CoC : Beseech - Souls Highway : Review

Beseech - _Souls Highway_
(Napalm Records, 2002)
by: Vincent Eldefors (8 out of 10)

When you put Sweden and metal together you usually think of old classic death metal like Unleashed, Grave and Entombed, more melodic bands like At the Gates, In Flames and others, and of course darker ones like Marduk and Dark Funeral. The Swedish metal scene of today is luckily a lot broader, something which may not be seen so kindly by everyone. No matter what, there are plenty of Swedish bands who have a lot to offer but still haven't been given the attention they deserve. One of those is gothic metal band Beseech, who have already released three demos and two full-length albums. Even though I try to follow the Swedish scene as much as possible, I must admit that I haven't had a chance to listen to any of their previous releases. Nevertheless, I am very confident that this is their best material so far, and they have also signed a new deal with my favorite metal label, Napalm Records. The line-up has changed slightly since the last album, with the addition of a new male vocalist, Erik Molarin, who has a very deep, passionate voice which is very suitable for this type of emotional metal that Beseech indulge in. It also works very well in contrast with the female voice courtesy of Lotta Hoglin. The music is atmospheric and melancholic but still powerful, and I am glad to say that it is never boring. There aren't many metal bands who use both clean male and female vocals and manage to keep their music interesting. Beseech is definitely one of the most promising bands within their genre at the moment, and if you found the last couple of releases from Tiamat and Moonspell as boring as I did, then this is an album worthy of your attention. Also be sure to get hold of the bonus track, which is a wonderful cover version of the ABBA classic "Gimme Gimme Gimme".

Contact: http://www.beseech.net

(article published 3/7/2002)

ALBUMS
25/10/2000	P Azevedo	6	Beseech - Black Emotions
1/9/1998	A Bromley	8	Beseech - ... From a Bleeding Heart