Album Review: "Mountain Czar" by Karma To Burn

Mountain Czar

Could you imagine being a tsar in Feudal Russia?

Back then, all of the little nobles were called tsars and of course, there was the Great Tsar living in the Kremlin.

The Feudal Eras in any culture intrigue me.

Being a daimyo in then Sengoku Era of Japan or a Lord in Feudal England.

The very idea of being your own island is something very brave. At any given time any of the citizens of these fiefdoms could be killed, captured, or conscripted.

Such a life they must have led. This is not to say that I would gladly give up my Twenty First Century Life for Fifteenth Century Japan. No matter how pretty Edo Castle was!

Karma To Burn

Mountain Czar is a great name for not only this album, but for what bands like Karma To Burn are doing.

Karma To Burn, based on my semi-professional expert opinion is the leading band in the very small sub-genre of Instrumental Riff Based Stoner Rock. (Or just Malt Liquor Rock if you're into the whole brevity thing.)

I think there is literally no one else.

So, if you do the math, Karma To Burn has been forging their own path to increase the followers of their Lord for quite awhile now.

Mountain Czar also perfectly describes the feel of this album. It's easy to see, well not quite hordes, of warriors charging through the valleys to take the mountains. I think the King Under The Mountain would have used these riffs to mine for gold even.

They just thump.

For the most part, there's not a significant departure here. Do one thing and do it well and the boys here have done that. The guitars are crisp. The drumming is awfully melodic. The bass guitar has that perfect Geezer Butler or Billy Cox undertone.

Where things get a bit wild is on the second to last song, Uccidendo Un Sogno. This song has a vocalist! When they sat down with me, they said they'd never tried out a female vocalist, but who knows?

Well who indeed!

There are also a couple of very strong guitar solos on that track. So, Mountain Czar has a little bit of everything on it. This album is a strong step forward from 2014's Arch Stanton offering new elements while keeping their vision pure.

Release: 2/26/16
Genre: Stoner Metal
Label: Rodeostar/Spinefarm
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