Beseech

The flamboyantly dressed Swedish quintet Beseech delves in what they like to call

"symphonic goth metal" — a mixture of doom, death, and, well, symphonic and gothic elements which, if it doesn't always makes sense, rarely fails to surprise. Jorgen Sjoberg (vocals), Robert Spanglund (lead guitar), Klas Bohlin (rhythm guitar), Andreas Wiik (bass), and Morgan Gredaker (drums) aren't afraid to utilize unexpected instruments such as violins and flutes to enhance their unique style, which they began developing in 1992. Over the course of six years and three increasingly confident demos, the group fully embraced their unorthodox aural mélange and grandiose lyrical schemes (and Baroque stage clothes) before signing with Metal Blade and releasing 1998's From a Bleeding Heart. The album received mostly positive reviews and also featured keyboard player Mikael Andersson and his wife, soprano Anna Andersson. Her replacement, Lotta Hogin, performed with the band on their second album, 2000's Black Emotions (released by Pavement Music), and longtime frontman Sjoberg was replaced by Erik Molarin for 2002's Souls Highway.