• Voto:
Dopo aver vomitato la carcassa di "Heartwork", quel pazzo chitarrista di Michael Amott decise di dare una sterzata alla sua carriera: voleva nuovi stimoli, voleva allontanarsi dai Carcass per dar vita ad una realtà diversa, personale. Fu così che nacquero gli Spiritual Beggars, una delle band più singolari dell'intera Svezia: forse la prima a portare nel paese scandinavo lo stoner rock di matrice californiana, quello che i Kyuss avevano contribuito a rendere popolare oltreoceano.
L'avventura di Amott iniziò nel 1994 con l'omonimo disco di debutto, cui seguì due anni dopo "Another way to shine": entrambi due splendidi esempi di stoner amalgamato ad un hard rock influenzato dalle gloriose band inglesi degli anni '70 (vedi soprattutto Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep e Black Sabbath), tutto naturalmente rivisitato in una chiave più moderna, e dal punto di vista dell'impatto sonoro, più pesante. Queste sono le linee direttrici che hanno portato anche al concepimento del terzo cd, intitolato "Mantra III" e facilmente collegabile ad una copertina brutta e "tamarra".
Siamo nel 1998, quando esce "Mantra III": la band di Halmstad è ancora un trio, dove oltre ad Amott ci sono il bassista e cantante "Spice" e il drummer Ludwig Witt. A partire dal successivo "Ad astra" si aggiungerà al gruppo anche il tastierista Per Wiberg, che porterà un sound più corposo, che si distanzierà via via dallo stoner rock degli esordi. Ecco quindi che "Mantra III" si presenta come l'ultimo cd veramente heavy degli SB, che con il passare degli anni, hanno proceduto ad un lento ma inesorabile smantellamento del loro trademark "ufficiale": quello che puzzava di stoner, riff vintage e ritornelli taglienti e birraioli. Tutte caratteristiche che vengono fuori in pezzi come "Homage to the betrayed", "Euphoria", "Bad karma" o nel ritmo caracollante di "Sad queen boogie", quasi dei ZZ Top in veste più incazzata.
"Mantra III" non è un capolavoro, non è un disco che rimarrà negli annali e sicuramente è anche poco conosciuto: eppure è un ottimo esempio di stoner della "seconda era", quello che rielabora e si evolve. Un cd senza fronzoli, che sa trascinare con la sua lunga sequela di riff azzeccati e con brani che riescono a far presa grazie alla loro carica da rock perduto. Assolutamente consigliato.
1. "Homage To The Betrayed" (3:02)
2. "Monster Astronauts" (3:41)
3. "Euphoria" (5:56)
4. "Broken Morning" (2:26)
5. "Lack Of Prozac" (5:33)
6. "Superbossanova" (1:40)
7. "Bad Karma" (4:03)
8. "Send Me A Smile" (6:22)
9. "Cosmic Romance" (2:55)
10. "Inside Charmer" (4:38)
11. "Sad Queen Boogie" (4:53)
12. "Mushroom Tea Girl" (8:24)
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Homage to the Betrayed (03:02)
Someone bring me the wine!
Well you know, know what you came for
Are you still blinded by hate well I try and
I do understand you never met a woman
that hasn't betrayed me
You sit and you wait by the phone
You sure gonna gun down that whore well
I try and I do understand
you never me a woman that hasn't betrayed me
Someone bring me the wine!
Well you did, you did what you came for said
it was a voice in your head
well I try and I do understand you
But can't you tell a demon from a friend
02 Monster Astronauts (03:40)
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 we got enough of fuel
Dark moving shadows once got a hold of you well
I won't be back there
I won't be back there No way
Tripping with my baby she's got a taste for fun
Dance a little dance
Twist into the magic trance
Monster astronauts semen of the sun
Monster astronauts now we're leaving ground
And we won't be back there
We won't be back there No way
03 Euphoria (05:56)
The sun is high and so am I
The plant in the hole starts to rise
Thoughts of the moon rotating in the room
I'm floating down a river without you
Smoke me baby, boil my soul
Let your wet pieces warm my bones
Ocean wide smell of freedom
Ocean wide taste of joy
I'm thirsting for euphoria
I'm drowning in this ocean of doubts
I'm fighting with my phobia
I'm thirsting for euphoria
Planets circulate around our heads
Listen carefully and you hear them say
Life is love and together we are
God Hold me tight, warm my bones, take me home
04 Broken Morning (02:26)
Echos from a sweating sky
My fingers dancing cos I'm a liar
Beyond the mountains I gaze a jewel
Behind my eyes its june
Broken morning tears drop cold
My throat kiss pills of gold
Sad sun watch clouds make love
Sad soul watch me get stoned
05 Lack of Prozac (05:32)
You see me as a looser You see me as a clown You see me as a drinker Well I see you as a whore She runs after signs She runs with a lie She said she needed space But that was just an excuse to run away I had swallowed too much pain I had to ventilate some hate Amongst sissy pop-rock stars My fist started to talk
07 Bad Karma (04:02)
Bad karma, bad life
Magic wonders is a horse without a head
No sign of hope, my soul miss home
Pills and booze become my lullaby
I'm singing to you
Don't give me your truth
Divine woman, blackhearted lady
Tenderness turns to a holy mess
Sense of chaos, a broken song
Find myself in the worse mess
I've been Bad karma, bad life
Magic wonders ain't made for you and me
But inside charmers make me breathe
They tell me stories of why I have to bleed
08 Send Me a Smile (06:23)
Nominate myself for what I want to achieve
Form my surroundings in relation to the seed
Smiles swims in a muddy breath thirsting pulsating blood
What else can I do, than to feed me with a bigger thirst
But I wonder why tears run dry
Mind control well I think I've lost mine
Let's climb the holy mountain and eat the stars
Under the wisdom tree we'll drink the weeping grass
I need my fire drug to feel the flood I'm self-destructive baby
But a friendly one
You better leave me here alone
I need this night to heal my world
Send me a smile and I'll get by
But let me drink my wine tonight
Too late to turn back pages ambush, a part of my life
Nowadays the sun won't shine Cos like my head, its lost in a cloud
My heart is broken baby but still it's pounding
Too long with pills and booze my short-memory ain't what it should
09 Cosmic Romance (02:53)
Power up the electric lady lick her spasmic skin stick one finger into her mouth wet her up for a carnival Let luna set fire to our souls Red wine won't escape our tongues kiss scars of yesterday goodbye let the romance kick off Our minds are crystal clear don't mind the silver lace there's no limit for souls in love cosmic romance kick off
10 Inside Charmer (04:37)
I feel so lonely in my own born shoes
I've tried so hard to be happy like you
Hold me
somebody hold me
Drowning, I think I'm drowning
I can not bring myselt to break out of this blue
It's cutting deeper and it's eating me numb
Save me
somebody save me
Drowning, I think I'm drowning
But I feel fine today
cos I've got friends inside my head
They tell me stories about
the world within ourselves
...and watch me get high
I shocked the Midnight Lady
fucked her lazy head
I took the ride to disaster
gave birth to a ghost
The world belongs to the weak
the strong ones have commited suicide
I wear my dirty black jeans
right into a dream
11 Sad Queen Boogie (04:53)
Fine woman won't you buy me another drink
I'm broke but not tired you can pour all your problems on me
Smoke queen mama kiss me so sweet
Licker King papa make me feel free
Take me away baby let us loose ourselves
Fine Lady will you sail away with me
Let's climb to the top of my magic tree
We're getting bye baby just buy me another pint of hell
Take my hand baby we'll find a better way
You're such a sad looking
Lady come onboard, join the show
12 Mushroom Tea Girl (08:24)
I've ended the vision of being sane Tucked the image into bed I'm sweating denials from the tip of my tongue You wouldn't believe this nation of pills Shaking water, my head in a haze Taste me baby, but you can't save my head Bring a cup of mushroom tea Take a swim inside of me
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