Spiritual Beggars

Spiritual Beggars
Background information
Origin	Halmstad, Sweden
Genres	Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock
Years active	1992 - Present
Associated acts	Candlemass, Grand Magus, Firebird, The Mushroom River Band, Arch Enemy, Carcass, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Opeth, Firewind, Evil Masquerade, The Quill
Website	Official Website
Current members	Michael Amott Apollo Papathanasio Sharlee D'Angelo Per Wiberg Ludwig Witt
Past members	Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand Roger Nilsson Janne Christoffersson
Band Logo

Spiritual Beggars is a stoner metal band from Halmstad, Sweden, formed by Michael Amott, who is known from Arch Enemy, Carcass and Carnage. The band is heavily influenced by 70's hard rock and incorporates elements of psychedelia into its music. Since their formation in 1992 the band has released nine studio albums and hosted three different eras over the years, represented by different vocalists.

History

Spice Era

Spiritual Beggars was formed in 1992 by Michael Amott after his departure from Carcass. Spiritual Beggars debuted with the self-titled Spiritual Beggars in 1994 and have subsequently released albums as Michael's schedule, which also includes being a full-time member of melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, permits. The band's second album Another Way to Shine followed in 1996 and was nominated for a Swedish Grammy. The album featured artwork by the legendary artist Hans Arnold, depicting the members of the band in a fairytale world.

Spiritual Beggars Per Aspera

The third album, Mantra III, saw the band adding Per Wiberg on keyboards. Spiritual Beggars toured Europe with Fu Manchu and made several festival appearances in support of the album. Their fourth album, Ad Astra, was released in 2000 and enjoyed strong sales across Europe and in Japan. The band toured heavily on their Chasing The Stars tour that followed, supporting bands such as Iron Maiden, Monster Magnet, and Queens of the Stone Age, as well as playing festivals and headlining shows in Europe and Japan.

JB Era

2002 saw the release of the band's fifth studio recording, On Fire. This album featured a new line-up following the departure of original singer Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand. The replacements were Janne "JB" Christoffersson of Grand Magus, who had been recommended to Amott by a mutual friend, while Roger Nilsson joined to handle the bass.

On Fire album was musically and vocally more melodic and saw the band delving deeper into 70s hard rock for inspiration. A 2003 European tour featured Spiritual Beggars alongside Clutch, Spiritu and Dozer was completed in support of the album, which was followed by a tour of Japan with Clutch as the opening act.

Spiritual Beggars - Salt In Your Wounds

Spiritual Beggars' sixth album, Demons, was released in Japan in March 2005 and in Europe on 20 June 2005. Demons was released in two versions – a single CD version and a two-CD version, which includes live material recorded in Japan during 2003. The touring on this record was limited to a three-date Japanese tour with Dio and a headline performance in London, UK. Carcass would also reform in 2007 with Amott on guitar, consuming a deal of free time with the group.

Apollo Era

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS - Wise As A Serpent (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

In early March 2010, it was announced that Spiritual Beggars had entered the studio to record their first studio album in five years. The album featured new singer Apollo Papathanasio of Firewind and Evil Masquerade. Return to Zero was released in Europe on August 30, 2010, in Japan on August 25, 2010 and in North America on October 12, 2010. Following the release, the band played shows in Greece, Japan, Belgium, France and Finland. Eventually, Amott would leave the reunited Carcass once they chose to commit to being a band once again. Thus he chose to concentrate on Arch Enemy while maintaining activity with Spiritual Beggars. Their performance at Loud Park Festival in Japan on October 17, 2010 was recorded and released as the Return to Live: Loud Park 2010.

Michael Amott in Toulouse in 2013 on the Earth Blues tour

. Apollo's second album with Spiritual Beggars, Earth Blues, was released on April 15, 2013. The album has been noted for drawing influence from Deep Purple. Apollo's third album with the band Sunrise to Sundown saw a release on 18 March 2016 via Century Media with three singles to support the record.

Discography

Albums

• Spiritual Beggars (1994, Wrong Again Records)
• Another Way to Shine (1996, Music For Nations; Sony BMG)
• Mantra III (1998, Music For Nations; Sony BMG)
• Ad Astra (2000, Music For Nations)
• On Fire (2002, Music For Nations)
• Demons (2005, Inside Out Music)
• Return to Zero (2010, Inside Out Music)
• Earth Blues (2013, Inside Out Music)
• Sunrise to Sundown (2016, Inside Out Music)

Other Releasess

• Violet Karma (10" EP) (1998, Froghouse)
• It's Over / Twilight Train (Split 7" with Grand Magus) (2001, Southern Lord Records)
• Live Fire (Live DVD) (2005, SPV)
• Return to Live: Loud Park 2010 (Live Album) (2011, Trooper Entertainment)
• Thumbsucker / Stoned Woman (7" Single) (2016, H42 Records)
• Swenskt Anfall (Live Split with Siena Root, Truckfighters) (2021, H42 Records)

Selected Compilation Appearances

• "Monster Astronauts" on Burn One Up! Music For Stoners (1997, Roadrunner Records)
• "Redwood Blues" on Stoned (R)Evolution: The Ultimate Trip (1998, Drunken Maria; Rough Trade)
• "Mr. White" on Bastards Will Pay - Tribute To Trouble (1999, Freedoom Records)

Members

Current Members

• Michael Amott - Guitar (1992 - Present)
• Ludwig Witt - Drums (1993 - Present)
• Per Wiberg - Keyboards (1998 - Present)
• Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass (2005 - Present)
• Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals (2010 - Present)

Past Members

• Christian Sjöstrand aka Spice - Bass, Vocals (1992 - 2001)
• Janne Christoffersson – Vocals (2002 – 2010)
• Roger Nilsson – Bass (2002 - 2004)

Touring/Session Members

• Stefan Isebring – Percussion, Hurdy-Gurdy (1998, also appeared on Mantra III)

List of Known Tours

• 1998 European Tour (With Fu Manchu) (1998)
• 2000 European Tour (2000)
• Metal 2000 World Tour (With Iron Maiden, Entombed) (2000)
• Monstergroove 2003 (With Clutch, Spiritu, Dozer) (2003)
• On Fire Japan Tour (With Clutch) (2003)
• 2005 Japan Tour (With Dio) (2005)
• 2010 Greece / Japan Shows (2010)
• 2011 Japan Tour (Canceled) (2011)
• Earth Blues Spring European Tour (With Zodiac) (2013)
• Earth Blues Fall European Tour (Select dates with Purson) (2013)
• Earth Blues Japan Tour (2014)
• Sunrise to Sundown European Tour (With WolveSpirit, Jesus Chrüsler Supercar) (2016)
• Sunrise to Sundown Japan Tour (2016)

External Links

• Spiritual Beggars Official Website
• Spiritual Beggars Facebook