Karma To Burn, 1000mods
Eightball Club, Thessaloniki
17/12/2011

Nineteen months passed from the last Karma To Burn show in Greece and the stoner punks are back to town. Last time, the band’s hardcore fans didn’t have the chance to enjoy songs from the “Appalachian Incantation” album (the band came around mid-April before the album’s release), so in this show Karma To Burn played many songs of both “Appalachian Incantation” and “V”. For that reason, the club was full and the crowd didn’t stay uninvolved from the stoner vibes transmission. Both the ticket’s cheap price and the great appearance of 1000mods, the support band, helped in this.

Around 9.30, the support band, 1000moods made their appearance upon the stage. Personally, it was my first time seeing the Greek Stoner Rock band, and I have to say that I was satisfied. The band’s music has something between Kyuss’ austere attitude and Monster Magnet’s joyful groove sound and also some psychedelic elements of Karma To Burn and Colour Haze, so it is easily understood that the band matched perfectly at the whole show. This very capable band presented their work, mainly from their latest album “Super Van Vacation” (an album with the production of Billy Anderson). The music of the Greek Rednecks kept warm the crowd for nearly 50 minutes and songs like “Navy in Alice”, “Track Me” ,which is my favorite one, “Vidage” and the title song “Super Van Vacation” made a big and a positive impression to those who attended. I don’t have something negative to charge the band but if they didn’t live in the Greek province, 1000mods would probably have more promotion and would have a higher place in the Greek Stoner scene.

After 10 minutes, Karma To Burn, made their second appearance, in a short time. The club was full from the beginning and the band was welcomed by 400 cheerful people. Karma To Burn played only instrumental songs ,as usually, but as we all know they are very effective. The band came out with “Forty Seven” and because it was a promoting tour for “V” album it was rather expected. The next song was from a beloved album “Wild Wonderful Purgatory”. The stoner concrete of “Eight” came to upset the mentality of the crowd. William Mecum started the stoner riffing and Rich Mullins was scraping his bass, as well. Rob Oswald was already mad. The praising of the Rednecks continued with the kick-ass “Thirty Nine”. Just a super start for such a big Stoner Rock band as Karma To Burn. Somewhere in the middle of the song we’ve been lost in the psychedelic tornado. Then, for the first time the Greek fans had the chance for the first time to enjoy stuff from the “Appalachian Incantation”. ”Forty One” ways to feel the desert, forty one ways to destroy your brain and they continued the “Appalachian Incantation” presentation with “Fourteen”.

William Mecum was staying imperious and unshakable, he just generously offered riff waves, Rich Mullins seemed to enjoy the crowd’s reciprocation and the big Redneck, Rob Oswald just did his job, smashing the drums and the cymbals. The band played the massive “Thirty”. Those who have seen Karma To Burn in the past will understand the stoner holocaust that took place in the club. A great surprise to me was the fact that the band stayed too long in “Appalachian Incantation” and “Forty Two” was next. We understood that the show will be long and great too. “Five” proved it. Cigarettes and beer were ready and the heads didn’t stop banging. This storm of dizziness and fuzz maintained with “One”, “Nineteen” and “Thirty Two”. The people seemed to take the vibes and Karma To Burn were probably happy for that, if I judge from Mullin’s expression. After that the groovy sounds of “Twenty Eight” followed and Karma To Burn closed the standard set-list with “Twenty”. The whole club seemed to be moving to the rhythm of the song. Everything I write, will be too little to describe the presence of Karma To Burn at this song. Also, “Fifty”, “Thirty Four”, “Thirty Six” and the instrumental version of “Two Time” distinguished in the show and the two of them were presented at the encore. The band probably played “Thirty Eight ” and “Twenty Nine”, but after too many songs, the whole dizziness that the band transmitted and the characteristic whim of the instrumental songs, nobody can be 100% sure for the exact set-list. The fact that it was a great and massive show keeps me satisfied for what I have seen. 1 hour and 20 passed by and Karma To Burn was off stage. The whole psychedelic atmosphere and the stoner attitude left satisfied almost all of the 400 people who attended at the show. The Rednecks showed once more their value and surely the Devil got buried with his boots on.

Stathis “Sethianus” Ntailianas