Review Summary: A pretty convincing evidence that Spiritual Beggars is one of the coolest bands on the planet.
I’m not gonna beat around the bush, just flat out admit it: I’m openly biased when it comes to retro/stoner rock and for most of the times it’s a musical genre where you have to mess things up real bad not to please me. Somehow by now the atmosphere of the detuned, fuzzy riffs and the bluesy accords instantly make their impact on me and Spiritual Beggars play a large part in this. They were among the first bands that introduced me to this side of hard rock and made me fell in love with it. Of course a large factor in it was the fact, that this Swedish group led by Arch Enemy mastermind Michael Ammot truly deserve every praise they get, as they delivered some of the best written, delivered and enjoyable rock music in the past year, despite hardly anyone knowing about them. And “Demons” is easily one of the crowning jewel in an already amazingly consistent discography.
One of the most interesting things about the history of this band, is how much each singer represents a different side of their music. Their first four record with original singer Christian “Spice” Sjöstran showed a very strong connection to the groovy, arid psychedelica of the US desert rock scene exemplified by bands like Kyuss or Fu Manchu, while also laying the other foot in the 70’s hard rock era with the introduction of Per Wilberg’s Hammond organ. Their latest records “Return to Zero” and “Earth Blues” are a full embracement of the blues-rooted, keyboard driven, mellow but still rough rock in the vain of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Their mid-2000’s period with Grand Magnus singer JB is kind of in-between of these two periods. With “On Fire” they stripped down their music from the trippy breakdowns and jammings, and along with the simpler strong structure came a heavier approach to the riffing. “Demons” pretty much continues this formula and excels is to the maximum.
The album kicks off with the intro of “Inner Strength” which might short but already lays out the album’s style with its blending of grandeur, feeling of impending doom and hymn like sound…and then things literally explode with “Throwing Your Life Away”. The heavy, galloping riffing display a level of pure energy that immediately shows that Ammot and his crew are just as driven and inspired as on the previous records. The straightforward but incredibly rhythmic and additive nature of the riffs has always been the Beggars main strength and after so many great albums they still didn’t ran out of them, in fact most songs on “Demons” has some of the most captivating material they written. The amazingly dynamic interaction between the guitars and the well-integrated keyboards create a palpable atmosphere which best can be felt in songs like “Salt in Your Wounds” or “Sleeping With One Eye Open”.
But as always this record doesn’t stays in one territory, it is an amalgam of the various styles they operate. The stoner aspect is always present but mainly highlighted in “Through The Halls”, a great tribute to the thick placid songs that movie through the smokes of marijuana. Beginning in a relaxed, flowing state, it gradually becomes starker and faster before ending in well executed chaos of guitars and organ solos. With its interchanges of fast wah-wah driven riffs, softer choruses and doomish breakdowns “Dying Every Day” is like a miniature lexicon of early heavy metal and proves that predictability is not in the band’s playbook. “Born to Die” oozes pure free-spirited coolness with some fantastic lead guitar work from Ammot. By halfway though it becomes evident that this album is easily among the heaviest the band ever made, but “In My Blood” could still come as a surprise for most, with its downright sludgy riffing and JB’s hoarse vocal delivery making it one of my personal highlights.
As with nearly every Spiritual Beggars record, Michael Ammot and his bandmates show a supreme confidence in musicianship, with every instrument displaying joyful levels of energy and accessibility. The riffs rip thorough the speakers, the solos sprinkle like fireworks, the bass and drums are pulsating and JB mighty throat commands everything like it should. The production and the mixing are both bombastic yet balanced, the quality in the songwriting is consistently creative and good. Weather it’s fast or slow, heavy or mellow, rocking or pondering, “Demons” is essential rock music that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone. I begin the smoky and dusty musical journey into the plateaus with this record and let me tell you: I didn’t regretted it.
