ALBUM REVIEW: Kadavar - "Rough Times"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/09/2017

Label: Nuclear Blast

The sound off the album is positively low-fi, the title track a noisy and lurching beast and “Into The Wormhole” sounds like a slowed down record being played through a torn speaker. There are sojourns into more proggy territory with “The Lost Child”, but for me it is when the band utilise the most Neanderthal sounds that they are most effective.  The verdict? A lot better than their first two albums and an interesting, engaging listen.

“Rough Times“CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Rough Times (3:38)

 2. Into The Wormehole (4:17)

3. Skeleton Blues (4:24)

4. Die Baby Die (4:18)

5. Vampires (4:48)

6. Tribulation Nation (5:04)

7. Words Of Evil (3:37)

8. The Lost Child (5:52)

9. You Found The Best in Me (4:58)

10. A L'Ombre Du Temps (3:57)

The Review:

Kadavar are Berlin's premier 70's retro rock revivalists and I have followed their career somewhat loosely since their 2013 “Abra Kadavar” album which featured a very seventies production in terms of instrument placement and a small dose of Sabbathto go with their Deep Purple, Budgie, Coven, Blue Cheer, Zeppelin et. al. references. Not doom, for sure, but not only classic rock... Since then, of course, a myriad of bands have come to the fore who deal in similar retro-nostalgia (Gentleman's Pistols are still the best outfit with a retro leaning).

With “Rough Times”, I have missed out on one of the band's albums so I don't know quite how this fits into their continuum but I do know that this is much rougher than the first two records- as the title may obliquely suggest. This is closer to the MC5 and The Stooges in terms of sound and aggression than it is to Budgie. The sounds is positively low-fi, the title track a noisy and lurching beast. “Into The Wormhole” sounds like a slowed down record being played through a torn speaker.

The rest of the record is just as gnarly- “Skeleton Blues” is a primal groove of distorted bass and guitar with reverb drenched vocals. The lyrics capture the Zeitgeist of fake news and confusion in prescient terms. As such, then, for a retro band Kadavarare remarkably up to date in themes and concerns- of the ten tracks, all sound like they could have been recorded between 1968 and 1975, but most of the lyrics could only come from the here and now- an odd combination, but one that makes their sound more alluring, at least for me.

Whether it be the lost innocence and cynicism of “Vampires”, the political sounding “Tribulation Nation” or even the straight rocker “Words of Evil” with its metaphors, all the songs are bang up to date: or could apply to any era of trouble and strife you could name. There are sojourns into more proggy territory with “The Lost Child”, but for me it is when the band utilise the most Neanderthal  sounds that they are most effective. There is melody aplenty in “You Found The Best In Me” and it features as the middle track in the closing triumvirate where the band spread their wings beyond the Berlin/Detroit axis and venture into more unusual sounds and styles. The final statement of “A L'Ombre Du Temps”is again current, retro and a departure for the band.

The verdict? A lot better than their first two albums and an interesting, engaging listen.

“Rough Times” is available here

Band info: official || facebook

EXCLUSIVE TRAILER: KADAVAR | Lupus discusses how Witch's self-titled album influenced him

Unless you have been living under a rock or in hibernation for the last seven years, there really is no excuse for you to have missed Berlin based rock overlords Kadavar rising ascendency.  With 3 full lengths under there belts and having notch up thousands of air miles during a hectic touring cycle, this Germanic powerhouse are set to do all again, with the impending release of their fourth record “Rough Times” via metal heavyweight Nuclear Blast   on 29 September 2017.

While Kadavarare certainly not averse to sounding like Aston’s finest, Black Sabbath, on their third album “Berlin” they began to cast their net further into the seas of classic rock incorporating fizzy Stoogesstyle riffs, groove reminiscent of The Who drenched in fuzz and the odd smattering of Hendrix/Creamflavour into proceedings and packed killer chorus’s into the mix which ensured the album was lodged in your brain for weeks.

Kadavar have always seemed to avoid the pitfalls of slavishly recreating the sound of rock legends of yesteryear. Instead they have taken their obvious influences and reassembled them in an exciting new configuration. The sheer exuberance and energy of their delivery, combined with masterful song writing skill, sounds completely vital whilst being unashamedly in thrall to the past. On new album “Rough Times” Kadavar offer yet another example of why they  should be held in the same esteem as their  heroes and be immortalised as masters of their craft by future generations.

Today ahead of the album’s official release on Friday, we offer you another trailer.  Watch below as Lupus discusses how Witch's self-titled album influenced him

“Rough Times” will be released on September 29 via Nuclear Blast qnd you can order a copy: here  UKfans can catch Kadavar live:

30.09. London- The Dome, UK
01.10.  Sheffield - HRH Doom vs. Stoner, UK

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: The Judge - "The Judge"

By: Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/07/2016

Label: Ripple Music

This one is crazy good, and crazy Sabbath inspired too. Give this band a listen, you’ll dig it.

“The Judge” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The Witcher

2). Heepster

3). Evil Woman

4). Tartarus

5). Mivub’ and Groovin’

6). Planet Doom

7). Suite of Jam

8). Desire

9). Rock Kickin’ Blues

The Review:

You walk a fine line when you play the retro rock game.  Kadavaris a band that’s pulled it off seemlessly.  Radio Moscow too.  Wolfmother not so.  Kadavar’s music is truly music out of time, you wanna talk being born too late?  Kadavar is.  Radio Moscow is.  But if you cross that line you wind up in imitation land.  Just another sludge rock wannabe.  The previously mentioned Wolfmother occupy this no man’s land.  The Judge, I’m happy to say, has pulled off a real gem here with their self-titled record. 

This one is crazy good, and crazy Sabbathinspired too.  Dylan Jarrett’s guitar playing on “The Judge” is so close to Tony Iommi it’ll mess with your head on this record.  He’s got the technique and sound down to near perfection.  There’s gonna be a ton of comparisons to Sab but the question at the end of the day, is, did The Judge pull it off?  Hell yeah.  And then some.

“The Witcher” opens the record with a spot on take of early era Sabbath.  It’s crazy how close to Sabbaththis is, really makes you do a double take.  But the song works as a whole.  The guitar is so close to Tony Iommi’s sound it’s insane, the vocals sound so much like Ozzy, its nuts, but, you can’t stop listening to it.  It has an ebb and flow to it that works, though. 

“Heepster” keeps the fab Sab vibe moving forward but the vocals are starting to take shape.  I can hear less Ozzy and more Tyler Swope, that band’s singer, but the Oz man inspiration still flows through. 

Two things stand out about third song “Evil Woman.”  Tyler Swope’s vocals are sheer velvet, nothing but heavy cream that in turn allows Jarrett’s guitar playing to get showcased here.  Swope has a nice, bluesy aspect to his voice that carries this song. 

“Tartarus” finds me getting into the groove of the band as a whole.  Only because Swope and Jarrett are as good as they are, you tend to focus on those two and not the whole band but “Tartarus” brings The Judgeinto full perspective.

I won’t go through every song but you get the idea.  “The Judge” as a whole works for me.  It’s not Sabbath rehash, it’s four guys who know how to handle this type of sound and groove, they craft it, they shape it, in the end, they made this sound entirely their own.  Give this band a listen, you’ll dig it.

“The Judge” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp