KARMA

I had heard some good things about this band and the fans here definitely have a lot of things to say about them. Symphonic Metal can be a guilty pleasure for me from time to time, and after hearing a few tracks from a few of their albums, I was initially impressed enough to check them out a little bit more.

So after hearing this album, I agree that the band has a symphonic edge to their music, but there is nothing much on here that is progressive. The band, in reality, is not much different from the "metal" of the 80's, of which I am not a fan. The only thing that really sets them apart much from those hair bands, is a speed metal drummer, but the music isn't speed metal, it's, like I said, too similar to bands like Europe. I know that will offend some, but I really couldn't get past the fact that this could have easily fit in with those types of bands.

The vocalist is quite talented, and you can definitely hear his passion in some passages and especially in the beautiful song "Don't You Cry" (which was actually one of their first songs I heard and it was one of the songs that I thought was decent enough to give the band a try). That song is definitely a highlight of the album. There are some nice guitar passages, but they don't expand the songs enough. And I hate the fade outs that occur from time to time. They seem to be inconsequential and misplaced simply to keep the songs down to a radio friendly timing.

Anyway, this album for me was not a positive experience. It seemed too cheesy, too reminiscent of a bad decade and the speed drumming just doesn't fit with the music. There are too many great progressive metal bands out there to spend too much time with music like this. I know it fits the taste of some of the listeners out there, but hopefully no one is mislead to believe this is progressive at all. Fans of this type of music will enjoy it anyway....so....fans only. 2 stars.