Karma and Effect - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Seether's follow-up to their promising, moderately successful 2002 debut, Disclaimer, and its spottier, hastily repackaged 2004 sequel, was reportedly beset by fighting with their label--friction that dictated everything from profanity-free lyrics to a title change (the original name was the telling Catering to Cowards.) Yet the band effectively rises above those constraints, if only by largely sticking to Disclaimer's tried-and-true formula of seasoning the generous blasts of angst-metal (such as the raging opener "Because of Me") that are its true stock in trade with more evocative ballads like "The Gift" and "Plastic Man." The latter tracks hearken back to "Broken," singer Shaun Morgan's duet with girlfriend and Evanescence singer Amy Lee, yet find their own restless, emotive substance without her. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews: Read 122 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Seether's Seething Sophmore Album May 27, 2005
73 out of 83 found this review helpful

Seether's second album, "Karma And Effect" has officially arrived, atfer being put off a bit too long. Around the time they probably should have released the follow-up to 2002's "Disclaimer," they received some late-blooming success, thanks to a re-working of the track "Broken" which featured Evanescence frontwoman (and Seether frontman Shaun Morgan's significant other) Amy Lee on background vocals. Instead of a new album, we got a remixed and repackaged version of "Dislaimer," simply titled "Disclaimer II." Sure, it featured some bonus tracks, but brand new material is what we all wanted, and finally, it has arrived.

Seether seem more than a little annoyed by their success, and as such, haven't altered their sound or style one bit, which unfortunately is a double-edged sword. Regardless, they must be commended for their efforts, as most hard-rock bands that receive success for showing a lighter side tend to soften up in time (we'll forgive Staind however, as their frontman actually found happiness). That's just not the case here. The same group that made "Disclaimer" re-appears on this new album. And yes, I do see the irony in that statement, as there are two new members in the band. All thirteen tracks on "Karma And Effect" sound like they were made just to please Seether's fanbase, and they definitely will. 3/4 of the album is made up of agressive, but infectious, rockers in the same vein as "Gasoline" or "Needles." Sure, there is the catchy radio-fare of "Remedy" and "I'm The One," but other songs, such as the album opener "Because Of Me" and "Burrito" (which apes lyrics from the aformentioned "Needles") will rip up your speakers. For fans of "Driven Under" and "Fine Again," songs like "The Gift," "Never Leave," "Tongue" and "Plastic Man" are perfect successors and are destined to become classics. The main problem, however, with this album is that is just feels too familiar. The stubborn attitude and resistance to change becomes a big problem, as it feels like we are just listening to the same album again. Hell, the album even begins heavy and ends soft, just like it's successor. Some of the riffs are a bit tired, and the lyrical content gets a little redundant as well, as Shaun seems too insistent on taking strikes at the music industry and their record label -- which reportedly instructed him not to swear, to tone down the album cover and change the name, which was originally "Catering To Cowards."

However, with all flaws aside, it's still a solid follow-up, and hopefully it should continue to ride the wave of success that got started last year. Fans of the band would be hard pressed to not find something on here they like, and each of the thirteen tracks could easily be a hit, which is hard to pull off. So the bottom line is, if you liked "Disclaimer" and are hungry for more, "Karma And Effect" will satisfy your appetite.

3 out of 5 stars

Actual 3.5/5. A follow up to Disclaimer 2 September 6, 2005
15 out of 22 found this review helpful

This is Seether's sophomore album 'Karma And Effect' that includes 13 brand new songs from the trio band headed by Shaun. Shaun's girlfriend is Amy Lee of Evanescence. What is not widely know was the Ben Moody (co-founder of Evanescence) left after Amy and Shaun became a couple. Amy and Shaun shot the magnificient song 'Broken' together and it was this duel performance that brought 'Seether' its much sought after fame and recognition. This album is not as fine as Disclaimer was but it is still a solid follow up release. The hit song of this album is 'Remedy' that is going to become a hit in the nu-metal scene. The music sound and theme of this CD sounded much like the heavy rock/metalic sounds of 'Staind'. If they were trying to immitate Staind, they didn't do their homework well enough. Other songs worth listening to were 'Given', 'Simplest Mistake' and 'Diseased'. For me the most enjoyable part of the album was the last 4 songs. They were a lighter shade of Seether and show that this band is evolving and their next album may be their best yet.

4 out of 5 stars

"I'm sure I will bleed sincerely" November 12, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

The reason I bought this CD was for the track "Remedy." It would play often on a local hard rock station and every time I heard it I knew I wanted to check out the CD. I finally jotted down as many lyrics I could and did a search and found Seether. I loved the first two tracks right away but wasn't sure about the rest of the CD. I had recently purchased "One X" by Three Days Grace and had been listening to that constantly for several weeks. I think I immediately compared the two CDs and didn't think "Karma and Effect" measured up. The more I listen to Seether's CD, though, the more I like. The booklet is very creative. The pages are artwork or strange photographs and, in between, are matted, semi-transparent, plastic sheets with the lyrics printed in silver. I thought that was cool at first until I tried to read them. Even with paper underneath, they're difficult to read. Oh well, at least they're trying to be different. There is a photo of the band behind the CD holder. Now for the tracks:

"Because of Me": Awesome opener! Energetic and explosive with catchy hooks and chorus. Like "Remedy," it grabbed me right away and wouldn't let go.
"Remedy": The reason I bought this CD! The verses sound a lot like Nirvana's "Come as You Are" (it almost sounds like Kurt Cobain's singing, too). This track flat out rocks!
"Truth": Slower verses that picks up into a hard rockin', yet catchy chorus. The additional guitar during the final chorus is awesome! Heavier than other tracks here. Becoming one of my favorites.
"The Gift": The beginning offers a slow verse with nice guitar accompaniment followed by an accessible, power chorus. Has almost a country flavor (it's not country, don't worry). It is nice but it does tend to drag. It is 5:34 and sounds every bit that long.
"Burrito": One of the heavier tracks here. It has a very dark sound like Tool.
"Given": This is a more accessible track than "Burrito" but does incorporate some Korn/Ill Nino-like screams.
"Never Leave": A slower, power song that really sticks in my head for better or for worse.

"World Falls Away": Rocker! The guitar accompanying the verses is a highlight. Then some Korn/Ill Nino-like screams to build the intensity. The one line at the end "I'm just like you, just not as cool" (the line throughout the track is "Just not a fool") is so mundane.
"Tongue": The track begins with the line "Well the tongue inside my mouth is not for sale" (uh, OK). Another slower, power song but this one has an excellent chorus.
"I'm the One": Now we're rocking! This may be my favorite on this CD (it's right up there with the first two tracks, anyway). Check out these lyrics: "Here she's coming and she's drunk again / She's only seventeen / Here daddy said `Well that's enough of that come be my little queen' / And now he's touching her wrong again / He's going to give her disease / He never wanted it anyway / He only does as he please / Won't you tell her that I said I'm the one / I couldn't hurt her like everyone / And tell her that I said I'm the one / And I don't deserve her." Killer!
"Simplest Mistake": Another heavy track. Has some bursts of intensity but has a lighter, catchy chorus.
"Diseased": This is a different-sounding track. It has soft, dark, mysterious guitar-work. Like "Burrito," it is very Tool-like.
"Plastic Man": A Kurt Cobain-sounding ballad. I checked the song credits to see if he wrote it as the lyrics are not included in the booklet. He didn't write it. Anyway, it is a gorgeous track with beautiful guitar-work.
Hidden Track: Just some quirky guitar and singing in another language. Not really worth the 5 minute wait.

5 out of 5 stars

in response to A Kid's Review December 6, 2005
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

Wow. I'll I have to say is this...why the heck does "A Kid" seems to praise Seether, Staind, and My Chemical Romance all the while bashing popular bands like Breaking Benjamin and Nickelback. That's pretty amuzing, actually. If one considers Nickelback to be in poor taste, has he ever listened to "remedy" by seether? It sounds like it was taken straight off of a nickelback album. So I sit here at my computer, confused and befuddled as to why A Kid has written such rediculous reviews in opposition of each other. Dude, honestly, these reviews are people's OPINIONS. I don't mind other people having an opinion different from my own, however when someone decides that his opinion is better than or more valuable than another person's, that's ignorant and lame. I respect A Kid's appreciation for Seether, because I think they are an amazing band myself, but I also appreciate Breaking Benjamin, Nickelback, and others that he has so hastily bashed with no reason other than basically saying, "they suck." Seriously, man, stop being so "this is how it is" all the time and let other people have their freakin opinion!

Since this is a review, I suppose I should write why I like this album....I enjoy the tough riffs and hard sound at the beginning of the album, and really like the cooler, calm tone the cd takes towards the end. I really hope seether produces a third album, and I hope that it contains even more "soft" stuff, while maintaining an amount of solid rock in order to please fans of every style.

1 out of 5 stars

Wow, what's with all the 5 star reviews? July 29, 2005
5 out of 21 found this review helpful

This band sucks. There really isn't much more to say about it. Comparable to Nickelback and similar wuss bands.

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