Karma and Effect

KARMA AND EFFECT: Just the sound of it gets you thinking...what is the effect of karma? Well, if its anything like the sound of this album...haha give me some of it baby!!!

Released on May 24th, 2005, it is hard to believe that this CD is already two years old. Karma and Effect is one of the best hard rock albums in recent history...it's right up there with the likes of Staind's "Break the Cycle" and Chevelle's "Wonder What's Next." For the hard rock fan, this album delivers, and delivers HARD.

The first song, "Because of Me" starts off with crushing guitar riffs and a gutteral scream by lead singer Shaun Morgan which leads into the first paragraph of the song and then onto the chorus. One of the best choruses in modern rock history, Morgan sings "it's because of me, RIGHT?!?!?." Definitely a great opener.
The next song, also the first single, named "The Remedy", shot to the #1 spot on the mainstream modern rock chart. Featuring excellent guitar shredding and hooks, this song delivers all that a modern rock fan could ask for, pounding drums, authoritative guitars, and the occasional short scream.
The third song, also a single, brings an acoustic guitar into play during the main singing parts of the song, but quickly switches to the crunching and wailing of electric guitars. Named "Truth," this song continues the hard sound that permeates the entire album. Again, Morgan screams the last three words on the song..."I'M BEATEN DOWN!!!!" in dramatic fashion.
The fourth song, again another single, "The Gift", starts off with almost a sad sounding electric guitar solo, which leads into Morgan singing, then ascends into a chorus where the crushing guitars take over again. This very diverse song puts its parts together well, and "The Gift" is another top notch song.
The 5th offering on the song, "Burrito", is rumored to have gotten its name while Shaun Morgan was watching TV in which he learned that Ozzy Osbourne had a craving for the food by the same name. Although the song never mentions the word burrito, the song sounds much like the rest of the album. Some people may think that repetition on a CD is a bad thing, however, when you have a sound that you want to stick to, you are bound to sound a bit repetitive.

The rest of the CD sounds very much like the previous songs, all of which rock hard and sound great. One of the songs, "Diseased", is a modern rock masterpiece. Starting off with a slow, mournful sound, the song progresses into crushing riffs and a period of gutteral screaming by Morgan. The last song on the CD, "Plastic Man", doesn't end for quite some time, because after the song is apparently over, a hidden acoustic track emerges. A very nice suprise to a overly hard rock CD.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars