BESEECH BLACK EMOTIONS ALBUM PAVEMENT RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2000 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 30, 2000

Like most dark metal outfits nowadays, Beseech are moving unmistakably in a gothic direction. Coming from Borås, close to Gothenburg, Beseech are part of the metal stronghold that is western Sweden. Visiting Tokyo in October, I was baffled to find records by Hammerfall, In Flames and other Swedish metal bands clearly displayed and promoted in record stores. Obviously, this genre, which is starting to sound increasingly like pompous hard rock from the 80:s, has a huge following.
Beseech have been active since 1992, but "Black Emotions" is only their second album. The title is misleading; the album is packed with romantic, dreamy songs far from the satanic imagery common among darker metal artists. Jörgen Sjölund sings in a classical Metallica way, and is helped by female vocalist Lotta Höglin, who does a lot to lighten the mood of the otherwise heavy and somewhat clumsy songs.
On a couple of tracks, especially on "Neon Ocean", influences from another Swedish metal band with ties to the Gothenburg scene, Tiamat, shine through. The mood is gloomy, the pace is slow and voice has been treated with plenty of delay. Yep, this one is definitely goth. Overall, it is a decent piece of goth metal, but Tiamat are a long way ahead of Beseech.
"Black Emotions" lacks complexity and surprises. The instrumental tracks are the kind of bland piano ambient stuff that, together with organ music, church bells and monk quires for some reason seem to be required components on "gothic" albums.

MATTIAS HUSS