Grave Pleasures

{{Short description|Finnish post-punk band}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Grave Pleasures | image = Grave Pleasures.png |image_upright=1.25 | caption = Grave Pleasures performing in 2018 | alias = Beastmilk (2010–2015) | origin = [[Helsinki]], Finland | genre = {{flatlist| *[[Post-punk]]<ref name="AMG" >{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0003413496 | title=Grave Pleasures Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio | website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> *[[gothic rock]]<ref name="AMG" /> *[[deathrock]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-02-01 |title=GRAVE PLEASURES: 'Girl In A Vortex' Video Released |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/grave-pleasures-girl-in-a-vortex-video-released |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]}}</ref> }} | years_active = 2010–present | label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[Metal Blade Records|Metal Blade]], [[Svart Records|Svart]], [[Magic Bullet Records|Magic Bullet]] | website = {{url|gravepleasures.com}} | current_members = Mat McNerney Valtteri Arino Juho Vanhanen Aleksi Kiiskilä Rainer Tuomikanto | past_members = Johan Snell Dimitri Paile [[Linnéa Olsson]] Uno Bruniusson }}

'''Grave Pleasures''' is a Finnish [[post-punk]] band from [[Helsinki]]. Formed in 2010, Grave Pleasure's previous incarnation, '''Beastmilk''', released a demo followed by an EP, and later debut full-length ''[[Climax (Beastmilk album)|Climax]]''. Members Mat McNerney and Valtteri Arino continued the band in 2015 as Grave Pleasures, following Johan Snell and Paile's departure with the group. With new members, Grave Pleasures released ''[[Dreamcrash]]'' months later.

== History ==

=== Formation as Beastmilk === Beastmilk was founded in 2010 by [[Mat McNerney]], Johan Snell, Valtteri Arino and Paile in [[Helsinki]]. The band name came about because McNerney and Snell read White Stains by Aleister Crowley, and wanted "to have a dialogue about what it means to be a man and go through all these male emotions... It was sort of a conversation on what is your father's milk, what is your mother's milk and so on."<ref>{{cite web|first=Karen|last=Gheung|url=https://qmunicatemagazine.com/2014/11/06/live-review-and-interview-beastmilk/|website=qmunicatemagazine.com|title=Live Review and Interview: Beastmilk|date=6 November 2014 |accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref> It also came out of Snell's interest in liquids and how it affects society.<ref name="goatspeedinterview">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocking.gr/interviews/Beastmilk-Goatspeed/18327/|title= Beastmilk interview (Goatspeed)|date= 6 December 2013|website= www.rocking.gr |accessdate= 11 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/beastmilk-climax-interview/|title= BEASTMILK: GENOCIDAL CRUSH|date= 17 December 2013|website=noisey.vice.com|access-date= 11 November 2015}}</ref> The band later self-released a demo, ''White Stains on Black Tape'', in the same year. The demo was well received including from musicians [[Fenriz]] of [[Darkthrone]] and [[Nate Newton (musician)|Nate Newton]] of [[Converge (band)|Converge]].

On 2 April 2012, Beastmilk released an EP ''Use Your Deluge'' under Finnish label [[Svart Records]]. In June 2013, the band went to [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]], [[Massachusetts]] to record their debut full-length ''[[Climax (Beastmilk album)|Climax]]'', with Converge guitarist [[Kurt Ballou]] at his own recording studio GodCity Studio. ''Climax'' was released on 29 November 2013, under the [[Magic Bullet Records]] label.<ref name="goatspeedinterview" />

=== Name change with new lineup === Following the positive reception of ''Climax'', [[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony]] was interested in offering Beastmilk to join the label under [[Columbia Records]]. At the time of the offer, there were tensions between Snell and the rest of Beastmilk. Former The Oath guitarist [[Linnéa Olsson]] joined Beastmilk in August 2015, shortly after the departure of drummer Paile. Linnéa Olsson toured with the band as their new second guitarist in October 2015 when they joined In Solitude. In 2015 the group moved on without Snell, leaving McNerney and Arino the original members of the band. McNerney and Arino took the name Grave Pleasures. The band recruited former [[In Solitude]] member Uno Bruniusson on drums and [[Oranssi Pazuzu]]'s Juho Vanhanen as session guitarist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/grave-pleasures-beastmilk/|title= HOW BEASTMILK BECAME GRAVE PLEASURES BEFORE THE 'DREAMCRASH'|date= 18 October 2013|website= noisey.vice.com|access-date= 11 November 2015}}</ref> As a five-piece, including Vanhanen, Grave Pleasures recorded ''[[Dreamcrash]]'' in May 2015 with producer [[Tom Dalgety]]. Dreamcrash released on 4 September 2015, in Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and 2 October in the United Kingdom and France by Columbia. [[Metal Blade Records]] handled the North American release of Dreamcrash for its 13 November 2015 release.

== Members == * [[Mat McNerney|Mat "Kvohst" McNerney]] – vocals * Valtteri Arino – bass * Juho Vanhanen – guitars * Aleksi Kiiskilä – guitars * Rainer Tuomikanto – drums

=== Past members === * Johan "Goatspeed" Snell – guitars * Dimitri Paile – drums * [[Linnéa Olsson]] – guitars * Uno Bruniusson – drums

== Discography == * ''[[Climax (Beastmilk album)|Climax]]'' (2013) (as Beastmilk) * ''[[Dreamcrash]]'' (2015) * ''Funeral Party'' (2017; EP) * ''Motherblood'' (2017) * ''Doomsday Roadburn'' (2019) * ''Plagueboys'' (2023)

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [http://gravepleasures.tumblr.com/ Official website] *{{allmusic}}

[[Category:Musical groups established in 2010]] [[Category:Death rock groups]] [[Category:Finnish gothic rock groups]] [[Category:Finnish post-punk music groups]]