{"product_id":"cruel_intentions","title":"Cruel Intentions","description":"\u003cp\u003eCruel Intentions is the third studio album by South London blues rock band The Karma Effect — Henry Gottelier (vocals\/guitar), Robbie Blake (guitar), Nathan Keevil (bass), Alan Taylor (drums), and Tom Pitt (keyboards) — released on May 15, 2026 via Earache Records. The album follows the band's 2024 sophomore effort Promised Land, which unexpectedly cracked the top 20 of the UK Official Album Chart and established the quintet as one of British guitar music's most exciting rising acts. The eleven-track record (twelve on the bonus USB edition) was recorded in just four weeks at The Hive Rooms near Gatwick Airport in July 2025, produced by Michael Charman, mixed by Romesh Dodangoda, and mastered by JP Braddock at Formation Audio. The band has branded their sound \"Modern Vintage Rock,\" and the description is apt: Cruel Intentions is firmly rooted in the swagger, groove, and guitar pyrotechnics of 1970s and 1980s classic rock, with touchstones ranging from Aerosmith's Pump and AC\/DC's Bon Scott era to Little Angels, Airbourne, and Skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album wastes no time: opener and lead single \"Ride or Die\" arrives with a strut reminiscent of Little Angels and showcases Gottelier's confident vocals alongside what Metal Planet Music describes as \"lazy Slash-esque guitar work\" from Blake. \"Dangerous Love\" doubles down on a dirty, funky 80s Aerosmith vibe, while \"Raised on Rock'n'Roll\" tips squarely into AC\/DC and Airbourne territory with its tongue-in-cheek Bon Scott energy. \"Bad Manners\" adds horns for a loose, swinging feel akin to Skin's finest moments, and \"Closest Thing to Crazy\" provides a well-executed ballad interlude before \"Waiting on a Miracle\" — with its soaring anthemic riffs and vocal gymnastics — emerges as a genuine album highlight. The blues-drenched title track is described by Metal Planet Music as \"a smoldering Blues based beast\" that channels multiple 80s influences at once, while closer \"One More for the Road\" sees the band go \"left field\" with a brilliant change of direction that perfectly captures the record's free-spirited energy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Store","offers":[{"title":"CD \/ Album","offer_id":53588972962106,"sku":"38318","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Vinyl \/ Album","offer_id":53588972994874,"sku":"38319","price":44.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/2041\/0682\/files\/Screenshot_2026-06-10_at_1.36.02_PM.jpeg?v=1781113146","url":"https:\/\/recordstore.ca\/products\/cruel_intentions","provider":"Record Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}