Spiritual Beggars - "Sunrise to Sundown" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 25/03/2016
Label: Inside Out Music

Business as usual for Spiritual Beggars, then; another album of good songs, strong playing and wrapped up in an impressive production. If you long for the days when Blackmore still played rock and jeans were flared, this album is certainly for you.  It should be noted that there are two things about this record which really stand out: the sound and the performance. The sound is fantastic, live and raw but crystal clear... the performance? Even more remarkable, as this was tracked live, yes live, off the studio floor!

“Sunrise to Sundown” CD//DD//LP tracklisting:

01. Sunrise To Sundown
02. Diamond Under Pressure
03. What Doesn't Kill You
04. Hard Road
05. Still Hunter
06. No Man's Land
07. I Turn To Stone
08. Dark Light Child
09. Lonely Freedom
10. You've Been Fooled
11. Southern Star

The Review:

Follwing the Deep Purple obsession exhibited on “Earth Blues”, I was interested to see where Spiritual Beggars would go with “Sunrise to Sundown”. There are no huge detours here. This is 70's style hard rock- think Rainbow, Deep Purple, Led Zep etc and you are there. There are heavier moments too, in some of the tracks there are echoes of the members alma maters (and an impressive list that is too; Carcass, Arch Enemy, Grand Magus, Opeth, Firewind etc!).

Apollo Papathanasio returns here with a full throated performance, while Per's keyboards (notably the Hammond Organ) are a feature that is pushed to the fore. It should be noted that there are two things about this record which really stand out: the sound and the performance. The sound is fantastic, live and raw but crystal clear... the performance? Even more remarkable, as this was tracked live, yes live, off the studio floor!

Old school to the last, the band are a credit to the genre and have recorded an album of fine performances here. “Diamond Under Pressure” is a catchy radio hit... or would have been if this was still 1976, while the aforementioned echoes of heavier sounds surface on “What Doesn't Kill You” and “Hard Road”. It always seemed odd to me that Spiritual Beggars were bracketed with the stoner/doom bands from the mid 90's onwards. I always felt them to be revivalists, pure and simple, but I guess that there is enough cross over with Sabbath (notably Dio era) for that pigeon holing to have occurred.

The eleven tracks here are uniformly of high quality , some more hooky than others, some heavier, most fairly concisely written- even “No Man's Land” comes in under six minutes with a rather “Heaven and Hell” type feel to it. Ludwig's performance (no doubt on Ludwig drums!) is excellent as usual- he plays hard and heavy with a good sense of groove- no overplaying. The Likes of” Dark Light Child” show the band in full flow with killer riffs in tow.

Perhaps it could be argues that “Lonely Freedom” almost veers into Fu Manchu like territory with its fuzzed ups sounds and rolling open groove, but the band does not stray too far from that which begat them- the second word of the lyrics is “rainbow” after all! The album closes strongly with the one two combination of “You've Been Fooled” (pure Purple, Coverdale era) and the more brooding “Southern Star”.

Business as usual for Spiritual Beggars, then; another album of good songs, strong playing and wrapped up in an impressive production. If you long for the days when Blackmore still played rock and jeans were flared, this album is certainly for you.

“Sunrise to Sundown” is available now 

Band info: facebook

Spiritual Beggars - 'Another Way To Shine // Mantra III // Ad Astra // On Fire LP Reissues' (Review)

Album Type: Reissues

Date Released: 29/6/2015

Label:  Music for Nations

Spiritual Beggars :

Michael Ammot | Guitars

Ludwig Witt | Drums, percussion

Christian Sjostrand | Vocals, Bass (‘Another Way to Shine’, ‘Mantra III’ ‘Ad Astra’)

Per Wiberg | Keyboards (‘Ad Astra’ ‘On Fire’)

JB | Vocals (‘On Fire’)

Roger Nilsson | Bass (‘On Fire’)

Review:

Spiritual Beggars were certainly viewed as a left turn after Amott's involvement with Carcass and they remain idiosyncratic to this day- ‘Earth Blues’ was very blatant in its Deep Purple worship, but the band have gone through many guises and three vocalists. Naturally, being a huge Grand Magus fan, I favour the record with JB at the mic- ‘On Fire’ being a good example. As well as traditional hard rock (complete with Hammond Organ) that album boasts some very doomy passages (arguably reminiscent of the direction that Magus were taking at the time- see “Young Man, Old Soul” for proof.

Certainly, the spectre of Blackmore's former bands looms large- there is some Rainbow worship here in the synth intros and the general vibe which is dark without necessarily taking on the really evil feel of heavier metal. The band plays tight and compliments JB's voice well on the likes of “Dance of The Dragon King.” Indeed, over the course of the twelve tracks the energy level does not drop and the record is still a very worthwhile listen.

The songs don't quite have the sticking power of the later ‘Demons’ opus or, indeed of the excellent ‘AD Astra’. Indeed, although JB is absent from that release (dating as it does to 2000- where does the time go?!?!) it is as fine a slab of retro rock as you could find from that or any era. ‘Left Brain Ambassadors’ tell you everything you need to know about the album- it's bombastic, weighty and very hard rocking indeed. The production is also excellent and has not dated at all. The remastering job seems fine- nice and bright (the guitars can be a little murky on albums here and there) and the live drum sound is rather joyous, I have to say.

‘Another Way To Shine’ features Christian Sjostrand (as does ‘AD Astra’) on vocals and he is a capable singer- he doesn't have the depth that JB has but delivers an enthusiastic performance over songs of hard rock of high quality. The fact that anyone was making this kind of music back in 1996 is quite incredible- I certainly was not aware of the band back then, even though I was a Carcass fan, but then again quality metal was very hard to come by in that era (the era of very questionable albums from even some of metal's biggest names). If you like the idea of a kind of revved up Cathedral, then this could have been your band then and still could be now. The songs have groove and massive guitars while driving away at mid pace or thereabouts.

‘Mantra III’ from 1998 has a rather odd intro in the form of ‘Superbossanova’ and then settles back into familiar territory of groovng hard rock mixed with trad doom and some proto metal. Spiritual Beggars have been remarkably consistent over the years and have certainly stuck to their guns. Each album is certainly different- some more energised, some have a little more doom, some sound more Black than Purple and so on, but really the band has a winning formula: big riffs, big bombastic vocals and  enough instruments to offer light and shade.

I would probably pick ‘AD Astra’ as the pick of the bunch of these reissues, but you could not go wrong with any of them; they are damn fine hard rock records from an era when nobody was doing that. They are also much, much better than the majority of bands that are peddling “Occult Rock” these days as well. These guys have got it, have always had it and continue to make records that deal it out in spades. Check out any of these reissues, their last album, ‘Demons’ or anything else they have put their name to... you won't be disappointed.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Reissues’ are available here

For more information:

Official: http://www.spiritualbeggars.com/

Like: https://www.facebook.com/spiritualbeggarsofficial



 

The Sludgelord News: ARCH ENEMY continue to spread War Eternal announce new live dates for 2015

2014 was a busy year for Swedish extreme metal band ARCH ENEMY: New singer announced in early 2014, new album out in the summer, extensive press trip all over the world from LA to London to Berlin and Tokyo, followed by conquering the biggest summer festival stages. A US tour supported by Kreator in fall was the next step on their busy schedule, new guitar player Jeff Loomis (ex-Nevermore) came in and joined the massive winter tour supporting Kreator. But hard work pays off and 19 years after their formation, ARCH ENEMY are on a new level of their career – with no end in sight!

 2015 started with a fun trip on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise to Jamaica, followed by a Latin America tour. March sees them busy with shows in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand. European fans will see ARCH ENEMY again in late April. The band is coming back with support from US metal force UNEARTH who will present their new album “Watchers Of Rule”, and DRONE from Germany who released their self-titled fourth album in April 2014.

 During the summer months, ARCH ENEMY will be headlining the Dynamo Metal Fest and play on further high profile festivals like Hellfest (France), Graspop (Belgium), With Full Force (Germany) and many more.

While other bands would finally go on holiday to take a break after more than a year on the road, ARCH ENEMY already announced the first shows for the second half of 2015. On December 19th they will join Nightwish to play the Wembley Arena in London. And there is even more news to come!

02.03.2015 O-East, Tokyo, Japan
03.03.2015 O-East, Tokyo, Japan
04.03.2015 Bottom Line, Nagoy, Japan
05.03.2015 Big Cat, Osaka-Shi, Japan
06.03.2015 Club Quattro, Hiroshima, Japan
08.03.2015 MUV Hall, Seoul, Republic of Korea
10.03.2015 Yu Gong Live, Beijing, China
11.03.2015 Mao Live House, Shanghai, China
12.03.2015 Music Zone Kitec Center, Hong Kong, China
14.03.2015 Hollywood Hall Ratchada, Bangkok, Thailand
15.03.2015 Hana Live House, Taipei, Taiwan

30.04.2015 Hexentanz Festival, Losheim, Germany
02.05.2015 Karmoygeddon Festival, Kopervik, Norway

05.05.2015 Le Splendid, Lille, France*
06.05.2015 L’Empreinte, Savigny-Le-Temple, France*
07.05.2015 Le Fil, St Etienne, France*
08.05.2015 Le Moloco, Audincourt, France*
09.05.2015 JUZ Live Club, Andernach, Germany
10.05.2015 ZAK, Uelsen, Germany*
11.05.2015 Komplex 457, Zurich, Switzerland*
14.05.2015 Les Docks, Lausanne, Switzerland*
15.05.2015 Audiodrome, Torino, Italy*
16.05.2015 Rock Planet, Pinarella di Cervia (RA), Italy*
21.05.2015 Paradise Garage, Lisbon, Portugal*
22.05.2015 Hardclub, Porto, Portugal*
03.06.2015 Orpheum, Graz, Austria*
04.06.2015 Komma, Wörgl, Austria*
(* supported by UNEARTH and Drone)

05.06.2015 Out & Loud Festival, Geiselwind, Germany
06.06.2015 Metalfest Open Air, Pilsen, Czech Republic
19.06.2015 Nummirock Metal Festival, Nummijarvi, Finland
20.06.2015 Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, Belgium
21.06.2015 Hellfest, Clisson, France
25.06.2015 Bravalla Festival, Norrköping, Sweden
05.07.2015 With Full Force Festival, Roitzschjora, Germany
18.07.2015 Dynamo Metal Fest, Eindhoven, Netherlands
20.07.2015 Metaldays, Tolmin, Slovenia
24.07.2015 Lanzenanger Festival, Burglengenfeld, Germany
25.07.2015 Barcelona Rock Fest, Barcelona, Spain

19.12.2015 Wembley Arena, London, UK**
(** supporting NIGHTWISH)


ARCH ENEMY online:
www.archenemy.net
www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial
www.youtube.com/user/archenemyofficial
twitter.com/archenemymetal

Century Media Records online:
http://www.centurymedia.com
http://www.youtube.com/centurymedia
http://twitter.com/centurymediaeu
http://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Century Media webshop:
http://www.cmdistro.com/

Source: The Noise Cartel

KREATOR / Arch Enemy / Shining & Marty Friedman @ Manchester Academy, Manchester UK, Friday 19th December 2014

The first thing that strikes you upon arrival at the Manchester Academy on this damp, typically dreary Winters night – even if it is Friday – is that this is far from a sell out. The mega bill has not quite quenched as many people’s thirsts as was intended it seems, and as I make my way inside there are still tickets available on the door. As such, the atmosphere was never really able to ramp itself up to any real dizzying altitude as far as intensity is concerned, but all three acts still went on to deliver robust, riff fattened sets, despite the slightly disappointing attendance.

Billed as Shining & Marty Friedman, the ex-Megadeth gunslinger’s early absence from the stage was extremely noticeable – he didn’t appear until half way through the set – which, for one, infuriated the journalists and photographers in the room, for which there were many enjoying one final metal bash before the festive break, knowing that we could only capture the first three songs of the set for our respective reviews.

And so, while Shining ploughed through an erratic ‘The One Inside’, a snarling, thumping ‘Fisheye’ and an unchained ‘My Dying Drive’, there hung a dark cloud of one unanswered question overhead that I need not state here. That’s not to say that the Norwegian black jazz quintet were disappointing – far from it. Despite sound issues which saw the sax too loud at points whereas the rhythm guitar, the instrument adding the needed aggression here, was too quiet, they played those tracks with a true conviction.

Jorgen Munkeby prowls the stage, stabbing viscous glares at the audience, treating them like his minions and drawing the eye straight towards him. Schizophrenic saxophone wheezed and walloped and the overall sound was, as ever, received with either confusion and disgust or confusion and elation. Either way their unique sound raised some eyebrows, winning as many fans as it did alienate others; watching people’s responses was proof positive that this band have something different, unearthly if you will. The success of this first trio of songs depends on personal opinion – mine was that I loved it.

Then Friedman did at last take to the stage, first ripping through ‘Meat Hook’ – a collaboration off his latest album, ‘Inferno’ with none other than Munkeby before a slow, drawn out but dazzling romp through King Crimson’s ‘21^st Century Schizoid Man’ – a staple in Shining’s sets but here with additional guitar wizardry courtesy of Friedman – closed proceedings stylishly.   

Arch Enemy then stampeded onto stage, all guns blazing. ‘War Eternal’ provided the first crushing blow with new front woman Alissa White-Gluz – handpicked by the woman she would replace – a commanding presence. She had the crowd in her sweaty palms from the off, all the while guitarists Michael Amott and new boy Jeff Loomis staggering us all with blurred fingers, hellish arpeggios and rampant runs. Then you take a step back, take the entire stage in your periphery and realise the vast transformation that this band has taken recently. With a show-stopping new front woman and a wondrous axesmith in Jeff Loomis – both big hitters in their own rights who are sure to lure their own fans down Arch Enemy’s crooked path – they’ve become the musical equivalent of a football team being bought out by a gluttonous oil baron, hell-bent on flashing his wads of cash to bring in star names to the club. As someone who has never really delved into Arch Enemy’s back catalogue, they’ve all of a sudden become an exciting prospect to me and they deliver upon that excitement excellently.

The thing is, this is still Amott’s band. The new attractions may draw the eye a little like a child playing with his new Christmas presents while his beloved building blocks stand stacked in the corner, but there is no doubting who rules the roost here. These are Amott’s songs and this is his band and the respect that revolves around him here is unquestionable.

’Ravenous’ bursts out in a fashion of pathetic fallacy before ‘My Apocalypse’ rips open the pit and ‘You Will Know My Name’ has the crowd in full voice, a projected screen beaming the lyrics for all to see behind them. New single ‘As The Pages Burn’ shows that the Alissa era of the band is hardly going to be a puny, apologetic one: This is a full frontal assault of brutality, aggression and a deep melodicism that makes itself at home amongst grinding riffs. Kreator then, have an almost unassailable sea to call their own.

No band, however, could have lasted as long and as prodigiously as Kreator if they didn’t have the goods to deliver. Moreover, they surely wouldn’t have brought such fantastic bands along for the ride were they not confident of giving them a sonic punishing. In short, they blitzed the Academy with a 18 strong track set of anarchistic, thrash-founded, Slayer driven thrash metal.  

’Violent Revolution’ whips up a frenzy, with lofted horns and banging heads, its simple, gargling chorus packing a real punch. ‘Enemy of God’ couldn’t sound any more like Slayer if they tried, all tremolo picked riffs, machine gun blast bits and spat hating lyrics, but the effect it has on a crowd is to be applauded.

As they plough through their set on a stage adorned with monsters, a big screen of horrific videos matching their rather nasty lyrical themes, they capture the real sense of occasion tonight. Sure, the less than capacity audience don’t make for the intensity of a sold out show, but everyone here is clearly well into another solid set from the Germanic quartet.

Lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö impresses the most with an ear for memorable, adventurous solos while frontman Mille Petrozza’s lead work consists of unimaginative chromatic noise and incessant dive bombs that tire themselves out after several bars every time, but when they join forces and harmonise they stand mightily tall.

The likes of ‘Suicide Terrorist’, ‘Impossible Brutality’ and ‘Hordes of Chaos’ are as ferocious as ever: unarguable thrash metal excellence that brings the set to its final, dramatic foray.

A smashing cover of Maiden’s ‘Number of the Beast’ – just days before metalhead’s checked the charts in the hope that metal could once more topple the X Factor – and a damn good, floor shaking, pit erupting ‘Flag of Hate’ had all leaving with sore necks and spread smiles.        

Talking honestly, Kreator are not a band I listen to of my own accord, but whenever I get the chance to see them live, I take it. In the flesh, they are as entertaining as bands like this come, especially considering my limited knowledge of their music. Arch Enemy do however, steal the show from a personal standpoint as the infectious melodies that unfurl betwixt their trademark ear battery is more linear with my own personal tastes, but nothing could be taken away from Kreator’s performance. The last gig of 2014 for so many of us here tonight, and a damn fine way to end, a damn fine year.

Words: Phil Weller