Beseech
Sunless Days

With the birth of two new projects for the band members, it seems that the chapter of Beseech has been definitively closed. Thus ends the era of a band that was unknown and overlooked by the masses but active since 1998, with five albums to their name, which are also lost in the vague memories of gothic metal enthusiasts, who seem never to have grasped the real value of their art. Or perhaps the problem lies in the offering of the seven-piece Swedish band, so captivating and refined yet often ephemeral and inconsistent.

The band had practically everything it needed to break through, and their last release, "Sunless Days," dated 2005, is the clearest demonstration of that. Mix the languid allure of Him with the effective vocal alternation long experimented by Lacuna Coil and a melodic yet guitar-driven sound devoted to the later era of Paradise Lost; add a superb attention to arrangements similar to that of the more modern Theatre Of Tragedy, and you get the recipe for Beseech. Everything is seemingly perfect, but the lack of success with this formula probably denotes the clear need for innovation fans have now, and it demonstrates that, should they satisfy this need with uncomplicated and enjoyable listening, it is quality and sincerity that they demand. Yet, in fairness, it's necessary to note that sometimes certain bands are overlooked out of prejudice, and they aren't even given a chance. It is for this reason that I dare to break a lance in favor of the Swedes: the album won’t make the history of a genre and will definitely be hard to digest for any brave soul of these sounds, but it will undoubtedly bring joy to all lovers of the so-called love metal, stuck for years in stifling clichés that Beseech, in this instance, managed to manipulate to their advantage, breathing new life into a proposal that had come to a standstill and was beginning to smell stale, if not downright rotten. It is therefore possible to assert that prejudice partly restrained this band's rise and that this album will please those who love the bands mentioned earlier, as the best elements of the latter are combined so well that they come across as believable and captivating. For everyone else, "Sunless Days," due to the insipid and palpable saturation of this style that has consequently led to the (partly) understandable adoption of blinders by many, will remain yet another miss, another trinket to leave on store shelves.

The strong point of this band, as was reasonable to assume, is the alternation of the two voices, which give life to romantic and introspective chiaroscuro: Erik Molarin and Lotta Höglin know how to hook the listener, they know how to surprise with some unpredictable passages (even though the vocal lines are fairly consistent) and have impeccable technique (he is not anchored to a specific style, he adapts easily to baritonal parts and others slightly higher but fortunately spares us from the now burdensome growl; she is very similar to Cristina Scabbia but more graceful in her lines, using her throat much less, resulting in a less "strangled" sound compared to her Italian counterpart, more harmonious, melodic, refined, and delicate but deep at the same time). The instrumental component is well integrated, and all elements contribute to creating episodes that are never too languid, always modern and engaging yet with an eye for heaviness on the guitar front (for this reason, the decision was made to double the presence of guitar-men in the lineup from the past). The flavor that is breathed in is certainly not the most cheerful, but in the sunless days described by the title and the shadowy cover, a certain inner brightness shines through, a flame kept alive through breaths of melancholy and romance that, in the veins, expand lifeblood, albeit tinged with black. The true cherry on top is Mikael Back's contribution; his piano passages (which could easily make the latest Theatre Of Tragedy album envious) cloak various episodes of the album in despair and sadness, delving deeper into the soul than the other instruments and the sounds of the same keyboard, sometimes too subdued, atmospheric, and futuristic.

According to commercial logic, what better way to open an album than with a potential hit single? "Innerlane" is the clear synthesis of what has been said above: introduced by a powerful and modern guitar riff, the song then gives way to the dark verses entrusted to Erik's voice, releasing tension in the airy refrain entrusted to the female voice, which becomes desperate thanks to the overdubs in its final reprise. In the subsequent "The Outpost," the ghost of Lacuna Coil looms, but it must be said that Andrea Ferro cannot even match Erik's expressiveness and the overall atmosphere of Beseech is much more decadent, apocalyptic, and claustrophobic, enhanced by clever piano riffs (Hamletian doubt: why have Lacuna Coil never used this divine instrument?) and atmospheric samples that give greater emotional impact to the listener. It's notable how, even though this is a rather repetitive piece, it does not provoke the slightest boredom and even makes you want to listen to it again.

However, it is thanks to "A Bittersweet Tragedy" that the most untoward feelings come to life, thanks to a moving overlay of guitars and piano, over which the two voices can soar and wrap our souls in the coils of an exhausting love, of a deathly passion that is irresistibly attractive. With its rich rhythmic section, "Everytime I Die" serves as the perfect backdrop for the extremely malleable and versatile capabilities of the charming Lotta, very close to the Annneke Van Giersbergen of yesteryear in timbre (the central segment made up of arpeggios, synth backdrops, and ethereal vocalizations is intense and cathartic, albeit brief). The next track is a cover of Danzig, "Devil's Plaything": initially acoustic and then spoiled by roughly raw and rock guitars. The lead voice is the baritone and dark voice of Erik, overlaid by Lotta's clear voice in the anthemic refrain. With guitar alongside piano and drums, we are then transported into an interlude steeped in pure alienation. Here we discern the most evident flaw of the band's offering: the brevity of what could be brilliant digressions and interludes, and the almost total absence of tempo changes, significantly affect the final judgment given to this album; had the band focused more on this aspect instead of giving justified but disproportionate attention to impactful refrains, this album would have certainly deserved a higher score and attracted the curiosity of more people.

With the songs that follow, something jams in the gears that operated most excellently for the previous tracks; everything sounds déjà vu and the only victor is the most tedious boredom. Only the satisfying melancholy of the beautiful "Lost," supported by Lotta's moving performance and an innocent and romantic piano, stands out from a sea of banality and barbarous recycling of notes and inflections. Getting lost in the darkness of our minds is beautiful and Beseech initially seems to guarantee us this possibility, but they spoil all the previously recreated magic with "Last Obsession," marked by excessive and out-of-place electronic samples, presenting melodies à la The 69 Eyes too impersonal to be appreciated (the only pleasant part is the interlude built by synths and recited verses, but as previously mentioned, all thematic digressions in the songs are very brief and have little substance). "Emotional Decay," with its monotonous drums, mindless chorus, and juvenile guitars, may please only those who enjoyed the Finns Him's "Dark Light," but not others. Our heroes then try to patch up the near catastrophe with "Restless Dreams," appreciable because placed in succession to two unlistenable tracks but also deserving of praise for its suspended dimension between acoustic and electronic and its dark scenarios (this time, however, the refrain is rather lackluster; only the introspective and crystalline verses entrusted to Lotta are ultimately salvageable).

The presence of the atmospheric outro "The Reversed Mind" is rather disorienting and causes goosebumps yet is quite negligible in a context that initially seemed to assume the features of a modern tragedy with apocalyptic tones but then got lost in the banal patterns abused and ravished by other more famous (and certainly even less inspired than Beseech) bands that, in my view, can justify the views of those who do not love Scandinavian gothic rock and convince even the most hardened detractors of the complete scarcity of this scene, as the intents of the bands dedicated to it are often deplorable. And if Beseech has shown they can do better within the same album, I conclude by saying that "Sunless Days" deserves at least a passing grade, though troubled...

Everyone knows that highs and lows can help a band grow, but after ten years of activity, more is expected than a mediocre album... And it is no longer surprising how fortune turns its back on those who do not have what it takes to emerge or have simply lost along the way the desire to dare.