KARMA

This is the studio follow-up to 'The Fourth Legacy' that I reviewed a while ago. This difficult fifth album shows the band at probably their strongest yet. They hit hard, yet never lose their melody and in vocalist Khan, they have one of the strongest singers around. It is impossible to follow the lyrics easily without having the booklet to hand and although he is not as much of a screamer as Bruce Dickinson, they have a lot in common. They do not have a keyboard player in the band, which seems a little strange as that sound is integral to their music (here provided by co-producer Miro).

Thomas Youngblood riffs like a dervish, while Glenn Barry and Casey Grillo keep the bottom end nailed tight. The production is very good, and the power of the band comes through without losing any of the melody. The album closes with a trilogy based on Elisabeth Bathory. With one song ("Don't You Cry") being homage to Thomas' father this melodic hard rock band is a little out of the ordinary.

An album I enjoyed immensely.

Originally appeared in Feedback #62, May 01