Appalachian Incantation

West Virginia stoner-rock outfit Karma to Burn chose to take a path similar to that of San Francisco’s The F*cking Champs wherein the guitar replaces the singer. But unlike the Champs, Karma To Burn eschews technical wizardry and intricate song arrangements for bare-bones pedal-to-the-metal riff-rock. Their 2010 album Appalachian Incantation suggests that the band’s real voice thrives on the golden boogie forged in the fires of their unparalleled riffs. The opening instrumental “Forty-Four” throws such unrelentingly powerful and raw six-string riffage that a singer would only take away from the tune’s relentless attack — it would be like asking somebody to sing over the top of the Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein.” The following “Forty-Two” throws similarly powerful sonic punches before “Forty-One” simmers down a little to accent the downbeat. They break from their own mold momentarily with Year Long Disaster’s Daniel Davies providing the only vocal performance here.