BESEECH DRAMA ALBUM NAPALM RELEASE: JANUARY 28, 2004 REVIEW: APRIL 15, 2004

They have been at it for a long time, this goth metal band based in the little town of Borås, just outside of Release hometown Gothenburg. Running on their eleventh year, they release "Drama", their fourth full-length album. And when their latest record – "Souls Highway" – lacked something in song writing and tended to focus a little too much on being an unofficial follow-up to Fields of the Nephilim’s brown album, this piece of darkwave/goth metal heads in a slightly different direction. Now, taking their cues from the likes of Him and Type O Negative, Beseech lands somewhere near the music of fellow Swedes Tiamat, relaying more on heavy chords and ambience than growls and fake intricate guitar licks.
The songs are well produced and fairly well crafted, though a tad dry and lacking in depth. Ambitious, without being too complex, one could say. Sadly, none really makes the cut, although opening song "Drama" and – among a few others – "Higher Level" are kind of catchy.
That’s really a shame, because the polished song writing aside, lead vocalist Erik Molarin has really improved his singing (within his somewhat limited range). Fellow vocalist Lotta Höglin is also quite good, but doesn’t really deliver the clarity of performance one demands from a female goth vocalist.
And one has to wonder: Hasn’t Beseech gotten further in eleven years? When bands like The Gathering and Tiamat – among others – really strive to reach their limits, seriously redefining their music with each and every release, Beseech is still struggling to make a good goth rock album. This time, they kind of succeed. But I hope they can do better than "Drama" – more of a filler between heavy, important releases by other bands in the same genre, than a genre defining record in its own right. They get points for trying, though.

KALLE MALMSTEDT