It Burns So good

Feel like driving through the desert at full speed while drinking gasoline and smoking cigarettes? Need a soundtrack? Karma to Burn is the band for you! Hailing from Morgantown West Viriginia, the band plays riff heavy instrumental stoner/rock metal. To classify them as such, however, is to sell the band short. They inject their music with a healthy helping of southern rock and blues and a pinch of R &B. How do they do that instrumentally? I have no clue, but the end result makes a listener want to throw on an acid washed denim jacket and aviator sunglasses and do something reckless.

An interesting note about KTB is that none of their songs have titles, at least not in the conventional sense. Their songs are titled with numbers and the numbers are not in sequential order which makes describing a particular song to a friend or colleague a difficult and amusing thing to do.Their 2001 album Almost Heathen on Spitfire Records contains such memorable tracks as "19", "34", "5", etc.

To say that their entire catalog is amazing would be lying, however a high percentage of it is very enjoyable if you are in the mood for heavy groovy rock. Though they sometimes(briefly and rarely) forage into territory that is mildly reminiscent of Disturbed, the overall package is extremely solid. "32" from the album Wonderful Wild Purgatory on MIA records, is a jam that encompasses the entire spectrum of KTB. Starting with an eerie guitar riff that leads into what would be a throwaway rock groove were it not for the unique almost Santana-esque drum beat, the band moves through sections are that a funky, bludgeoningly heavy and danceable--not necessarily in that order and sometimes all at once.

Karma To Burn could add a vocalist, but why? their music speaks for itself. It is clearly not for everyone, and judging by the way that the band titles its songs, I suspect that they just fine with that. So if your in the mood to be destructive, raunchy, loud, devious, blunt , or all of the above( is that possible?) check out KTB.

*Karma to Burn must be listened to Loud for the full audiological experience.