In autumn of 2006, the band announced that Beseech would be put to rest for good: "We have grown apart from each other as persons and we have different views of how we want Beseech to work as a band."
In 2007, Beseech's Web site announced that their members had formed two new bands: The Mary Major, which contains 6 out of the 7 band members, and Those We Don't Speak Of, with the remaining band member.
A NEW BEGINNING (2014-)
This year 2013, is the ten years anniversary when the “old” era of Beseech was put to rest. Klas Bohlin, one of the founding members of Beseech decides to leave the band to focus on other musical challenges. Still good friends through the years, Klas Bohlin and Robert Vintervind the original composers in Beseech started to talk about playing music together in some way. After some successful jams their new material sounded more Beseech than ever, back to its roots with delivering the same characteristic melancholic feeling, but in a new mature way. Shortly after, Manne Engström (guitar) re-joined the band and Beseech entered the “classic Beseech studio”, StudioMega/Fascination Street during the fall of 2012 to figure out the new direction of the band.
DEVELOPING THE GOTHIC SOUND (1992-1995)
The history of Beseech begins in 1992, in the band´s hometown of Borås (near Gothenburg), Sweden. Klas Bohlin (guitar), Jörgen Sjöberg (vocals) and Morgan Gredåker (drums), three hungry teenagers with ambitions, founded a band called Beseech. In November 1992 their first demo “A lesser kind of evil” was recorded, which also became an introduction of the band to the Swedish underground scene. Soon thereafter some members left and Robert Vintervind (guitar) and Andreas Wiik (bass) joined the band. From that day Klas and Robert started to develop a special co-writing relation, which became a solid ground in the development of Beseech’s gothic sound. In 1994 Beseech’s second demo “Last Chapter” was released. At that time the band had become more ambitious and deeply involved in the underground scene, participating in various compilation CD´s, making lots of interviews and received many positive reviews in fanzines worldwide. Later on Anna Andersson (vocals & keyboard), with a voice like an angel joined the band. At this point of time, not so many bands had yet started to experiment with harmonies for both male and female vocals. In 1995 Beseech began to hang out at StudioMega with the producer Christian Silver, who became to be an important person close to the band for many years. Together they developed the Beseech sound into a quite unique semi-acoustic doom/progressive format, using classical instruments such as cello, violin, flute and piano. After a successful recording session, Beseech came up with their success demo “Tears”, which led to a publishing contract with Swedish Misty Music, but most important, lots and lots of attention in the underground scene worldwide. With several offers from record labels and bookings outside Sweden, the future for Beseech looked bright. Another band who also happened to be at StudioMega from time to time, was Fatal Embrace featuring Manne Engström (guitar), who came to play an important role in the future for Beseech.
FROM A BLEEDING HEART (1996-1999)
In 1996 Beseech signed their first record deal with We Bite/Corrosion Records, runned by the editor Frank Schenk at Chaos Mag. Soon after, Beseech entered StudioMega to record their debut album “…from a bleeding heart”. Unfortunately, the label suffered a major economic setback and was unable to release the album. Not until 1998, after Beseech was released from its contract with We Bite/Corrosion Records and secured a deal with Metalblade, did “from a bleeding heart” see the light of day. During these two years some necessary changes in the lineup were made and Mikael Back (keyboards) and Daniel Elofsson (bass) joined the band, but sadly Anna Andersson decided to leave the band to focus on her solo carrier.
BLACK EMOTIONS & THE TOUR (2000-2001)
In 1999, Beseech signed a worldwide record deal with Pavement Music and Klas, Jörgen and Robert began to write songs for their 2nd album “Black emotions”. This time the music took a different direction from the doom/progressive-oriented sound found on the first album. Beseech experimented with going deeper into the gothic style and the vocals got more clean, but with the same atmosphere and spirit of Beseech. Two new members joining the band during the writing process was Jonas Strömberg (drums) and Lotta Höglin (vocals). With Lotta in the band we found the perfect match for backing up Jörgen’s powerful voice. “Black Emotions” was released in mid-2000 and the response was tremendous – receiving outstanding reviews and much airtime. Beseech promoted the album by joining forces with Theatre of Tragedy and Lacuna Coil during their 2001 European tour. Shortly after the tour, Jörgen Sjöberg (vocals) got burned out, and was forced to leave the band and Beseech braced for a new era. Due to the unstable economic outlook of Pavement Music, Beseech parted ways with the label in 2001. By then, the latest addition to the Beseech lineup, Erik Molarin (vocals), was in place. His majestic voice complimented Lotta Höglin’s beautiful vocal lines perfectly.
MOVIE SOUNDTRACK (2002)
In 2002, a Canadian film company, Brimstone Productions, approached Beseech to feature three songs from the “Black Emotions” album (Manmade Dreams, Neon Ocean and Lunar Eclipse) on the soundtrack (with bands such as Entombed) to the B horror movie “Alien Agenda 5 – Alien Conspiracy”. The movie was released in 2002.
SOULS HIGHWAY AND NAPALM RECORDS (2002)
In 2001 Beseech presented their new material for the record labels, and new offers from labels started to come in. Beseech finally decided to sign a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. Later on the writing process for “Souls Highway” began. Another important co-writer for this album was Mikael Back (keyboard). Souls Highway was released in 2002 and received euphoric raves by critics and fans worldwide. By the end of 2002 a music video for the track “Between the lines” was released via the Internet and downloaded by hundreds of thousands all over the world. In 2003, long time member and songwriter Klas Bohlin decided to leave the band, to continue with his late 60′s sounding and psychedelic experiment Depressive Art. Also for this band Klas decided to make the recordings at StudioMega, but this time working with a new young talented guy, Johan Örnborg (bass) behind the mixing controls, whom today is also a member of Beseech.
DRAMA (2004)
“Drama” reflects life, human thoughts and the darker side of mind. This fourth release in many ways was a natural follow-up to “Souls Highway” , but without Klas in the band, a new creative process developed and the new approach affected the music on “Drama” – the compositions became more experimental, groovier, presented a heavier sound, and both music and lyrics reflected more attitude than ever before. On “Drama” Manne Engström was part of the creative process for the first time and is listed as a co-producer on the album. With this album the band took the touring to another level and played many festivals and gigs around Europe.
SUNLESS DAYS (2005)
This album was another step towards an even more heavy and modern style of metal/rock music, but still with the great variations in the songs. Beseech did about a year and a half of touring on Sunless Days before they decided to put the band to rest because of internal band issues. Robert needed a break from the music, and the other members that hadn’t gotten so much creative attention in Beseech started writing music for their new band Mary Major.
MORE BESEECH THAN EVER
It just happened… After years of silence, the creators of the Beseech sound, Robert and Klas started writing material for their next music project. Somehow the results turned out to sound more Beseech than ever, like a continuation to the highly critically acclaimed album Souls Highway, but with a more vintage oriented twist. Due to the new sound it was also necessary with some lineup changes. The first guy to re-join the Beseech was Manne Engström (guitar) that besides creative guitar playing contributes with both engineering and producing. The new members are; Johan Örnborg (bass), producer/mixer at Fascination Street Studios. Angelina Sahlgren Söder (vocals) with experience from both theatre and musicals. Håkan Carlsson (drums), is rounding up the new lineup with a more intense drum playing. The most important change was to make space for the third generation of singers. With Klas and Angelina behind the microphones Beseech has developed a more country influenced way of singing with more space for harmony vocals.
Current line-up:
Klas Bohlin - Male Vocals
Angelina Sahlgren Söder - Female Vocals
Robert Vintervind - Guitars, Programming
Johan Örnborg - Bass
Mikael Back - Keyboards
Håkan Carlsson - Drums
Manne Engsttröm - Guitars (Cemetary 1213, Fatal Embrace, Sundown)
Higher Level
Beseech Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The contradictions taking me down
Down to the darker side of me
The insecurity is my fear
To loose a part of me
A pray of courage reaching my mind
Forgive me for my sins
Get down on your knees when I command
Lay back and take what's yours to have
I know exactly what to do
To reach a higher level of you
The feeling of loosing control
To do what you desire
Trembling from the shame you bring
You want to make me beg for more
Touch me, fill me do what you please
You're in control of me
The only things I hate to love
My god of pleasure
Get down on your knees when I command
Lay back and take what's yours to have
I know exactly what to do
To reach a higher level of you
A higher level of you
Get down
Get down on your knees when I command
Lay back and take what's yours to have
I know exactly what to do
To reach a higher level of you
A higher level of you
The lyrics of Beseech's "Higher Level" explore the themes of lust, power, control, and surrender. The singer is conflicted between their desire for physical pleasure and their fear of losing a part of themselves in the process. The contradictions within them take them down to their darker side, where they submit to the other person's commands and let them take what they want. The singer acknowledges their sins but is willing to be forgiven, driven by the thrill of reaching a higher level of intimacy with their partner.
The lyrics are intense, evocative, and thought-provoking, delving into the psychological and emotional dynamics of a BDSM relationship. The imagery of kneeling, laying back, and being commanded adds to the dominant/submissive role-playing, while the trembling from the shame and desire to beg for more suggests the complexity of the singer's emotions. In the end, the singer is willing to let go of their control and surrender to their god of pleasure to reach a higher level of themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't resist nor refuse the thrill of lust you bring me
Although I know it's not good for me, I can't help being excited by the passion you incite
The contradictions taking me down
My conflicting emotions and desires are causing my downfall
Down to the darker side of me
I am descending into a darker, more sinful version of myself
The insecurity is my fear
I am frightened by my own insecurities and the possibility of losing a part of myself
To loose a part of me
I am afraid of losing a part of myself if I give in to my desires
A pray of courage reaching my mind
I am asking for the strength to endure whatever is necessary to satisfy my lust
Forgive me for my sins
I acknowledge that what I am doing is wrong, but I am willing to beg for forgiveness later
Get down on your knees when I command
I want you to submit to me completely, doing whatever I demand
Lay back and take what's yours to have
You should lie down and let me give you pleasure, because you deserve it
I know exactly what to do
I am certain that I can give you the pleasure you crave, because I know exactly what it takes
To reach a higher level of you
By indulging ourselves in this way, we can reach a new level of intimacy and pleasure between us
The feeling of loosing control
The sensation of giving into my lust and losing control of myself is part of the pleasure I seek
To do what you desire
I am ready and willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy your desires completely
Trembling from the shame you bring
I feel a mix of regret and excitement because I know what we are doing is taboo
You want to make me beg for more
You are deliberately teasing and tempting me, so that I will crave even more passion from you
Touch me, fill me do what you please
Use your body to satisfy me completely, with no regard for anything else
You're in control of me
I am willing to be completely under your control, because the pleasure you give me is worth it
The only things I hate to love
These taboo desires are the only things I know I shouldn't enjoy, but I can't help loving them
My god of pleasure
The intense pleasure I get from indulging in these desires feels like a divine experience
A higher level of you
Through this intimate experience, I hope to reach a new level of trust and pleasure with you
Get down
Submit completely to me, and let us both experience the pleasure we crave
A higher level of you
By indulging in these forbidden desires, we can reach a new level of intimacy and passion between us
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DANIEL ELOFSSON, ERIK MOLARIN, JONAS STROMBERG, LOTTA HOGLIN, MIKAEL BACK, ROBERT VINTERVIND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind