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 70s hard rock and incorporates elements of psychedelia into its music.
Review:
For the uninitiated, the Spiritual Beggars are a three-piece psychedelic
groove metal trio from Sweden. Their guitarist, Michael Amott, is best known for
his role in doom metal units Carcass and Candlemass. With deep riffing and more
precision than speed, he is as heavy as any two speed-demon metal guitarists put
together. the Spiritual Beggars' primary influence is mid-period Black Sabbath
(say, Vol. IV and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath), but they expand their horizons with
each record. The band's sound on this third recording differs from its previous
efforts in two ways. First, there is the addition of Per Wiberg on organ and
Mellotron, Fender Rhodes piano, and clavinet, and Stefan Tsebring on percussion.
(Don't worry – all the teeth are still there, even sharper.) Second, there is
the obvious influence of two late American bands on the Spiritual Beggars'
sound: Kyuss (the hard rock unit from Arizona) and the semi-legendary Trouble.
(In fact, Spice, the Beggars' bassist and singer, sounds a hell of a lot like
John Garcia from Kyuss.) Mantra III has its roots in the almighty kingdom of
riff. If all these guys came from gloom metal bands, it's not possible to tell
from the songs here. This is rock – hard, heavy rock – more than even
metal. It's possible to imagine Blue Cheer playing this music if that band had
been born in the late '90s rather than the '60s. The CD kicks off with a breezy,
jazzy, Santana-like intro, which thankfully only lasts a fraction of a minute
before the real medicine kicks in. From “Homage to the Betrayed” through
“Broken Morning,” the tempo is nonstop, full-on, in-your-face heavy rock.
The lyrics are as lunkheaded as one might expect – as on “Monster
Astronauts” (“Take me to the river/Dance with the demons inside/Put me in
the mist/Wait for the golden twist/Fly me to the moon 'cause we got enough
fuel) – but it makes no difference. It's cool enough that they sing in
English and often mess up the syntax. From "Lack of Prozac” and “Bad
Karma” through to the bonus tracks – which are largely throwaways – the
band digs deeper into a groove for its menace. The tempos are throbbingly quick,
but they hold within them a kind of funk that only white guys from Sweden would
interpret as soulful. It comes off to the average Yankee grungoid rock fan or
metalhead as a more complex kind of riffing, but no matter, it's all a great
ride, full of crunch, bombast, and the sound of meat tearing from the bone. Get
on your bad motor scooter and ride.
All Music Guide – Thom Jurek