Especially for Crash Karma.

When they roared to life with theirsuper-powered debut album in 2010, the members of this Can-Rock dream team —singer Edwin (formerly of I MotherEarth), guitarist Mike Turner(ex-Our Lady Peace), drummer JeffBurrows (The Tea Party) and bassist AmirEpstein (Zygote) — were musical peers with separate but equal pasts. Almostthree years later to the day, with their fittingly titled sophomore album Rock Musique Deluxe, they havegrown into a band of brothers with a shared musical vision they’re willing tofight for. Even among themselves.



“When we first got together, I didn’tknow the guys,” says bassist and main songwriter Epstein, who set up themusical blind date that launched the band in 2008. “I wasn’t friends with themand they weren’t friends with each other — which I actually thought was kind ofstrange, being that they were in three of the most successful bands ever inCanada. They had crossed paths when they toured, but they weren’t super-tight.So we weren’t very comfortable in the studio. Everybody was on their bestbehaviour. If someone made a suggestion someone else didn’t like, there wasn’tmuch criticism. Nobody wanted to offend. “Since then, we’ve played together, we’verecorded together, we’ve toured together. And we’ve become close, a bunch ofbuddies. We know everything about each other now — all the dark secrets. So itwas a lot different in the studio. We were comfortable with one another, wewere honest with one another, we were open with one another. And it was waymore opinionated — ‘That sucks! Do it again!’ Instead of everybody doing whatthey want, we did what was best. And we all ended up making a stronger albumbecause of it.”



That cocktail of camaraderie, confidenceand creative conflict is the spark that ignites the high-octane Rock Musique Deluxe. Co-producedby the band and studio veteran Terry Brown (Rush, Max Webster, Voivod) in theirToronto hometown, the lean, muscular album takes up where previous hits like ‘Awake’and ‘Fight’ left off and heads into new sonic terrain.



“You can tell that there’s a maturity inthe band,” Edwin agrees. “It’s a step ahead, not a step back. It’s not remakingthe same record. It’s a natural evolution. You could put it up against thefirst record, but it doesn’t sound like the first record. It sounds like anewer, fresher Crash Karma.” Also a more aggressive and progressive one. The justover 40-minutes Rock Musique Deluxeruns darker, deeper and heavier than its predecessor, thanks to Turner’s wallof serrated buzzsaw riffage and swirling flourishes, Epstein’s nimble, melodicbasslines and drummer Burrows’ marriage of octopus dexterity and relentlesspropulsion. “We unleashed Burrows,” Epstein confirms. “If you listen to thedrums, they’re ridiculous, animalistic. We kept encouraging him to give usmore.” Once the drums were tracked, themusicians were compelled to follow suit, incorporating different timesignatures, exotic percussion, unpredictable arrangements and atmospherictextures — the dividends paid by their newfound openness and drive.



“I always have to step back and take anaudio picture of what we accomplish as a band,” Burrows says. “The sonic boomof four individuals from varied musical backgrounds creating something sopowerful and to the point is amazing.”



Beneath the album’s brains and brawn,however, beats a sincere, passionate heart. In contrast to the more externalperspective of their debut, this time it’s personal for lyricists Epstein and Edwin.The bulk of these 11 songs introduce protagonists standing at life’s crossroadsand running emotional gauntlets. Meet the beleaguered star of the funk-fleckedmodern rocker “Man on Trial”. The self-recriminating anti-hero of the soaringslow-burner “Everything”. The empowering lead of the infectious first single “Tomorrow”.The protective champion of the ominous abuse-themed ‘Leave Her Alone’. All ofthem (and more) are personified via Edwin’s painstakingly crafted vocals, whichmove seamlessly from tough to tender in a single couplet.



“The way I see it,” explains Edwin, “thefirst record had a lot of angst and a little bit of love. This record has a lotof love and a little bit of angst. And from my perspective, the songs are moresingable. We put a lot of backing harmonies on this one. On the first record,we tried not to use too many harmonies so it didn’t sound sweet and pretty. Butthis time, the songs really lent themselves to a diversity of harmonies. Butultimately, it’s not like we’re playing be-bop or anything. It’s still a rockalbum.” And at a time when real rock is in short supply, Crash Karma are proudto wear the genre on their sleeve. And their album cover.



“We’ve played shows with some bands —and I’m not going to name them — that weren’t rock bands, but were justpretending to be rock bands,” explains Epstein. “It was really irritating tosee that. So our album title is just a way of just saying, ‘This is rock music.Take a listen to it, in case you forgot what it’s supposed to sound like.’ ”



Adds Edwin: “I know there’s still a lotof rock fans out there. I don’t think rock is dead. I think it will always makea revival in some form. And if we can have a part in that revival, in making itfront and centre a little bit, I would be greatly honoured.”

Don’t be surprised if he gets his wish.After all, what goes around …