If you’ve been a regular TAP reader, you’ll probably notice the bevy of Gothic Rock and Metal related releases I have tended to review. From Elis to Entwine, Sirenia to Flowing Tears, the genre’s ability to meld heaviness to melody, all wrapped in an occasionally sexy package, makes gothic a genre that can be enjoyed by more than just metalheads.
Recently, I spoke to Swedish gothic rockers Beseech. Last year, their Drama album found its way over here and has thankfully began to attract attention that the band damn well deserves. To add to an already busy year, Beseech welcomed new second guitarist, Manne Engstrom to the fold and have already begun work on their 5 th studio album, Sunless Days. Here, guitarist and bandleader Robert Vintervind discusses, among other topics, the stretching of the boundaries of “gothic” and lets people know that whatever they might be thinking goth is, they’re probably at least somewhat wrong.
Music TAP: Define Gothic Rock/Metal. What makes a band gothic? Rock? Metal? And what makes them all of the above?
Robert Vintervind: To be honest, I don´t really know as it has nothing to do with goth music if you talk about gothic metal/rock as many think… it´s a newer kind of metal/rock with mostly the love/death theme with a darker atmospheric vein of some kind. This is just my type of explanation of a “typical” gothic metal band but I think our music contains so much more than that.
Robert Vintervind
MT: Well then, define Beseech, if you can.
RV: This is the hardest question, I think, as every person can decide for themselves what they hear but I´ll try to explain…
We use both male and female vocals (since 1994…) in our music to have more room to make interesting music and there are of course some gothic rock/metal influences but you can hear inspiration from pop, synth, industrial, [and] harder metal as well. I also think we have [a] unique kind of atmosphere and [a variation of] songs, both musically and lyrically if you compare other bands in this genre. It´s almost like a movie or painting that is telling you a story and bringing you feelings and hopefully something that touches you emotionally.
MT: How has response to Drama, which was released in North America in August, been in the United States so far? Do you feel you’re finally starting to make a name for yourselves in the U.S.?
RV: It´s been better than before for sure as Napalm Records hired a radio promotion agency over there, Heavy Hitter that works with bands such as Rammstein, Nightwish, The Haunted and A Perfect Circle to name a few. So there has been massive radio promotion… but unfortunately we didn’t record any video or something to promote even more.
MT: How has response been to the album in Europe?
RV : It´s been good I think but of course [you] can find people that like the older stuff more when you release new albums but we are very satisfied with the result and how it turned out. But we could [use] some more support from our label to reach higher as we [have] not toured since 2001, when we were out with Lacuna Coil and Theatre of Tragedy and that´s very bad!!!
Of course [we] have done some gigs and festivals but we really want to come out and play and in USA as well where we never played…
MT: There was an apparent evolution in sound from Souls Highway (2002) to Drama. The songs developed a great groove that Souls Highway only hinted at. What, and/or whom do you contribute to that evolution?
RV: Firstly did a longtime member (guitarist Klas Bohlin ) quit the band and it was me and him that made the most of the music, so now I got a chance to put even more into the music and get it my way and that of course also affected the sound of the album that sounds heavier and groovier as you mentioned.
I´m really not afraid to test new things and love to experiment with our art and also the aspect that the whole band was more involved in the production and to get the final result gave it a glorious touch.
Erik Molarin (Left) -- Lotta Hoglin (Right)
MT: Erik (Molarin, male singer) and Lotta (Hoglin, female singer), throughout Drama, I can hear subtle influence in your voices. Tiamat, Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, just to name a few. Where does your vocal inspiration stem from? Were you trained?
Erik: This is a sensitive topic as we have used this kind of male, female vocals since 1994…so it could be the opposite way who influenced who that not many know… I've been singing all my life and I haven't got any trainer or anything, I guess I've been training myself. I get inspiration from other artists of course, artists like Nick Cave and so on. But I also get inspiration from movies, some movies have a special feeling over them and sometimes I steal that feeling and show it with my voice instead.
Lotta: I would say that [I] get influenced all the time from all kinds of sources as for example music, movies. I guess when [I was] younger [I] got inspired [by] different kinds of bands, like Type O Negative, Skunk Anansie to name a few, but now [I am] just trying to find [my] own sound and way of singing.
MT: Your lyrics are pretty interesting. You’ve got life as a play and the ensuing drama that is a part of it (“Drama”), some down and dirty innuendo (“Higher Level”), even some healthy religious introspection (“Addicted”). Where has the band pulled inspiration from, not just in music but also in life?
RV: Yeah, I think you got it on how the title came out and what we want to express. It´s basically pretty simple as it is about life, from things you think about as fascination of the human kind, cultures, religion, death, love and extraterrestrial life and sex… so we can write about almost everything.
MT: What can we expect from the next album? Do you have a title yet? Song titles? Will it be longer? I loved Drama and hated the fact it was only 40 minutes!
RV: Yeah, we are actually in the studio and recording the next album that will be out sometimes in the middle of 2005 we hope.
The songs are even more heavy and groovier than before and I think feel it´s a natural progression from Drama, but you can never know what to expect!
It will be longer than 40 minutes (I hope…), but we also have some other surprises on the album that I hope and think fans will love…
MT: Manne, when did you join Beseech? What kind of style, influence do you plan on bringing to the band?
Manne Engstrom (guitarist): I joined the band in June 2004. I´m not planning on changing anything, I´m just going to follow the natural development that the band is going through right now. Every band evolves with time and the progression I´m seeing with Beseech right now suits me perfectly.
MT: What were some of your previous bands?
Manne: My first band was a death metal band called Fatal Embrace. We released an album in 1997. We have recorded a second one, but we have put the band on ice so I´m not sure when that will be released. I have also been playing with Sundown, Cemetery 1213 and a few smaller bands. But I have to say, I haven’t felt this good about playing in a band for long time.
MT: Why did you decide to join Beseech?
Manne: It´s a funny thing, really. I had actually said many times to my friend Chris Silver (Beseech´s Producer) that I would really like to play with them. I have for many years considered myself a fan of the band. Then I got to work with them in the studio on Drama and this made me want to be in the band even more. I went with them to [the] Sweden Rock Festival last summer and saw them play an amazing gig and after the show they asked me if I wanted to join the band. It wasn´t really anything to think about. I just said yes at once.
MT: Robert, what was one of your worst shows and why?
RV: For myself what I remember was one show in Bochum in Germany on the tour with Lacuna Coil and Theatre of tragedy [in] 2001 when one of my guitars broke down and I got some other technical problems and of course it happened when it was broadcasted.
The worst I don´t remember was when we played in Borås, Sweden with Entombed and I drank 70 centiliter booze and 10 beers before the gig back in 1996. Didn´t remember that I [was] onstage… just played as a god I thought but it probably sounded like hell. I fell into the amps etc. After that we never drink more than 1-3 beers before a gig.
MT: Any plans for a U.S. tour anytime soon?
RV: There are no plans for it right now, but we would really LOVE to come and play there someday!
Manne Engstrom
If you have any remote interest in catchy, groovy, heavy music, I strongly recommend you check out Drama.
