Review Summary: Vintage hard 'n' heavy. Kadavar wants us back to the golden seventies.
We know it’s a kind of cliché when it comes to describing a song or a band’s sound and sometimes say things like ''it has some retro influences'' or (in case of rock groups) compare it with classic bands like Black Sabbath, Cream or Led Zeppelin. It can get a little annoying with the time depending on the mood of the person. But you can’t deny you would get this feeling if you decide to check out Kadavar’s new release.
Kadavar is a trio currently formed by vocalist and guitarist Christoph ''Lupus'' Lindemann, bassist Simon ''Dragon'' Bouteloup and drummer Christoph ''Tiger'' Bartelt. Its music consists of hard rock with some psychedelic and stoner rock hints, loaded with heavy and loud guitar riffs, fat bass lines and strong drumming. A German rock band with its spirit in the 70s and potentially influenced by the big bands of that decade, it will satisfy anyone who is looking for a classic hard rock revival or a more retro sound, along with other bands like Graveyard and Blood of the Sun. Their second album
Abra Kadavar is probably the best option to get into the music of these bearded and talented men, as it has a great production work and also is the moment when they got a contract with major label Nuclear Blast. Their newest delivery
Rough Times can be an adequate option too.
What makes Kadavar’s music so great? Is it solely because of its influences? Not entirely. This is not a case of something being good just because ''it remembers the good old days'' (as it happens mainly with the melodic rock revival in my opinion, but that’s another story). The musicians deliver lots of energy and fun in their songs and, although not virtuosos, offer a fairly good job in their instruments. This time, however, the band decided to slow down a bit. The power trio has stated before the release of
Rough Times that it was going to be their most serious work to date. Don’t fear of a radical change, though.
Rough Times maintains the band’s rootsy and heavy sound while adding an interesting dark atmosphere in some tracks. In particular, there’s an emphasis on keys and guitar effects, exploring far beyond than in their previous works, as it’s showed on ''The Lost Child'' and the title track. The former during its almost six minutes is a great mix between psychedelic instrumental breaks (it’s the most organ-dominated song of the album) and heavy passages (during its chorus), presenting a mysterious and melancholic vibe. The latter opens energetically the album; it contains Kadavar’s powerhouse riffs accompanied by a hypnotic ''Eastern'' flute riff popping out occasionally and a friendly, entertaining vocal melody. Definitely a song that grabs you from the first listen.
Other songs that follow these stylistics are ''Into the Wormhole'' (possibly the album’s most doom-influenced song, with its slow tempo and its mastodontic, very distorted riffs), ''Skeleton Blues'' (which maintains the sound of their previous work,
Berlin, with a Sabbath-worthy main riff) ''Vampires'' and ''Tribulation Nation'' (both having a bit of stoner rock flavor). The more you listen to Kadavar, the more Black Sabbath influences you’ll find, although songs like the title track or ''Die Baby Die'' remind me particularly of Grand Funk’s self-titled album. There’s also a couple of interesting attempts to expand and diversify the record’s sound. ''You Found the Best in Me'' is the album’s soft track, almost like a ballad. One could find a little funny (or disturbing, according to expectations and humor) the thought of Kadavar making a soft song, but actually it doesn’t deviate so much from the overall sound and fortunately the track doesn’t make the mistake of being too cheesy or pompous. It contains a nice, Southern rock-influenced riff married with pleasant pop hooks and a good guitar solo, undoubtedly a welcome moment of relief. At the end of the album, then, comes ''A L'ombre Du Temps'', an atmospheric instrumental track filled with keys, drones and a French spoken word section, it could have fit like a glove in any psychedelic 60s album. Depending on the listener’s mood it can leave you with a nice, weird or disappointing taste in your mouth as a closing track.
While on their previous albums the band showed us that rock was a way to have fun and a good time, here the music has to be dark and serious. Still, the band occasionally throws a solid up-tempo gem like ''Words of Evil'' or the aforementioned ''Die Baby Die'', both delivering more catchy riffs and great hooks. The latter eventually has become my favorite of the album. Released as the lead single, in four minutes fulfills its main purpose with its loud, thunderous drums, a catchy bass riff, another funny vocal performance and a funnier music video (Kadavar exploring the Chroma Key technologies). Definitely a suitable song for the band’s future concerts.
Kadavar has garnered much success in a matter of years, and there’s no doubt that they have managed to maintain their classic sound over time.
Rough Times doesn’t reinvent the wheel or present something from another world, but overall Kadavar is an ideal group for hard rock and blues lovers and this is a suitable record for someone who’s just looking for direct and unpretentious music.
