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Karma and Effect

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Karma and Effect
Studio album by
Seether
Released24 May 2005
Recorded5 October 2004 – 9 January 2005
Studio
  • Avatar, New York City, New York
  • Henson, Los Angeles, California
GenrePost-grunge,[1] alternative metal, nu metal
Length60:49
LabelWind-up
ProducerBob Marlette
Seether chronology
Disclaimer II
(2004) 		Karma and Effect
(2005) 		Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
(2007)
Singles from Karma and Effect
  1. "Remedy"
    Released: 11 April 2005
  2. "Truth"
    Released: 6 September 2005
  3. "The Gift"
    Released: 28 February 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[2]
musicOMH(mixed)[3]
Ultimate Guitar9.5/10[4]
Metal Underground3/5[5]

Karma and Effect is the third studio album by South African rock band Seether. It was released on 24 May 2005 by Wind-up Records. It is the band's second and final album with guitarist Pat Callahan prior to his departure from the band in 2006.

Upon release, the album debuted in the top 10 of numerous national music charts. The album's lead single "Remedy" held the top spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for a total of eight weeks.[6] The second and third singles "Truth" and "The Gift", though not to the same extent, also found success on rock radio. Since its release, the album has sold upwards of 1 million units in the United States. It is certified platinum in the US and certified gold in both Canada and New Zealand.[7][8][9]

Recording and writing

[edit]

After the success of their 2002 debut album Disclaimer, lead singer Shaun Morgan began writing new material for a new studio album. Most of the songs that would feature on Karma and Effect were written over the course of 2004 prior to entering the studio.[10]

During the writing and recording process, the band experienced multiple setbacks. Morgan initially wanted to title the album Catering to Cowards, but this was vetoed by Wind-up Records. In addition, Wind-up asked that the cover art be changed and Morgan was asked not to swear on any of the recordings. Morgan stated that the album was "the culmination of a lot of anger and fear of the music industry and the people that happen to have power over our careers."[10]

"Remedy" was one of the first songs to be written in the studio. In a 2022 interview with American Songwriter, Morgan explained the song's origin:

"I was in Los Angeles, and I would go to the producer’s house every day, and he had a studio in his garage. So he just handed me a guitar one day, and there was something about the guitar I just really loved playing, so I just started riffing and making stuff up. Then he said, 'Oh, that’s great, let’s run with that.' So we recorded the riff and he programmed drums to it, and then I came up with a verse, and we sort of built the song that way. I went back and we did the lyrics and vocals and that was the first single. [...] Wind-up was very adamant that we just go with the softer songs. [...] [W]hen 'Remedy' was chosen, there was a big fight, because the label didn't want us representing the heavier side of the band, so I was really happy we won that victory."[11]

In a 2013 Reddit AMA thread, Morgan stated that the lyrics to "Truth" were inspired by a "brutal dysfunctional relationship." He further commented that, for the song's music video, director Dean Karr was the first to propose casting mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz in the role of Uncle Sam.[12]

"The Gift" was vaguely described by Morgan as "a pretty personal song."[13] It was allegedly nearly shelved after Callahan repeatedly objected to the song each time Morgan showed it to the band prior to recording for the album.[14]

The title for the track "Burrito" was inspired by watching The Osbournes. "We didn't have a name for the song," Morgan recalled. "Ozzy was running around mumbling about spicy burritos. And it was one of those moments where it was like, this is a legendary man, but it's a different side of him. It seemed real vulnerable and real personal. So we just picked it because it was a tongue-in-cheek homage to Ozzy Osbourne."[15] The track was one of three songs written for the soundtrack to the 2003 film Daredevil,[16] but was scrapped in favor of their song "Hang On" from Disclaimer II.

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Shaun Morgan; all music is composed by Seether

No.TitleLength
1."Because of Me"3:36
2."Remedy"3:27
3."Truth"3:50
4."The Gift"5:34
5."Burrito"3:51
6."Given"3:47
7."Never Leave"4:59
8."World Falls Away"4:40
9."Tongue"4:06
10."I'm the One"2:49
11."Simplest Mistake"5:28
12."Diseased"3:40
13."Plastic Man" (The actual song is 3:49, the rest of the song is five minutes of silence)8:48
14."Kom saam met my" (Hidden track, means "Come with Me" or "Join Me" in English, and is sung in Afrikaans)2:18
Total length:1:00:49

Personnel

[edit]

Seether

Other personnel

  • Bob Marlette – producer, engineer
  • Randy Staub – mixing (1, 3–14)
  • Rich Costey – mixing (2)
  • Sid Riggs – Pro Tools engineer
  • Ross Petersen – additional Pro Tools engineering
  • Glen Pitman – mix assistant engineer
  • Tom Baker – mastering
  • Diana Meltzer – A&R
  • Gregg Wattenberg – A&R, production supervision
  • Ed Sherman – art direction
  • Bethany Pawluk – package design
  • Benny Haber – band photo
  • Gareth Botha – artwork, illustrations

Unreleased songs

[edit]

Before the release of Karma and Effect, a blog post from the band on their website stated that there would be three B-side tracks for the album: "Let Me Go", "Innocence" and "Blister". "Let Me Go" was included on the B-side of the "Remedy" single. "Innocence" and "Blister" were never mixed or mastered but both songs, likely obtained off the album's demo tapes, were made available on a fan site for a short time. All of these songs were eventually included on the second disc of their greatest hits album, Seether: 2002-2013.

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[8] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[9] Gold 7,500‡
United States (RIAA)[7] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Kergan, Wade. "Karma and Effect - Seether". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  2. ^ Wood, Mikael (20 June 2005). "Karma and Effect Review". Entertainment Weekly.
  3. ^ Day, Tom (19 September 2005). "Seether - Karma and Effect". musicOMH. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Karma And Effect Review". Ultimate Guitar.
  5. ^ "Seether - "Karma and Effect"". Metal Underground. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Seether Chart History - Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b "American album certifications – Seether – Karma and Effect". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Seether – Karma and Effect". Music Canada.
  9. ^ a b "New Zealand album certifications – Seether – Karma and Effect". Radioscope. Type Karma and Effect in the "Search:" field.
  10. ^ a b Wiederhorn, Jon (11 May 2005). "Seether Frontman Shaun Morgan Is Very Angry". MTV. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  11. ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (3 January 2022). "Seether Talk 20th Anniversary, Go 'Behind the Song' with Five Hits". American Songwriter. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  12. ^ "r/Music - I'm Shaun Morgan, lead singer of Seether. AMA". Reddit. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Seether Track by Track - "The Gift"". YouTube. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  14. ^ Rosen, Steven (14 August 2006). "Seether's Shaun Morgan: Going Acoustic Is More Than Comfortable". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. ^ MacIntosh, Dan (6 May 2013). "Shaun Morgan of Seether". SongFacts. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Interview with Shaun Morgan and Pat Callahan of Seether". Metal Underground. 20 May 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Seether – Karma and Effect". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Albums". Jam!. Archived from the original on 10 July 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Seether – Karma and Effect". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seether – Karma and Effect" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Charts.nz – Seether – Karma and Effect". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Seether – Karma and Effect". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Seether Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
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