When legendary Swedish singer/songwriter Spice, well known for his former engagement as vocalist of Spiritual Beggars, became fed up with the typical compromises forced upon a musician playing in a band he started his solo project Spice and the RJ Band. The band released two albums, The Will (2007) and Shave Your Fear (2009). Since then they have changed the name to Band of Spice. For this project, the setting was Spice on Vocals/Guitar, Bob Ruben on drums, and Alexander Sekulovski on bass. All of the tracks on this album refer to a period of Spice’s life during the nineties, where he was balancing suicidal thoughts with a glorifying self-destructive way of life. When it comes to the lyrics, Spice settles the score with some old demons, including alcoholism, which haunted him in the course of his career.
I have to say that the album takes you on a difficult journey, a bare knuckle ride through some chapters of Spice’s life which are powerfully delivered through his lyrics which certainly slap you in the face and demand that you listen to them.
The journey starts on a massive downer with Only One Drink which needs no explanation and it clearly demonstrates that Spice was not in a good place when he wrote it, and the low mood certainly comes across effectively. Then, The Pet, a full throttle track full of throaty vocals, explicit lyrics and full on guitar work that makes you sit up and pay attention. Head banging is a must to this track, as it feels like Spice may have been banging his head against ‘something’ back in the day. Whatever the story behind this track is, it’s brilliant.
Coherent Train of Thought is another intense track which continues this testing journey. It commands a response from you, with its deep riffs and powerful lyrics, this addictive tune insists that you stomp your feet, or shout the lyrics, either way, you will respond.
Don’t Bring Me Flowers is a full on experience of heavy rock music at its darkest, with its moody lyrics and a beat that will remain in your head long after the track finishes. The guitar work is sensational. One of the strongest tracks of the album in my opinion.
Caught In A War at first seems a bit odd sat in between the other tracks on the album due to its ‘flowery’ start, but the song switches between deep and dark, anger and fear, and back to the calmer, lighter music again. Lyrics such as ‘been caught in a war, my back against the wall’ give you the sense of being trapped and having little hope left. ‘Losing the sight of my dream, I’m losing my will, better swallow my pill’ makes me feel that Spice felt he was losing a battle and feared he would lose sight of his hopes and dreams. When the powerful guitar work comes in, the track takes you to a completely new dimension. They Are Around has a great drum beat and guitar riff that will captivate you. Once again some intricate guitar work and intense lyrics keep you riveted to the song, watching it’s every twist and turn. The strong vocals from Spice coupled with the lyrics tell this story perfectly. Apartment 8 is totally out of the box as far as this album goes. Although the lyrics are still moody, the melody is in a more light-hearted vein. It is a strange concoction which makes you wonder what will be next. The Saviour And The Clown jolts you back into the hefty beats and meaty riffs of the earlier tracks. This is one of my favoured tracks of the album. A dark, extreme and gutsy experience. Give Me A hint continues in the intense, morose feel. It gives the impression of someone losing their mind. The incessant drumming and guitar motif gets in your head and raises your pulse for sure. I absolutely love this track, with its up-tempo feel and gritty vocals and spectacular guitar effects which blow your mind. Sheaf and The Gap continue to deliver this powerful story line through intensity and power. Take Me Home is a trippy sounding song with a catchy chorus which leads to the finale, Apartment 8 (part 2) This is an acoustic track which finishes the album off perfectly, solemn lyrics and vocals which ooze with despondency and numbness.
This album has been the most difficult for me to review so far. On one hand, you have the perfectly deep and dark full bore rock songs which I love so much, coupled with strong vocals empowering drum beats and intricate guitar work, qualities which are everything that I ask for in an album. However, on the other hand, there is the story behind the whole album, a dark chapter in the life of vocalist, Spice. The lyrics most certainly put you there with him, the despair, fear, depression, anger is displayed throughout. Overall this is a cleverly written album, full of intense heavy rock sounds and gritty vocals, which certainly delivers a great range of tracks. The powerful story line takes you down a different path however, which I felt in parts was quite distressing, purely because you can hear the pain, not only in the lyrics, but in the vocals and composition as well. That said, only the best musicians can write songs which make you feel the experience they are getting across through their music, and Spice has most certainly achieved this through this album. Brilliant.
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Rating:
Highlight – ‘a bare knuckle ride through some chapters of Spice’s life with lyrics which slap you in the face and demand that you listen to them’.
