Stoner Rock has always been one of my favorite genres, so it was nice to be able to review the new release by the Spiritual Beggars. The one thing about Stoner Rock that I like most about is that some of the bands within the genre is their retreat back to a 70's style of Rock, which is what I was raised on even though I was born in the 80's. With that shall we dig into this release a little deeper?
The band started out with Spice (ex-singer/bassist) and Michael Amott shortly after Mike had left Carcass. After recording two albums with just the basics of drums, bass, and guitar the band decided to add Per Wiberg on the ivories a.k.a. keyboards on the third. Then in 2001 Spice opted to leave the band and the remaining band members brought in ex-Grand Magus singer Janne Christofferson. Since then the band has recorded On Fire and this disc as well as touring with the mighty Dio.
Demons begins with a real foot stomper of a song called Throwing Your Life Away. It is a very upbeat track and I believe it would translate very well to a live scenario along with the rest of the album. Janne's voice has a very powerful tone to it, that brings to mind some good old fashioned Southern Rock as well being kind of haunting on the slower tracks such as No One Heard. This being only the second release that he is on, he makes an excellent addition to the group's lineup.
One thing that separates them from the rest of the Stoner Rock bands that I have heard such as C.O.C. and Alabama Thunderpussy is that they incorporate keyboards thanks to Per Wiberg (Opeth). Per does a wonderful job of adding somewhat of a Doors type sound with the tickling of his ivories, which is totally opposite from his playing in Opeth, which is something I greatly respect, a musician being able to play different genres. Speaking of, my hat goes off to Mikel for doing the crossover thing. His guitar playing is clearly one of the highlights of the album, but how could it not be, I mean i'ts Mike Amott here, people.
The production was also done very well. All the instruments sound nice and crisp, which definitely adds to the overall sound. No instrument really overpowers another, unlike many other Stoner Rock albums where the guitar has so much distortion that not much is recognizable.
I have to say nice job done by the Beggars. Granted this release is nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary, but it is definitely a solid album. I would recommend this album to fans of any of their previous releases. So kick back with that joint and pop this album into your stereo.