Charisma - Karma

I have recently come to the realization that finding a fresh album amidst the cold, hapless wasteland of post-modernistic 'metal' music is akin to finding a certain needle in a stack of needles. Of course, being almost invulnerable to unoriginality in all its many generic and dated incarnations and manifestations, I happen receive satisfaction (on some levels, at least) from almost all the "needles," based on such superficial factors as whether the sound being emitted from the stereo is pleasant to my ears, or whether or not I possess the will to hit the (re)Play button when the album's last song has all but faded away. Yes, I can wax philosophic about this from now until, well, a later time - the fact remains (and I have proudly stated this on many an occasion) - originality, or lack thereof, is not an issue for me. And yet...on some other level it is. You see, despite all, it IS rather fulfilling to find that rare and fresh album amidst its generic and UNoriginal brethren; an album that doesn't quite sound like anyone else, and yet holds enough familiarity so as to be accessible enough on the first listen.........Yes, yes, this meandering monologue is long due to be put out of its misery, so I will just say that 'Karma' most definitely fits that bill...

Comprised of some very talented musicians including several (ex?) Ivanhoe members and a female vocalist, Charisma plays what could at the most direct level be classified as progressive melodic metal with a slight technical spark. Other than the most obvious comparison to Ivanhoe, the band possesses a moderate Dream Theater/Conception vibe, without necessarily sounding like either one of the three. Yes, there are some chugging riffs and chunky rhythms distributed here and there which remind of the now defunct Norwegian band, as well as some funky keyboard arrangements running the gamut from the jammy DT styles to the more experimental Ivanhoe overtones, but the band for the most part is quite individualistic, implementing a very jazzy approach to the material. The end result involves some great, crunchy grooves and a suitably unique atmosphere, all very much contributing to that aforementioned......freshness.

Before I continue, I really should point out the standout aspect of the disc - the vocals. Annette Kienzle (who also happens to be a jazz singer AND a vocal teacher) provides a truly rich performance with a beautiful, controlled voice equipped with a widely impressive range. Capable of sounding both relaxed and surprisingly aggressive at times, she wonderfully compliments the instrumental side of the songs, and really makes the material come alive. One of the guitar players lends some sparse vox in a few places as well, though needless to say, despite a decent, mid-range voice, pales in comparison to the main vocalist.

And finally the songs...the disc has a relatively tame playing time of some 45+ minutes with most of the tracks falling into the 4-5 minute category, all maintaining a relatively strong and steady level of consistency throughout, with the possible exception of "Deeper Ground" (an Ivanhoe cover at the end of the album) - while a good song, at seven and a half minutes and with some drawn out instrumental passages, it does feel somewhat out of place on the disc. On the other hand, the other cover - an altered version of ABBA's "Money Money Money," feels right at home, retaining the feel of the original, and yet endowed with that special 'Charisma'tic crunch. The other particular standouts include "Warm My Soul" with its impressive piano-laced verse, "The Prophets," and the superb title cut.