the beautiful
voice of Lotta Höglin; her voice sounds like a mixture between
the voices of Anneke van Giersbergen (the Gathering) and Cristina
Scabbia (Lacuna Coil). ‘Drama’ is with no doubt the
best album released in the history of Beseech so far. Romantic,
melancholically and dark are some characterizing appellations
for this album. Best song on the album is in my opinion ‘Voices’;
it is the most sad song on ‘Drama’, full of emotions
and it contains a very dragging song structure with some great
piano melodies and vocals. ‘Drama’ lets us hear that
Beseech is ready to conquer the hearts of a bigger audience. The
question isn’t or Beseech will break through, but when that
will happen. I think, and hope for the band, really soon, because
Beseech is one of the best/most interesting gothic rock/metal
bands in the nowadays scene.
/Geert
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Metalhel
Again they have accomplished
the near perfect sound world, where everything is in balance and
neatly where they are supposed to be
Beseech has again laid the table with convincing set of gothic
metal and this time they have obviously succeeded even better
than with their previous album, Souls highway. Again they have
accomplished the near perfect sound world, where everything is
in balance and neatly where they are supposed to be. What delighted
me mostly was that they had managed to break their habit of making
almost neurotically controlled songs, especially Bitch and Addicted
are pleasant surprises in this context. Musical influences are
again clearly audible, you cannot avoid thinking of Type o negative
when listening to Voices or The Gathering with Friend emptiness.
Points to them for not using too much of that so used up drums-bass-
vocals HIM formula.
Both the singers have also taken a few steps forward and at least
one to the side. I respect the decision to leave Erik voice more
untouched and “natural”, but at the same I am left
longing for more of that ultra low voice, which is still flashed
in some parts. And I still seem to refer to him as the new singer,
but I admit he has taken his place in the band long time ago.
Lotta has refined her singing significantly and is definitely
at her best here, but occasionally she tends to sound just like
Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering), like you can notice in
the ending track, Friend emptiness.
Beseech has certainly understood the wisdom in the old saying
“tune low, sound convincing”, since every seat in
my listening room instantly transforms into massage miracles when
Drama is spinning in the player. Besides that free bonus, the
songs really seem to maintain their attraction after hours of
listening, they have had the patience to decorate the songs with
enough details to be found. So despite my few complaints, I think
I'll be enjoying massages dramatically more often than before.
4/5 Reviewed by Pikkarainen
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metalreviews.com
Songs like “Higher Level”
are great for their use of the dueling vocals
Mixing diverse aspects of the gothic scene is nothing new. Industrial
and metal have been married for years thanks to the likes of Ministry
et al. Beseech’s Drama album is not as much a marriage of
metal and industrial but a union of metal and gothic rock with
some touches of industrial. This album is gothic to the core and
a great listen.
Each song is quite unique bearing only cursory resemblance to
other songs on the album at times. The beautiful vocal dichotomy
of male and female vocals is evoked here as well. This borders
into Lacuna Coil territory at times but overall there is little
overlap. Male singer Eric Molarin has a great and unique voice.
Many influences running the gamut from Peter Steele to Nick Cave
to Lord Byron appear in his vocals. He does some death vocals
at parts as well. Lotte Höglin, the female vocalist does
reflect some of Cristina Scabbia’s tone however she can
sound thinner when holding notes compared to the Italian diva.
The music is interesting. At times it can be straight up gothic
rock with no electronic influence while at other times it can
be electrified to hell with synthetic drums and thick keyboard
melodies.
Songs like “Higher Level” are great for their use
of the dueling vocals. The up-tempo nature of this song allows
for great riffing and flow as well. “Voices” sounds
like a Type O Negative song that was left off of October Rust.
Molarin does a wonderful emulation of Peter Steele here. The music
is simplistic but catchy and fun. The use of keyboards and samples
also elevate this song into a trippy dream world where anything
is possible. “Forever Falling” is a complete departure
and resembles Opeth’s Damnation album more than anything
else on the record. The strange keyboard usage and guitar work
could make this a video game soundtrack sans vocals. On this song
Höglin does sound like Scabbia once more drawing more comparisons.
I think she could find her own voice easily instead of trying
to copy what is popular in the metal scene and mainstream scene
(Evanescence anyone?). “Bitch” on the other hand is
yet another departure entering the realm of Moonspell and darker
music.
I think “Addicted” has to be the most deviant song
on the album. They have left the realm of metal entirely and entered
territory that bands like VNV Nation and Wumpscut explore. There
is so much synth on this track it looses a little bit of charm.
Höglin’s vocal range is not quite adequate for this
song and you can hear her holding back on several of the lower
and higher notes. This kind of disappointed me since I liked the
direction of the male vocals and detuned guitar driven choruses.
“Come on In” and “Friend Emptiness” again
hearken towards the title track and traditional gothic rock. I
think Beseech has crafted a very unique album. With minor tweaking
of the vocals, particularly the female vocals and using less synth
this could have been a masterwork. Surely any song on this album
is befitting of the seminal dark/gothic album which is the soundtrack
to the first Crow movie. This in itself is probably one of the
highest compliments I can award an album of this caliber.
Killing Songs : Higher Level, Addicted, Forever Falling
Jay 84 / 100
Jack 75 / 100
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Metal
Reference
Beesech know how to fuse lush gothic rock with memorable pop-hooks
with a radiant expression, and the musicians still manage to keep
their integrity intact and not falling prey to lethargic monotony
or gloomy depressions. The best examples of this statement must
certainly be “Higher Level” and “Bitch”
that is Besech’s ‘hits’ on the current album
Drama. The music is somewhat identical to Lake Of Tears’
and Tiamat’s energetic, dynamic gothic, but Beseech’s
guitar riffs are much more simplistic and attentive, but performed
with a dramatic aggression. A few of the tracks experiment wisely
with electronic impulses and beats [such as “Addicted”
and “Come On In”], which you might compare to latter
days Crematory and its off-shot band Century.
“Forever Falling” is introduced by a desolate lap-steel
guitar, which is a rather unusual instrumental metal, but rather
evocative in this genre. This tracks is moreover of the few sombre
cuts on the album.
Beseech’s male vocalist, Erik Molarin, vaguely resembles
Type O Negative’s Pete Steele [especially on “Voices”],
and female vocalist, Lotta Höglin, likewise resemble Anneke
van Giersbergen of The Gathering [especially on “Friends
Emptiness”], but neither display an uncommon or unhealthy
infatuation for these two celebrities. On top of this... both
vocalists complement each other in every track, which displays
a subtle synergy, which is the diametrical opposite of ‘boring’
or ‘predictable’. Sometimes, the pair sing in unison,
but on other occasions either Erik or Lotta set the agenda.
As much as Beesech’s music has conquered much attention
and furthest corner of my heart, Drama won’t have a lasting
effect, which happened to my view upon Lake Of Tears and Crematory...
this is merely a temporary entertainment, or more poetically just
a minor crush, but it’s certainly no long term relationship.
Lolk
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The
end Records
Drama" possesses
an enormous potential to reach a broad audience
Gothic Rock full of poetry, sorrow and emotions characterized
by the sweeping rocking tracks and boasting of both female and
clean male vocals. With this fourth release, Sweden's BESEECH
reflect on life, the thoughts of man, and the darker side of the
soul, as they present plausible groovy compositions complete with
a modern sound. Following the success of Souls Highway, this sextet
has managed to take their music and lyrics a step further with
Drama. The special atmosphere created by BESEECH and the versatility
of the songs have now become part of the band's trademark sound.
Drama" possesses an enormous potential to reach a broad audience.
This Gothic Rock Highlight is available in the standard jewel
case format and includes a CD-Rom section with such goodies as
a single edit version of "Drama", as well as wallpapers,
a screensaver, entry to an exclusive BESEECH giveaway, and much
more!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
666
Metal
The female vocals are excellent however
I've been a growing fan of gothic-tinged metal over the last
year and a half, so I decided it was time to give Beseech a shot.
After several attempts at listening to Beseech, Drama is the first
true listening I've given the band. Sadly, the first words that
come to mind after listening to Drama is "eh".
So what don't I like about Beseech? Well, the biggest factor
is the Type O Negative-wannabe male vocals that dominate Drama.
The opening title track is actually my favorite song by far, as
the vocals are a little higher, and they seem to fit better than
the vocals employed on every other song. If every song was like
"Drama" I'd probably love the cd. The Type O-inspired
vocals just sound awkward to me, to the point that it destracts
me from enjoying the music. The female vocals are excellent however,
as they are soothing but still have some "bite" to them.
The closing song "Friend Emptiness" is a great showcase
of her vocal talent, unobstructed by male vox.
As far as the music goes, everything is performed well and provides
what good gothic metal should. This being catchy riffs and choruses,
as well as an excellent production job. Beseech also use some
electronic/industrial elements quite tastefully.
So in a sense, the only complaint I have is the vocals, so if
you don't mind them, you've got yourself a great disc. As for
me, I'll just listen to something else! Should please most gothic
fans.
Standout Tracks: Drama, Friend Emptiness
Wayfaerer
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Enslaved
By Metal
A song like Higher Level offers
a very good and melodic chorus, with a haunting melody
The term "gothic" rock/metal has been gravely misused
over the last years. Noone seem to be able to find a distinct
definition of this genre, and thus artists such as Tool and HIM
have been given this tag, alongside with more orchestrated bands
such as After Forever and Within Temptation. A comparison between
those can never be plausible, but still I will commit a sin, and
dub Beseech a gothic hardrock/metalband. The band perform a "light"
and easy-listen kind of metal, with heavy, midtempo riffs with
some male and female vocals. The male vocals somewhat remind me
of those in Moonspell, a very dark and atmospheric clean voice,
although somewhat less impressive in this case. The female singer
is overly mediocre, and for me is nothing but a factor of irritation.
The idea to cause variation is noble, but sadly it fails due to
the lack of obvious talent in the performance. The 8 songs are
well produced, and I'm happy to hear that the few additions of
piano are given a lot of room, and that lifts the song a few notches.
Although what is boils down to; is the lack of variation given.
Some tempo-changes would've been very welcome, as all 8 are in
the same tempo with the same pretty simplistic drumbeat. Although
I may sound a bit overly harsh, it's not all negative. A song
like Higher Level offers a very good and melodic chorus, with
a haunting melody to hum along to. I also grew fond of the poppy
Forever Falling, almost resembling The Cardigans in their latest
record. If you're a die hard fan of HIM or just feeling a bit
blue, I recommend you to check out Beseech. But if you're like
me and seek originality, you listen to the latest Moonspell instead.
Rating: 67
Written by Ole Kristian Mastadøy
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Nightfall
Another plus to Beseech is that they feature both a male and female
singer
Rating 8 (10)
2004 sees Beseech’s follow-up to their 2002 masterpiece,
“Souls Highway.” I think fans may have been worried
that these Swedes may not be able to top their lat album, but
“Drama” is surely a good record for enthusiasts of
the genre. Personally, I prefer the Finnish Goth Rock sound to
Beseech’s take – yet “Drama” was still
pleasant to listen to. I didn’t really find myself all that
engaged emotionally, nor did I remember all the songs once the
disc had ceased to spin.
Though perhaps not an entirely original album, “Drama”
had some really awesome stuff happening—I loved the electronic
elements, which were not overbearing or random. The synth / programming
really added a nice dimension, as well as the addition of some
vaguely industrial components. Another plus to Beseech is that
they feature both a male and female singer (Erick Molarin and
Lotta Höglin respectively). I think the music would have
been rather tedious if not for Höglin (who is a remarkable
and very expressive vocalist); she really balances it out, since
the music—including Molarin—is all very low. I’ve
heard a few complaints that Molarin sings a bit too much like
Peter Steele of Type O Negative; not being overly familiar with
the latter, I couldn’t really say, but it’s something
to consider nonetheless.
I know “Drama” won’t be my favorite album of
2004, but I was certainly glad to have heard it, in particular
for “Higher Level,” “Voices” and the title
track. Also, the album proves that Beseech can exist without staple
member Klas Bohlin. Definitely check this out if you enjoyed “Souls
Highway.”
Clare B
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweden
Rock Magazine
Beseech "Drama" 7p (10)
Napalm, Sound Pollution
Borås most notoric gloomy individuals are at it again,
releasing their fourth album. Like at the one released four years
ago "Souls Highway" the listener is taken on a really
dark and melancolic goth-journey. I was not overlyimpressed then
but quite some things has changed to the better. Most evident
is that the fatter guitarsound has given the songmaterial more
caracter and made the sound a lot heavier. Some parts of the improvement
should be given to the well used keyboard arrangements though.
Furthermore the deletion of the most insignificant sleeping pills
contributes to a much higher lowest level, and sometimes it gets
really good as in the mighty "Bith" and the hypnotic
"Addicted", which feel of Marilyn Manson is very appealing.
However I don't really like that the much to fragile female vocals
gets such a big part in the lead vocals, because she's better
in doing backing vocals for her Peter Steele sounding and excellent
male collegue.
Simon Jormelin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metalreview.com
While Souls Highway had perfectly acceptable
production, it’s been taken to a whole new level on Drama
Production 6 (6)
Songwriting 5 (6)
Musicianship 4,5 (6)
With scores of snoozers like Tiamat’s recent Prey plaguing
the gothic rock genre, it’s always nice to find a band who
knows how to keep intact the core ideas of the style but still
write enough interesting music to fill an album. I’ll be
the first to admit, I’ve got a weakness for catchy and well-written
gothic rock. From the first time I heard Type O Negative back
when I was just a wee young teen, I’ve been hooked. Unfortunately,
the good-to-bad ratio in the genre is growing smaller and smaller
with old greats losing their fire and a plethora of new bands
appearing and offering neither anything exciting or even very
enjoyable.
Beseech is one of few goth-rockers that hasn’t yet fallen
prey to lethargic monotony, following up 2002’s great Souls
Highway with another energetic and completely solid release, Drama.
All aspects of Drama are a continuation of its predecessor; there’s
nothing so strikingly different as to upset the purist fans, but
there are enough nice new touches to make it clear that the band
refuses to stagnate.
Almost all of the new additions to the sound are good, most notably
the subtle and tasteful use of electronics in most of the songs.
They never overpower the rest of the music like they’re
prone to doing so much of the time, but when in use they’re
always apparent and useful to the song. To keep things diverse,
there’s also a good deal of industrial influence throughout
the album. The song Addicted is the most obvious example of this;
the beginning of the sound wouldn’t have sounded out of
place on a KMFDM album and the precise, almost mechanical sounding
beat goes throughout giving it a cold and harsh feel. It’s
quite a contrast from the warm tones on the rest of the album,
and is a great change of pace. While this is the most obvious
use of their new-found liking for industrial, there are other
places on the album where the sound is apparent but less blatant,
for example the second and seventh songs, Higher Level and Come
On In, respectively. The next two improvements, those of most
importance in my opinion, can be linked together. Those are the
production and the guitar tone. While Souls Highway had perfectly
acceptable production, it’s been taken to a whole new level
on Drama. While hearing the final mix of the album, I doubt if
the band had any complaints. Everything sounds how it should,
at just the right volume, with just the right amount of punch
to it; nothing does anything more or less than I would imagine
it’s supposed to. The guitar tone has, likely thanks to
the great production job, one of the best sounds I’ve heard
on a heavy album in quite some time. The distorted electric has
just enough punch but still maintains clarity and the acoustic
guitar parts are crisp throughout with an ever so slight grinding
feeling on the lower pitched strummed chords. The finest moment,
guitar-wise, is in the song Forever Falling. It features a beautiful,
if implistic solo that’s executed perfectly and sounds wonderful.
With a paragraph as long as the last one about the upsides of
the album, there doesn’t seem to be much room for any complaints,
but there is one. While Type O Negative is the band that got me
into metal in the first place, I don’t really ever like
mimicry and the male vocalist in Beseech seems to want nothing
more than to emulate Pete Steele. Luckily the male vocals are
at least relatively sparsely used and this Type O infatuation
doesn’t influence songwriting but for the song Voices (and
it’s still quite a good song, just not very original). It’s
certainly not a big enough complaint to ruin an album, it just
gets a bit overly dramatized and occasionally cheesy to hear such
imitation. Still, despite the one small downside, the whole album
is extremely strong and well worth giving a listen. If you’ve
ever found yourself jamming out to Tiamat’s better moments,
The 69 Eyes, H.I.M. or any similar sounding bands, do yourself
a favor and find yourself a copy of Beseech’s Drama when
it hits stores, it’s not likely to disappoint.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beseechfanclub
Both singers shows a wider range on
this album than before. Especially Lotta who on this album not
only sings the more beautiful parts but shows that she has more
bite to her voice
I guess it's always hard to give an objective review of a band
which you run the fanclub for, but I'll give it a try anyway.
The first thing that strikes you when you begin to listen to Drama
is the absolute flawless production, this is the best production
Beseech and producer Christian Silver has made so far. Everything
is in perfect mix but without sounding to perfect.
The title track is a more commersial song which probably is meant
to reach out to a broader audience than Beseech usually reach
to. It is a really good song and maybe it can help Beseech get
the breakthrough they deseerve.
But my personal favourites on the album are the more harder and
faster tracks like Higher Level, Bith
and Rammstein sounding Addicted. These are songs
that get stuck in your head, absolute killing refraings that leaves
you singin' and humming forever.
Of the slower songs Forever Falling is the one
that sticks out and it grows after a couple of listenings. It
has another of this darn good refrains that just won't leve your
head.
All in all I would like to say that this album shows what great
musicians Beseech are. They've learned a lot during all the years
that they've been around.
I'm really glad to see that they do so good without Klas that
made a lot of the lyrics and music on the previous albums. But
they really show that they know how to make great tracks without
him. All songs on this album is more or less a team effort, with
songs made by all members of the band.
Another thing to really lift up is the vocals, both Lotta and
Erik really show that they have some really great voices on this
album. Both singers shows a wider range on this album than before.
Especially Lotta who on this album not only sings the more beautiful
parts but shows that she has more bite to her voice to as on Higher
Level and Bitch.
And Erik shows that he's not only able to go cellar deep in his
singing but that he also has got a really good voice in the higher
pitched songs.
I also agree with the review from Metalreview.com that the guitars
sounds magnificent on this album and the guitarsolo on Forever
Falling is something out of the ordinary.
But as we often do we are likely to forget the drums and bass
which is a pity for Jonas and Daniel are rellly good musicians
and they provide the backbone of the music and show a lot of skill
on Drama. Take a listen to Bitch when you get your copy of Drama,
the drums and bass on this track is so fu-ing good. I can't wait
to hear it live.
Well that just leave one guy then, the keyboard master himself,
Mikael who as always gives the music it's ambient and in some
parts more industrial feeling. Beseech's music wouldn't be much
without this.
Well, I guess it wasn't much negative in this review but it is
actually hard to find anything bad to say about this album. Well
one thing could be that there are only 8 tracks on it. I'd like
to have seen at least 10. But better 8 good tracks than 8 good
and 2 bad so I guess it's ok.
To sum it all up I think this album will appeal both to old Beseech
fans and new. And hopefully Beseech will finally get their big
breakthrough.
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