Are you looking to start 2015 off with a rawk and/or roll bang? Well, you’re in luck because West Virginia’s Karma To Burn is back and ready to do just that for you! Arch Stanton, their sixth overall, is like a rebirth. Mainstays Rob Oswald and Rich Mullins have departed and like a phoenix Will Mecum has again risen from the ashes with a new band, a new purpose, and a new found glory.
Unlike many bands replacing the old guard, K2B truly shines with this new line-up. “Fifty Seven” is absolutely ferocious from the onset of Arch Stanton showcasing drummer Evan Devine’s thunderous chops and while Mecum may have performed the bass tracks on AS, it’ll be Eric Clutter’s galloping bass lines unifying the Karma To Burn sound once again on the road soon and propelling the band to their next riff-laden phase.
“Fifty Six” and “Fifty Three” follow the heavy trend and share more DNA with earlier releases like Wild, Wonderful…Purgatory than 2011’s V which is even more fitting when K2B go old school on “Twenty Three” (Remember, K2B number their songs in the order they’re written). Karma To Burn’s uncanny sound is all over this one which could easily stand next to any of the tracks on their self-titled debut (Or more appropriately on Slight Reprise, an instrumental reinterpreting of that classic available here). Ending with the anthemic “Fifty Eight” and the absolutely thrilling “Fifty Nine”, Karma To Burn once again remind listeners why they are the kings of instrumental desert rock.
Arch Stanton is out on January 6th. If you know what’s best for your ears, you’ll order yours here or here to prepare for the coming live onslaught as K2B hit North America for a cataclysmic tour which starts on January 7th in Ohio. Go here for dates.