What to Do Tonight: Karma to Burn

Published May 24, 2010 at 12:30 p.m.

• "We don't need no stinkin' singer"

There’s an old aphorism: “To thine own self be true.” Straight outta Hicksville, the instrumental metal trio Karma to Burn knows this. They landed a record deal in 1996 on the condition they hire a singer — they did, got signed, decided the compromise wasn’t working, sacked the singer, and got dropped from the label. Since then, their albums have been vocal- and song-title free (non-sequential numbers work just fine, thank you), acquiring a loyal following with a pointed intermingling of dense darkness and arcs of jamming joy. Their new album is appropriately titled Appalachian Incantation. Karma to Burn, with the Suede Brothers play Nemeth’s Lounge at 8 p.m. —Mark Keresman

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