We’ve featured London-based ninja rock duo Rival Karma a couple of times before, but we haven’t heard from them since 2021. Because of this, it’s even more fantastic to be able to share their new four track EP Powerduism with the world – if you’ve checked them out before, it’s as good as you might imagine!
By Jane Howkins
Minds Of The Many is the opening tune, building up slowly until the huge rock riffs kick in with the drums. The track has an immense groove to it, showing that this band are masters of the guitar riff. They’ve also managed to make the tune sound really catchy, showing a great mixture of catchiness and heaviness. The drums clash well with the rest of the music, sounding extremely bombastic throughout. The guitars tail out slowly towards the end, with the unique outro providing a slightly different tone to the rest of the track.
Jesus Is From Chico features an almost staccato guitar riff at the start, as some recorded laughter sets the scene perfectly. The riffs continue throughout the piece, making you want to get up and start dancing straight away! The vocals are low but extremely tuneful, adding a great deal of soul to the track as they croon through the music. The chorus elevates things higher, bringing in some spidery guitar lines amongst the killer riffs.
Photograph opens with a big drum beat, before an irresistibly funky guitar riff appears. As well as the hard rock elements, I also felt this track diverted slightly into the blues genre. The track breaks down every so often, with what sounds like an organ playing against the vocals, before the song explodes again with a huge burst of energy. The dynamic changes really make this track!
Final track Honey! is more of the same, yet it’s still got a lot of variety to it. Contrasting guitar riffs fit together in an indie rock style, although Rival Karma never lose that heavy rock edge. It’s a perfectly crafted song, showing some fantastic musicianship skills. The guitars are perfectly timed, with the rhythm changing every so often, adding more variety to this ecstatic piece of music.
Rival Karma have been on our radar for a while, with Powerduism set to finally propel them into the limelight. It will be a crying shame if this band remain understated, as they’re just that good!
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