Spiritual Beggars: Earth Blues

My how time flies. Three years have passed since Spiritual Beggars released their excellent Return To Zero album, yet Earth Blues still finds this stoner/classic rock band joyously celebrating the seventies through the likes of Sabbath, Purple and especially Uriah Heep. Boy, do they do it well!

With a now stable line-up consisting of bandleader and guitarist Michael Amott (also of Arch Enemy and once of Carcass), drummer Ludwig Witt (Grand Magus), bassist Shalree D'Angelo (Arch Enemy, Witchery), keyboard maestro Per Wilburg (ex-Opeth) and singer Apollo Papathanasio (ex-Firewind), not only have Spiritual Beggars really hit their stride with Earth Blues, but they've done so in a style which reeks of confidence and assuredness. Yes the basis for this album's outlook is still the huge Hammond swirl that made Uriah Heep such a force all those years ago (and still does up to this very day), but when you add in the ever present stonerness of Monster Magnet, the SB lads have a great mix of power and passion on their side. However this time round there's a little something more brought to the seventies induced party in the shape of the odd hint of the more commercially successful aspect of King Crimson, bringing a maturity to the sound and scope of what is on offer here.

However let's not pretend that Earth Blues isn't all about humungous riffs, howling keyboard and throat bursting vocals - it is - and thank goodness for that! Sample the groove-tabular "Too Old To Die Young" to discover the sound of the seventies brought bang up to date, or the stomping Dio era Sabbath meets Heep of "Kingmaker" for a power packed punch of riffola. Papathanasio absolutely revels in this setting, using his expressive delivery to hammer these songs home. However if there is a star on show it is a straight fight between the riff-monster Amott and the Hammond demon Wilburg. Although what really wins you over on the likes of the pulsating "Road To Madness", schizophrenic power one minute introspective the next "Sweet Magic Pie", or rabble rousing honker-stomper of "Wise As A Serpent" is the manner in which the two expertly combine.

Unashamedly retro, yet slap bang in the here and now in terms of execution and sound, Earth Blues is a thunderous release that demands your attention. Imagine what these guys could do if this wasn't merely a side-project!

Track Listing
1. Wise As A Serpent
2. Turn The Tide
3. Sweet Magic Pain
4. Hello Sorrow
5. One Man's Curse
6. Dreamer
7. Too Old To Die Young
8. Kingmaker
9. Road To Madness
10. Dead End Town
11. Freedom Song
12. Legends Collapse

Added: April 13th 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Spiritual Beggars Online
Hits: 3713
Language: english

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