Band:	Spiritual Beggars
Album:	Ad Astra
Style:	Heavy metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	2000
Guest review by:	ForestsAlive

01. Left Brain Ambassadors
02. Wonderful World
03. Sedated
04. Angel Of Betrayal
05. Blessed
06. Per Aspera Ad Astra
07. Save Your Soul
08. Until The Morning
09. Escaping The Fools
10. On Dark Rivers
11. The Goddess
12. Mantra
13. Let The Magic Talk [Japanese bonus]
14. It's Over [Japanese bonus]

Ad Astra is pure metal and hard rock bliss! While not perfect, it still oozes youthful energy, talent, and creativity.

If there’s a genre of metal I somewhat dislike, it’s “stoner.” I dislike its aesthetics, its lazy fuzz sound, its cringy obsession with weed, the '70s, analog equipment, and Gibson SG guitars. Spiritual Beggars’ Ad Astra, however, is not a stoner album. While the trippy album cover (and tag on this website) might suggest that, the reality is that Ad Astra screams and breathes hard rock and metal. Everything—from the insanely low-tuned, heavy guitars and the modern production by Fredrik Nordström to the intense vocals and the Michael Schenker-inspired guitar solos—shows that the band had a clear sonic goal: metal that pays tribute to its roots. And no, this is not a Sabbath revival band or a nostalgia-milking effort. Ad Astra has identity and honesty.

For those unfamiliar, Spiritual Beggars was formed by Michael Amott after leaving Carcass (at the age of 24) and before forming Arch Enemy. The rest of the band includes Per Wiberg (later of Opeth) on keys, “Spice” on vocals and bass, and Ludwig Witt (later on Firebird) on drums. Ad Astra dropped in 1999 and took the metal community by surprise with its fresh, modern take on hard rock and metal. It was featured on many “best of” lists that year as well.

I bought the CD back then with limited expectations, considering the uninspiring album cover. However, “Left Brain Ambassadors” is a perfect opener, packed with so much energy, as hinted by the infectious toms and bass intro. The next track, “Wonderful World,” I could have lived without. But, fortunately, “Sedated” and “Angel of Betrayal” are just amazing songs—perhaps the best this band has ever recorded. “Sedated” has the perfect buildup to a melodic section that is pure bliss (the final solo always gives me goosebumps). “Angel of Betrayal,” on the other hand, is one of the best metal songs ever written, with its simple but super heavy riff.

While the rest of Ad Astra doesn’t reach the heights of its first tracks (maybe excluding “Mantra” and “Let the Magic Talk”), there are so many cool moments and aspects that make the overall experience satisfying.

First of all, the production by Fredrik Nordström is exquisite; it is dirty, energetic, and somewhat elegant at the same time. The drums have a vintage sound but are huge (kind of like Metallica's Load era). The bass is dirty and very present. The vocals are low in the mix, which I believe is intentional, giving the listener the impression that they are standing in the middle of a rehearsal space. And, finally, the guitars—oh, the guitars! That rhythm guitar tone is just so heavy, so crushing, so satisfying! It helps that the band is tuned down to Carcass levels.

Indeed, the album is obviously guitar-driven, but how can it not be? The riffs, for one, are gigantic! They are simple, effective, and memorable. Some even sound like leftovers from the Carcass era or early Arch Enemy demos. The leads by Michael Amott are phenomenal as well. His playing is melodic, never too busy, and full of attitude and identity. Such an inspiring guitar hero, he makes me want to buy a Flying V just like when I was 16.

Now, we could talk for hours about the rest of the band, like Wiberg’s aggressive Hammond playing or Spice’s wonderfully harsh voice. But the bottom line is that on this record, Spiritual Beggars are at the top of their game. The albums that followed with JB on vocals were fine, with some great moments, while those featuring Apollo Papathanasiou lack imagination and any sense of urgency or angst.

Ad Astra, even with its shortcomings, is still one of the best hard rock and metal albums of the last three decades. It’s never too late to discover it or revisit it!