What The Critics Say
Undergoing a major lineup change immediately following the biggest record of your career shouldn't bode well for any band, but doesn't seem to be a big problem for Sweden's Spiritual Beggars, who manage to neatly sidestep almost any transitional difficulties on 2002's On Fire. The fact that control of the group's direction and virtually all its songwriting stems from guitarist Michael Amott explains much of this, so that even the small differences that appear seem very much self-willed rather than accidental. New vocalist J.B. (formerly of Grand Magus) is coached to perfection by Amott, assimilating (but not replicating) the growling, frothing-at-the-mouth style of the departed Spice into his own, somewhat cleaner delivery, which lends greater flexibility to tracks like the radio-ready "Killing Time" and the oddly '70s Whitesnake-ish "Fool's Gold." Injecting their stoner rock with generous doses of Amott's straight-up metal riffing and classically tinged soloing (natural spillage from his other project, the death metal band Arch Enemy) remains one of Spiritual Beggars' more distinctive trademarks, and along with Per Wiberg's very active organ contributions, these are brought to the very forefront on album standouts like "Black Feather," "Young Man, Old Man," and "The Lunatic Fringe." On Fire does lose a little steam toward the end, but all things considered, consistency really should be Amott's middle name, making for yet another fine effort for Spiritual Beggars. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More colorful and evolved songs like "Sedated" typify the dynamic but still quite heavy sound of Spiritual Beggars' third release, Ad Astra. The band had previously stuck to a contemporary stoner palette somewhere between the thundering Kyuss and chaotic Corrosion of Conformity, but everything from the Doors ("Per Aspera Ad Astra") to Deep Purple ("Wonderful World" and others) gets folded into the retro metal mix on this release. Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand's more aggressive vocal work clears up any confusion about the group's modernity, but relevance really isn't an issue with music this crushing (yet listenable). Just like the first two Spiritual Beggars records, Ad Astra's opener, "Left Brain Ambassadors," is a hard rock juggernaut, and its only fault is the setting of a musical standard that is practically impossible to maintain through the following 13 tracks. The band almost pulls it off with cunning takes on '70s elders like Kiss on the Love Gun-influenced "Save Your Soul" and during more traditional Kyuss references like "On Dark Rivers." If it weren't for the out of place ballad "It's Over," Ad Astra would bake like a sun dancer in the heat of stoner rock perfection. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For the uninitiated, the Spiritual Beggars are a three-piece psychedelic groove-metal trio from Sweden. Their guitarist, Michael Amott, is best known for his role in doom-metal units Carcass and Candlemass. With deep riffing and more precision than speed, he is as heavy as any two speed demon metal guitarists put together. The Spiritual Beggars' primary influence is mid-period Black Sabbath (say, Vol. IV and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath), but they expand their horizons with each record. The band's sound on this third recording differs from its previous efforts in two ways. First, there is the addition of Per Wiberg on organ and Mellotron, Fender Rhodes piano, and clavinet, and Stefan Tsebring on percussion. (Don't worry -- all the teeth are still there, even sharper.) Second, there is the obvious influence of two late American bands on the Spiritual Beggars' sound: Kyuss (the hard rock unit from Arizona) and the semi-legendary Trouble. (In fact, Spice, the Beggars' bassist and singer, sounds a hell of a lot like John Garcia from Kyuss.) Mantra III has its roots in the almighty kingdom of riff. If all these guys came from gloom-metal bands, it's not possible to tell from the songs here. This is rock -- hard, heavy rock -- more than even metal. It's possible to imagine Blue Cheer playing this music if that band had been born in the late '90s rather than the '60s. The CD kicks off with a breezy, jazzy, Santana-like intro, which thankfully only lasts a fraction of a minute before the real medicine kicks in. From "Homage to the Betrayed" through "Broken Morning," the tempo is nonstop, full-on, in-your-face heavy rock. The lyrics are as lunkheaded as one might expect -- as on "Monster Astronauts" ("Take me to the river/Dance with the demons inside/Put me in the mist/Wait for the golden twist/Fly me to the moon 'cause we got enough fuel) -- but it makes no difference. It's cool enough that they sing in English and often mess up the syntax. From "Lack of Prozac" and "Bad Karma" through to the bonus tracks -- which are largely throwaways -- the band digs deeper into a groove for its menace. The tempos are throbbingly quick, but they hold within them a kind of funk that only white guys from Sweden would interpret as soulful. It comes off to the average Yankee grungoid rock fan or metalhead as a more complex kind of riffing, but no matter, it's all a great ride, full of crunch, bombast, and the sound of meat tearing from the bone. Get on your bad motor scooter and ride. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Another Way to Shine'
What The Critics Say
Led by former Carcass and ongoing Arch Enemy member Michael Amott's fuzzed-out guitar riffs, the Spiritual Beggars never let up on Another Way to Shine, one of the best stoner coming-out parties of the '90s. Kicking off the debut in typically energetic fashion, "Magic Spell" blasts the top off of Another Way to Shine, setting a high standard for the following eight tracks. All comparisons and genre-tagging aside, this track just plain rocks. Music so accomplished paradoxically solicits the simplest of descriptions, so there's no sense complicating descriptions of this stoner gem with obvious comparisons and inadequate adjectives. Suffice to say that fans of the genre will love the more energetic entries and appreciate all of Another Way to Shine. There is some lumbering, relatively dull material toward the record's finish, but second-rate offerings from Amott and company easily surpass most records dished out during later waves of stoner rock. Highly recommended. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
