Spiritual Beggars, ‘Return to Zero’ — New Album

Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott is a busy man, as he has resurrected his 'other' project, the classic/stoner rock-leaning Spiritual Beggars, who will release their first album in over five years. 'Return to Zero' -- their seventh record overall -- is due out Oct. 12 via InsideOut Music. What's new in the Beggars' camp? Well, for starters, they have a new vocalist, Apollo Papathanasio. The project also provides an outlet for Amott -- who did time in the much-heralded Carcass -- to flex his creative muscles. Despite hectic schedules, the members carved time out of their days to get 'Return to Zero' done.

"I originally formed this band as I had a great desire to explore other areas outside of extreme metal in songwriting and guitar playing," Amott told Noisecreep. "I still very much enjoy the journey I'm on with both Spiritual Beggars and Arch Enemy; it gives me the balance I need, I guess. Doing Spiritual Beggars is also an opportunity to jam with some of my favorite musicians. As an added bonus, these guys are a great hang, and I always look forward to hooking up, either in the studio or on stage!" Spiritual Beggars also features Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg and members of Firewind.

The artwork of the upcoming album is done by the well known Brazilian artist Gustavo Sazes, and it is a crucial and special element of the Beggars, according to Amott, who said in a statement that "I'm extremely pleased with the 'Return to Zero' cover! To me, it's the quintessential Spiritual Beggars artwork. The artist really managed to capture the essence of our band, the new album and the constant flow of cryptic ideas I was throwing at him. As I'm old school, I can't wait to see this in its full glory on the vinyl LP. But hey, it'll look cool as a minuscule image on your iPod, too."

'Return to Zero' track list

1. 'Return to Zero' [Intro]

2. 'Lost in Yesterday'

3. 'Star Born'

4. 'The Chaos of Rebirth'

5. 'We Are Free'

6. 'Spirit of the Wind'

7. 'Coming Home'

8. 'Concrete Horizon'

9. 'A New Dawn Rising'

10. 'Believe in Me'

11. 'Dead Weight'

12. 'The Road Less Travelled'