Spiritual Beggars - Return To Zero
Since their formation in 1992, Sweden's Spiritual Beggars quickly became the leaders in the Sweden Stoner Metal scene but also around the world they became immensely popular through a succession of killer albums that redefined the genre. The 1994 debut (re-released in 2002 by Regain Records with four bonus tracks) was a solid release but it was the next three albums starting with "Another Way To shine" in 96, "Mantra III" in 98 and "Ad Astra" in 2000 that raised the benchmark for Stoner Metal acts everywhere. They were all blistering album's of 70s worship, augmented by the presence of super-heavy production values. So strong was "Ad Astra" that its regarded by some critics and fans as being the greatest "Stoner Metal" album ever recorded. With bluesy riffs and soloing, incredible energy, stunning songwriting and exceptional vocals from Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand, the band was on a roll at this point. 2002 saw another album ("On Fire") and a new vocalist in Janne (JB) Christoffersson(Grand Magus)futher cemented their place as icons of the new retro-rock revival that was taking over the world at the time. "On Fire" was a much bigger album that most people even know, it reached some very high places in some top 40 album charts, mostly in Europe so it was refreshing to see such a classic hard rocking album in the charts next to the usual pop garbage that still dominates charts till this day.
However, "On Fire" (and this is just my take on it) saw some cracks starting to appear. These flaws were minor but they were noticeable, songs like "Fools Gold", "Fejee Mermaid", and "The Lunatic Fringe" seemed weak to me compared to other songs on the "On Fire" album and apart from the debut album, it was the first time that a Spiritual Beggars album seems inconsistent. Onto 2005 and out came the album titled "Demons", better and more consistent than "On Fire", it again received rave reviews which led one critic to used the headline, "Where does Michael Amott come up with this?". Now in 2010 only two original members remain in the line-up namely Michael Amott on guitar (Arch Enemy, Ex-Carcass, Ex-Carnage , Ex- Candlemass) and Ludwig Witt on drums who also plays in the Bill Steer led Firebird. Per Wiberg has been on keyboards since 1998 and is still churning out keyboard sounds that would make Jon Lord (Deep Purple) blush and Sharlee D'Angelo took over bass duties from Roger Nilson in 2005. 2010 though saw the biggest change in the line-up with a yet another vocalist, this time around is the very Coverdale and Dio influenced sound of Apollo Papathanasio from the band Firewind, alright history lesson is over.
With such a rich and stunning recording career behind them, coming up with another classic was never going to be easy and I will say from the outset that this is their weakest album since their debut album but being such a great band, its still very good indeed. Amott has always been prolific when it comes to making strong melodies and "Return To Zero" is the most melodic Spiritual Beggars album yet. After a short intro, the album gets on its way with "Lost in Yesterday" and its a very unfamiliar opener for a Beggars album, usually their albums start with a high energy rocker but this is quite the opposite so its a very gutsy move to commence the album in this fashion. However its a great track with Amott showcasing his uncanny ability at coming up with irresistible melodies. "Star Born" is very much a typical Beggars track and could easily be a left-over track from the "Demons" album. "The Chaos Of Rebirth" is the obligatory groovy rocker and it displays Apollo Papathanasio's great expressive vocal range as well as the rhythm section of D’Angelo and Witt pulling off twists and turns that would leave most bands utterly confused. "We Are Free" recycle's the Black Sabbath "Hole In The Sky" riff but it still sounds fresh despite the added crowd noise effects.
"Spirit Of The Wind" is up next and I found this to be the first of the filler, its a spacey commercial pop rocker with a feel of a ballad. The 80's vibe the song has just seems out of place within the flow of the album. "Coming Home" falls into the category of typical retro-rock and also sounds like another time filler, not bad in the extreme but too cliched and predictable to be memorable. Two average tracks in a row and I start to worry but "Concrete Horizon" brings the quality level up a notch with a very Euro-Metal styled Hard Rock tune, fans of U.F.O and The Scorpions will know what I mean but the six minute running time stretches the song out a little too long, still its decent stuff. "A New Dawn Rising" is infectious and full of catchy hooks, potential radio hit right here. Roger Glover from Deep Purple fame once said every good album needs a shuffle and Spiritual Beggars deliver theirs with the next tune titled "Believe In Me". Its perfectly placed in "Return To Zero's"running order providing a nice contrast to the songs that came before it and it also again confirms their musical skills as a band but the following "Dead Weight" is another filler making the last half of the album seem patchy at best. The big surprise comes with last track, an attempt at a tear-jerking cheesy piano ballad, at first it made me dive for the kill button but after a few listens it actually grows on you. Not the ending I was expecting but its a interesting, charismatic tune.
There is no question in my mind, they will never top the pure magic of albums of "Ad Astra" and "Mantra III" but at the same time, they still have enough tricks up their sleeves to deliver solid albums and "Return To Zero" is very solid but with a few second half fillers that are instantly forgettable. The trademark Spiritual Beggars approach of 70's vintage Hard Rock songwriting and modern production techniques are still working for them and the sounds that Amott, Witt and Wiberg conjure up are again, simply majestic. Now with new singer Apollo Papathanasio on-board they have added yet another dimension to their sound and in a small but effective way, they now sound even more like a lost classic 70's band. There is nothing on "Return To Zero" to match the brilliance of "Left Brain Ambassadors" or "Angel of Betrayal" but they come close at times. I am just glad they are still delivering great music as I have been listening to them since day one but this album rates pretty low within the Spiritual Beggars catalog in my opinion. Note: I haven't heard their version of Uriah Heep's "Time To Live" which appears on the Japanese special edition as a bonus track, if that was included on this standard version of the disc, I would gladly add a extra point to the score. Anyone got this track ?, Please send it to me, I am dying to hear it.
Good album after a five year wait but its no "Ad Astra" but buy this album and judge for yourself. Its going to be released in Japan August 25th, August 30th in Europe with a North American released scheduled for October 12.
However, "On Fire" (and this is just my take on it) saw some cracks starting to appear. These flaws were minor but they were noticeable, songs like "Fools Gold", "Fejee Mermaid", and "The Lunatic Fringe" seemed weak to me compared to other songs on the "On Fire" album and apart from the debut album, it was the first time that a Spiritual Beggars album seems inconsistent. Onto 2005 and out came the album titled "Demons", better and more consistent than "On Fire", it again received rave reviews which led one critic to used the headline, "Where does Michael Amott come up with this?". Now in 2010 only two original members remain in the line-up namely Michael Amott on guitar (Arch Enemy, Ex-Carcass, Ex-Carnage , Ex- Candlemass) and Ludwig Witt on drums who also plays in the Bill Steer led Firebird. Per Wiberg has been on keyboards since 1998 and is still churning out keyboard sounds that would make Jon Lord (Deep Purple) blush and Sharlee D'Angelo took over bass duties from Roger Nilson in 2005. 2010 though saw the biggest change in the line-up with a yet another vocalist, this time around is the very Coverdale and Dio influenced sound of Apollo Papathanasio from the band Firewind, alright history lesson is over.
With such a rich and stunning recording career behind them, coming up with another classic was never going to be easy and I will say from the outset that this is their weakest album since their debut album but being such a great band, its still very good indeed. Amott has always been prolific when it comes to making strong melodies and "Return To Zero" is the most melodic Spiritual Beggars album yet. After a short intro, the album gets on its way with "Lost in Yesterday" and its a very unfamiliar opener for a Beggars album, usually their albums start with a high energy rocker but this is quite the opposite so its a very gutsy move to commence the album in this fashion. However its a great track with Amott showcasing his uncanny ability at coming up with irresistible melodies. "Star Born" is very much a typical Beggars track and could easily be a left-over track from the "Demons" album. "The Chaos Of Rebirth" is the obligatory groovy rocker and it displays Apollo Papathanasio's great expressive vocal range as well as the rhythm section of D’Angelo and Witt pulling off twists and turns that would leave most bands utterly confused. "We Are Free" recycle's the Black Sabbath "Hole In The Sky" riff but it still sounds fresh despite the added crowd noise effects.
"Spirit Of The Wind" is up next and I found this to be the first of the filler, its a spacey commercial pop rocker with a feel of a ballad. The 80's vibe the song has just seems out of place within the flow of the album. "Coming Home" falls into the category of typical retro-rock and also sounds like another time filler, not bad in the extreme but too cliched and predictable to be memorable. Two average tracks in a row and I start to worry but "Concrete Horizon" brings the quality level up a notch with a very Euro-Metal styled Hard Rock tune, fans of U.F.O and The Scorpions will know what I mean but the six minute running time stretches the song out a little too long, still its decent stuff. "A New Dawn Rising" is infectious and full of catchy hooks, potential radio hit right here. Roger Glover from Deep Purple fame once said every good album needs a shuffle and Spiritual Beggars deliver theirs with the next tune titled "Believe In Me". Its perfectly placed in "Return To Zero's"running order providing a nice contrast to the songs that came before it and it also again confirms their musical skills as a band but the following "Dead Weight" is another filler making the last half of the album seem patchy at best. The big surprise comes with last track, an attempt at a tear-jerking cheesy piano ballad, at first it made me dive for the kill button but after a few listens it actually grows on you. Not the ending I was expecting but its a interesting, charismatic tune.
There is no question in my mind, they will never top the pure magic of albums of "Ad Astra" and "Mantra III" but at the same time, they still have enough tricks up their sleeves to deliver solid albums and "Return To Zero" is very solid but with a few second half fillers that are instantly forgettable. The trademark Spiritual Beggars approach of 70's vintage Hard Rock songwriting and modern production techniques are still working for them and the sounds that Amott, Witt and Wiberg conjure up are again, simply majestic. Now with new singer Apollo Papathanasio on-board they have added yet another dimension to their sound and in a small but effective way, they now sound even more like a lost classic 70's band. There is nothing on "Return To Zero" to match the brilliance of "Left Brain Ambassadors" or "Angel of Betrayal" but they come close at times. I am just glad they are still delivering great music as I have been listening to them since day one but this album rates pretty low within the Spiritual Beggars catalog in my opinion. Note: I haven't heard their version of Uriah Heep's "Time To Live" which appears on the Japanese special edition as a bonus track, if that was included on this standard version of the disc, I would gladly add a extra point to the score. Anyone got this track ?, Please send it to me, I am dying to hear it.
Good album after a five year wait but its no "Ad Astra" but buy this album and judge for yourself. Its going to be released in Japan August 25th, August 30th in Europe with a North American released scheduled for October 12.
1. Return To Zero
2. Lost In Yesterday
3. Star Born
4. The Choas Of Rebirth
5. We Are Free
6. Spirit Of The Wind
7. Coming Home
8. Concrete Horizon
9. A New Dawn Rising
10. Believe In Me
11. Dead Weight
12. A Road Less Traveled
Inside Out Music
Reviewer: Ed
Aug 26, 2010
Aug 26, 2010
Next review:
Bongripper - Satan Worhipping Doom
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