Their instrumental album Almost Heathen is widely regarded as on par Kyuss' Welcome to Sky Valley and Monster Magnet's Spine of God, as one of the defining albums of the stoner rock genre, although the band themselves referred to their style as malternative.
The band was renown for their live performances and former Kyuss singer John Garcia was a big fan and even tried to sing with the band, however this didn't bear much fruit as he did not have the time to become a full-time member and Karma to Burn itself wasn't sure his voice fitted in their music.
Karma To Burn refused to give their songs ordinary titles, instead referring to them by numbers, which allegedly made it easier for a dyslexic band member to read setlists.
The group quietly disbanded in 2002 after bassist Rich Mullins left to play full time in Speedealer.
On February 23, 2009, Karma to Burn reformed with the line-up being the same as when they disbanded. A year after reuniting, Karma To Burn released a fourth full length album on April 1, 2010, Appalachian Incantation, which was produced by Scott Reeder formerly of the stoner rock band Kyuss. Like their previous two releases, this is an instrumental album, though one track does feature Year Long Disaster's Daniel Davies on vocals.
In June 2010, Year Long Disaster toured Europe with all three members of Karma To Burn as part of the band. The favor was returned on Karma To Burn's European summer tour, with Davies stepping in as an occasional guitarist (and, when needed, vocalist) for the band.
The follow-up to Appalachian Incantation was recorded in February, 2011, at Dave Grohl's studio, and includes Davies' vocals on three songs, although he has since started a project outside Karma to Burn and left the group, returning the band to a trio. This album has been released and is titled V.
The following is from the Road Runner website:
"This ain't no movie soundtrack chump. It's real life and these are real songs by real people. Four people to be exact. They hail from some small town in West Virginia. A town they'd rather not have me mention here because of what I'm about to tell you. Karma To Burn got their start as drug addled teenagers listening to Skynyrd. In an opiated world, fantasies can appear so real. These boys in the hillbilly state wanted to be rock stars. They bought instruments. Built a still in the back yard. Tried to make music and moonshine. The moonshine sucked but the supersonic rumblings sounded good to them. They saw through the blurred vision to a light at the end of the tunnel. After three months, a plan was concocted. They made a tape but had no singer. Fuck it. Instrumentals it was to be. Heavy as shit and loud as hell. With no singer and subsequently no lyrics, songs were given numbers as their meager titles. They sent the tape out to labels. With tactics Howard Stern would applaud, they called labels impersonating other bands spewing what the world will soon find out about...the madness and mayhem of Karma To Burn. They played a show in NYC and inked a deal with Roadrunner Records. Large room service bills were rung up. Per diem money disappeared. Things were moving along like a train...like their music. They decided to get a singer. Various people tried out. They returned from the land o' the lost with horror stories. Karma to Burn was Marlon Brando the singers were Martin Sheen. This was a rock and roll version of Apocalypse Now. One fellow who tried out ended up in the looney bin. No one could make the cut. So they enlisted one of their friends. He can't really sing. His sound is more of a distorted warble. He moans and grunts a lot. Due to his dyslexia, they had to name their songs because he sucked at numbers and kept fucking up. So it was to be that their songs would have titles. Titles like "(Waltz Of The) Playboy Pallbearers", "Appalachian Woman", "Mt. Penetrator", and "Twin Sisters and a Half Bottle of Bourbon". Finally they made it into the studio. What you have in your hands is the debut record from Dickey, William, Baka, and Nicholas collectively known as Karma To Burn. This ain't no movie soundtrack. It's a record about real life in rural America. It's a record about dreams. It's about sex, drugs, and - you guessed it - rock and roll. The trinity is now complete. Thanks for your time. Now fuck off and die." was written by Wiebke, former European Press Agent.
It should be noted that RR actually "enforced" K2B to hire a vocalist. ;)
Current Line-up:
William Mecum (guitar) (ex-Treasure Cat)
Rob Halkett (bass guitar) (The Exploited)
Evan Devine (drums)
Twenty
Karma to Burn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love's shackled cry
What once was innocent
Turned on its side
A cloud hangs over me
Marks every move
Deep in the memory
Oh how I've realised
How I wanted time
Thought it too protective
Tried so hard to find
Just for one moment
Thought I'd found my way
Destiny unfolded
I watched it slip away
Excessive flashpoints
Beyond our reach
Solitary demands for
All I'd like to keep
Let's take a ride out
See what we can find
My newest collections of
Hopes and passing times
I never realised
The lengths I'd have to go,
All the darkest corners of
A sense I didn't know
Just for one moment
I heard somebody call
Looked beyond the day
And there's nothing there at all
Now that I've realised
How it's all gone wrong
Gotta find some therapy
This treatment takes too long
Deep in the heart of
Where sympathy felt swayed
I got to find my destiny
The above lyrics are from a Karma to Burn song called Twenty. The opening line, "So this is permanent, love's shackled cry," suggests that the relationship is over and that whatever love once existed between the two parties has been stifled. The line, "What once was innocent, turned on its side," implies that something that was once simple and good has been corrupted or twisted. The singer goes on to express a sense of being trapped or weighed down by what has happened: "A cloud hangs over me, marks every move." The line "What once was love" echoes the idea that something special has been lost.
The next part of the song expresses a sense of regret about past choices. The singer talks about trying to control time, hoping it would protect them, only to realize that they were wrong. They recognize that they have missed the opportunity for happiness: "Just for one moment, thought I'd found my way, destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away." The line "all the darkest corners of a sense I didn't know" suggests that the singer has been forced to confront aspects of themselves that they were not aware of before.
The final verse of the song suggests that the singer is ready to move forward and find a new sense of purpose: "Now that I've realized how it's all gone wrong, gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long." The line "Deep in the heart of where sympathy felt swayed, I got to find my destiny" suggests that the singer is looking for a new sense of meaning in their life. Overall, the song seems to capture the painful process of trying to move on from a failed relationship and find a way to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
So this is permanent
This situation is unchanging and set in stone
Love's shackled cry
The pain of love feels like being trapped and unable to escape
What once was innocent
The love that was once pure and blameless
Turned on its side
Has become distorted and changed
A cloud hangs over me
A feeling of uncertainty and unease is ever present
Marks every move
Every action is scrutinized and judged
Deep in the memory
Permanently etched in the mind
What once was love
The love that was once present
Oh how I've realised
The realization has hit me
How I wanted time
I wished for more time to work things out
Thought it too protective
At the time, I believed my behavior was for my own good
Tried so hard to find
I put in a great deal of effort to discover a solution
Just for one moment
For a brief period of time
Thought I'd found my way
I believed I had figured things out
Destiny unfolded
Events seemed to be falling into place
I watched it slip away
The positive turn of events didn't last
Excessive flashpoints
Intense moments that were too much to handle
Beyond our reach
Unattainable goals and desires
Solitary demands for
A strong desire for something that can only be achieved alone
All I'd like to keep
The things I wish to hold onto
Let's take a ride out
Let's go explore and see what we can discover
See what we can find
Looking for something new and interesting
My newest collections of
The latest things I've acquired
Hopes and passing times
Optimism and fleeting moments that come and go
I never realised
I didn't understand the extent of the situation
The lengths I'd have to go
The great amount of effort required
All the darkest corners of
Discovering the most difficult and challenging parts
A sense I didn't know
An unfamiliar feeling
Just for one moment
If only for a brief instance
I heard somebody call
I thought I heard someone reaching out to me
Looked beyond the day
I looked past the present moment
And there's nothing there at all
The hope that something good was ahead was disappointed
Now that I've realised
Having understood the situation
How it's all gone wrong
Acknowledging that things have not worked out as intended
Gotta find some therapy
Need to find a way to heal and move forward
This treatment takes too long
The healing process is taking too much time
Deep in the heart of
At the center of
Where sympathy felt swayed
Where emotions were conflicted and uncertain
I got to find my destiny
I need to discover my purpose and path
Contributed by Gianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Baron VonYinzer
RIP Will. Thank you for the music.
Thulsa Doom
Today (29th April 2022) it's been a year since Will has passed away... Thanks for your great Riffs - Remember the fallen....
Soul Brother
RIP Will Mecum your groove will never be forgotten
Νίκος Crionics
RIP Mr Mecum. Your music will live for eternity
Basil Schreyer
This is my favorite riff of all time!
deadend3001
Amazing. I can't get enough of these guys, sorry for the trip-post, lagging comp. Will, Rich, & Rob are awesome. See them in concert, best thing ever.
Bryan Baker
Only thing I have say is I wish I would have found these guys sooner!! Keep rocking!!
Rc-Nerd
These Custom Guitars are so dam real ... Love this band.. Music to break the law too
Triczik
such a badass riff.. Great!
Dark Swim
Love this band!!! saw them live at the MailBox in Lansing Mi last year and it was awesome!!!