Sunless Days

The self-described symphonic goth metal of Sweden's Beseech has heretofore stayed remarkably consistent, considering the level of personnel turmoil the band has been through since their 1995 debut. Now expanded to a septet from their original five-man lineup, Sunless Days finds the band more comfortably integrating their two most recent arrivals, singers Erik Molarin and Lotta Höglin, into the familiar Beseech sound, and the changes, while minor, are striking. Molarin's moody baritone recalls, at times, both Bauhaus' Peter Murphy and Type O Negative's Pete Steele, and it's a more effective asset for the band than the usual strident death metal growl. Similarly, Höglin's not an operatic soprano, which gives her vocals a warmer and more inviting tone than most female singers in similar bands. Add in the subtle way in which second guitarist Robert Vintervind integrates electronic textures into songs like "A Bittersweet Tragedy" and it's clear that Beseech is expanding their original sound, de-emphasizing the "metal" in favor of a greater focus on the "goth." It's a smart move that plays to the group's strengths. The digipak version of Sunless Days includes two extra tracks, a remix of this album's "Lost" that ups the electronic element even further, and a terrific remake of "Manmade Dreams," a track from an earlier album.