Album reviews...

(like we care a pig's rear end)

Nine more album reviews I have gathered so far. There are more available on the net, but most of them don't say a thing... Here are the readable ones:

MUSIC ZONE, January 1997
Review of New Band and New Release "Karma to Burn"

    Title: "Karma To Burn"
    Artist: "Karma To Burn"
    Label: Roadrunner (*spit*)
    Reviewed by: Mary Ellen Gustafson
     Rating: 4 out of 5
Karma to Burn's self titled new release is an encouraging entry into the Industrial Music scene. They pull no punches, and DEFINITELY have the ego of rock stars already! Dickey - bass and vocals, William - guitar, Baka - vocals and Nicholas - drums, collectively known as "Karma to Burn," make a big splash with their debut LP. According to their bio, "This ain't no movie soundtrack chump. These are real songs by real people about real life in rural America. It's a record about dreams, sex, drugs, and you guessed it - rock & roll. They hail from some small town in West Virginia - a town they'd rather not have mentioned".

In their own words, "Karma to Burn" got their start as drug addled teenagers listening to Skynyrd. In an opiated world, fantasies can appear so real. These boys in the hillbilly state wanted to be rock stars. They bought instruments, tried to make music, and found the suprsonic rumblings sounded good to them. Originally, they made a tape of instrumentals only - heavy and loud - and sent it out to labels. After playing a show in NYC, and making a deal with Roadrunner Records, they decided to get a singer, finally enlisted one of their friends for the job and made it into the studio. The result is this really great debut CD.

The unusual sound of the instrumentals, combined with the stentorian tones of Baka on vocals, gives this band a fresh sound in the "industrial" camp. Two steps short of "goth" in the tradition of "Type O Negative," all the tracks on this album are pretty close to a marriage of the two, with a touch of "world beat" added to the mixture for spice. This is especially evident in the song "Patty Hearst's Closet Mantra." Heading more in the direction of industrial is "Mt. Penetrator," which is also one of the better tracks on the album. The song "Twenty Four Hours" has an almost hypnotic quality that makes it stick in your mind. This band knows how to use instrumentals, pregnant pauses and well placed vocals to achieve an overall effect that is really quite sophisticated for a debut album.

Other notable tracks include "(Waltz Of The) Playboy Pallbearers," "Bobbi, Bobbi, Bobbi - I'm Not God," "Ma Petit Mort" and "Six." Any fan of heavy rock/industrial/goth owes it to themselves to check out this band, and their first album.

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    From "Daily Mail", February 7th 1997,
    Music Reviews by Michael Lipton
For the past few years, this Huntington-based group has been burning up tri-state clubs. Right out of the gate, it's clear that the band's national debut is an impressive and BIG-sounding record. For instance, wade through the heavy, Metallica-styled power riffs that kick off "Ma Petite Mort" and discover a deeply-textured passage that quickly sets the band apart from its peers. A spacious midsection buoyed by Dickie's fluid basswork (worth paying attention throughout the disc) goes far beyond the normal alt/grunge grind.

Elsewhere the group adds touches like well-placed background vocals, Manchester-styled wall-of-sound guitars and a potent cover of Joy Division's "Twenty Four Hours." Thanks to inventive playing and arranging, even cuts like "Mt. Penetrator" and "Eight" - which are based on cliched metal riffs - are riveting. For sheer power, emotion, playing and songwriting, this disc will stick on any wall you throw it against. If you're up for a road trip, catch KTB's record release party Feb. 23 at Morgantown's Sunnyside Music Emporium.

This information was snatched from the Daily Mail server, from this site to be precise.

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    METAL HAMMER, february 1997
    written by Chris Ingham Rating: 9 (out of 10)
Whilst Karma To Burn might not have reached the same higher planes of unreality as doper cousins Monster Magnet, this self-titled debut can surely lay claim to being the finest stoner record since "Dopes To Infinity". Tougher and more upbeat than most of their contemporaries, KTB aren't afraid to punch out the riffs and get energetic, while Jason's Rob Zombie-ish vocal vibe is a cool asset.

There are obvious nods to band heroes as diverse as Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Appalachian Woman"), Joy Division (a cover of "Twenty-Four Hours") and Spaceman 3 ("Thirteen"), but not only do these guys have a damn fine ear for psychedelic riffs and loose chops, they also triumph with one of the smartest bass sounds this side of much revered (and sorely missed) Kyuss.

Image wise KTB might look like the bar brawling cousins to the Supersuckers, but where the 'Suckers load up on cheap whiskey, you won't find KTB with anything less than top of the line grass.

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KARMA TO BURN
by Dave Desrochers

The signature kick drum of hard rock....Duga duga duga duga.... Lots of Duga duga duga dugas. Karma To Burn's self-titled CD, is the sort of sanctimonious heavy metal that should be played in Ozzie's church. At first comes the usual menagerie of metal themes and grooves, but then later come wild intermezzos of tripnotic trance. Pretty slick for a four piece with no synthesizers. These West Virginia boys have been burning more than Karma and smoking it too. If you're the kind of person who appreciates Stephen King movies for the special gore effects or if you appreciate captivating, creative, skillful, well-recorded and well-produced music, you must buy this record.

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HOPE!

    From "Brabants Nieuwsblad", (regional dutch newspaper), March 8th 1997,
    Music Reviews by Willem Jongeneelen
Are you still sad because of Kyuss' split? Now there is hope for you! This hope bears the name Karma To Burn and is from West Virginia. These stonerockers integrate the desert-like sound of Kyuss with the mushrooms of Monster Magnet. The - former instrumental - quartet brings a set of unmistakingly groovy songs about sex, drugs and of course rock 'n' roll (yes, this guy has read the bio as well... PK). And then there's even a cover of a Joy Division Song...

 cd review by Willem Jongeneelen for Brabants Dagblad, 8th march 1997, translated by P.P. Klaassen. Let's see if I can retrace the link...

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    Dagbladet (national Norwegian newspaper), april 8th 1997
    ranking: 5 (out of 6) (they use a dice for ranking...PK)
So far, the nineties have been a good decade for Black Sabbath lovers. Not because of what the old Gods have done themselves, but because of bands like Kyuss and others, who have delivered excellent Sabbath-rock.

This time it's the newcomers Karma To Burn, who follows the heritage from Sabbath in an excellent way. Karma To Burn know how to make heavy, ball-breaking rock. For example: check out track number 11 on their self titled album "Twin Sisters And A Bottle Of Bourbon". It's macho, groovy, technical, dirty, sludgy and delicious! The guys dare to be retro, but at the same time, they add a neat touch new elements to the Sludge/Stoner-rock genre. They make cool tunes and behave like they invented this kind of music. A magnificent record you definitely should check out!

 cd review by an unknown reviewer for Dagbladet, 8th april 1997. It was translated by Erik Ditlefsen. If you want to see the original thing (in norwegian...) here you can find it, and the same thing is here as well!

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The Music Corner:
Karma To Burn - Karma To Burn (Roadrunner)

After an instrumental EP released over a year ago, West Virginia's own Karma To Burn have finally graced us with their eponymous full-length debut. Karma To Burn is a powerful piece of work, and has the potential to draw alot of attention to the West Virginia music scene. Originally recorded as instrumentals, the musicianship and strong structures here are superb.

Heavy, heavy muscular rock with dark, almost gothic overtones (they do a killer rendition of Joy Division's "Twenty Four Hours"), and a brutal sense of intensity, topped with Baka's processed, industrial-ish vocals. Not to take anything away from Baka's vocal-work (ironically he was just a friend of the band who had never sung before), but longtime fans might be somewhat disappointed with the fact that there are vocals on most of these cuts. Several cuts actually appear here exactly as they did on the aforementioned EP, except now they have vocals. Karma To Burn takes a few listens to get under your skin, but once it gets there it stays.

 Review by Geoff Molton. He also did an interview with these guys, you can read it on the interview page. If you want to know more about The Music Corner, here's the link!

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Karma to Burn - Karma to Burn
reviewed by Anthony Doyle, 30/12/97
rating: 5 out of 5!

Comparisons to the now defunct Kyuss and Monster Magnet are inevitable here. However, KTB's gothic-tinged stoner rock is equally as memorable. In their instrumental moments the comparisons may be justified. However, the groove of the music is of an entirely different kind. Originally devised as an instrumental record, there is no doubt that without the vocals the record could have overshadowed the efforts of others. "6", "8", and "13" exhibit a knowledge of musical design that, in its best moments, outshines Monster Magnet and even Kyuss.

"Ma Petit Mort" sets out the band's intentions: heavy, instrumental stoner rock with lyrics only added as an incentive to listen closer. Even so, the lyrics sometimes clarify the groove of the music. The adrenaline rush of "Bobbi, Bobbi, Bobbi - I'm not God", "Six gun sucker punch", "(Waltz of the) Playboy Pallbearers", "Twin sisters and a half a bottle of bourbon", and "Apalachian woman" behold many aural joys. With titles like these and lyrics that are warped, eccentric and remarkable, Karma To Burn shine where others fail.

However, it is the monolithic, overbearing rhythm of William's opiated sounds as a guitarist that creates a hypnotic, swirling vision of musical abandon that should be the goal of every budding guitarist. The standout tracks are almost impossible to choose with "8", "13", "Twin Sisters..." being almost impossible to fault. The cover of Joy Division's "24 hours" builds hypnotically to a gloriously embellished finish that outstrips the original and brings it crashing into the nineties metal scene.

Rarely does music alone satisfy every wish of the listener, but Karma To Burn's groove rises further and further above the surface with every listen. Once the groove is discovered, this masterpiece is almost untouchable. Get high on the music alone, relish in the stentorian tones of Baka. Whatever you do, do not ignore. There are many glories and beauties to be found in music, this is just one. Heavy music does not have to be striving for one purpose, the exhibition of relentless, driving anger. Rather in Karma To Burn's case heavy can mean beautiful.

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Karma To Burn:
Dark grooves from the stone age

This is the new style: stoner rock. It's hard rock based on a seventies grove. With Kyuss gone, it seems that Karma To Burn is the band who is going to define this new rock sound. Their debut album is a smashing record, which makes you long for freshly mowed lawns in summer, but also a start spangled polar night (ok, he lost me there... PK). The sounds produced by these unknown fellows reminds of Kyuss. There's a richness in sound, sometimes filtered, sometimes razor sharp, with all kinds of psychedelic gadgets and a never ending groove. Very unique, sometimes even trippy. I don't spend any more time on describing the material, just go right to the store and buy it without hesitation.

 (I found this somewhere on a site of a dutch bank (!), where they have a youth zine on line. Translated by me as usual, but I don't know who wrote it in the first place...)

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