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

ALBUM REVIEW: USA/MEXICO - "Laredo"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 02/06/2017

Label: Riot Season

This is the kind of garage rock where the car is still parked inside with the engine running, warping the bands minds with fumes.   “Laredo” is an awesome offering from USA/MEXICO, a perfect blend of dumb headbanging heaviness and tripped-out weirdness.

“Laredo” DD//LP track listing:

1). Possum Trot

2). Laredo

3). Yard Of The Month

4). Windsor Park Hardcore

5). Dumber Rock Riff

6). L.A.

7). Bullets For Pussy

The Review:

Sometimes it’s a beautiful thing when a record is exactly the sum of its parts. USA/MEXICO’sdebut LP “Laredo” delivers precisely the kind of glorious sonic muck one would expect from a trio featuring members of Todd, Shit and Shine and Butthole Surfers.

“Possum Trot” sets the tone for a queasy ride into a nightmarish noise rock world, with the emphasis firmly on the noise. Punishing knuckle-dragging riffs pummel the listener into submission while unhinged robotic vocals and shrieking feedback heighten the air of unease. Imagine Part Chimp jamming with the robots from the Smash adverts and you have a good idea of the addictive insanity on offer here. The band hone this approach to perfection on “Yard Of The Month” and “Dumber Rock Riff” while the title track and “Bullets For Pussy” see the Shit and Shine influence come to the fore yielding maximum impact from relentless repetition.

USA/MEXICO deliver their own distinct brand of grindcore on the brief chaotic terror of “Windsor Park Hardcore” while “L.A” offers a vague nod to more melodic territory. Thankfully it’s only a minor concession though in the form of some lead guitar that lends the track a dirty Stoogesfeel. This is the kind of garage rock where the car is still parked inside with the engine running, warping the bands minds with fumes.

“Laredo” is an awesome offering from USA/MEXICO, a perfect blend of dumb headbanging heaviness and tripped-out weirdness.


“Laredo” is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: 11Paranoias - “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/2016

Label: Ritual Productions

What sets 11PARANOIAS apart from other bands operating in the realms of psychedelic heaviness is the otherworldly atmosphere they conjure. Every note is enshrouded in a hazy fog that lends their music a darkly unsettling feel.

“Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Peripheral Metamorphosis

2). Destroying Eyes

3). Avallanius

4). Mutus Lieber

5). Meditation on the Void

6). Phantom Pyramid

7). Milk of Amnesia

The Review:

11PARANOIAS are a rare example of a super group that are as good, and possibly even better, than their constituent parts. Featuring Mike Vest (Bong, Blown Out, etc.) on guitar, Adam Richardson (Ramesses) on bass/vocals and Nathan Perrier (Capricorns) on drums, the band fully deliver on their impeccable heavy credentials, as demonstrated on previous LP “Stealing Fire From Heaven”. Expectations of greatness weigh heavy on new LP “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” and 11PARANOIAS rise to the occasion and then some.

Opener “Peripheral Metamorphosis” wastes no time in getting down to business as the band launch straight into a huge, treacly riff. This track acts as a satisfying reminder of all that makes 11PARANOIAS great; minimal punishing riffs that bludgeon the listener senseless whilst elevating their consciousness to a higher plain, striking a delicate balance between hypnotic repetition and organic progression. What sets 11PARANOIAS apart from other bands operating in the realms of psychedelic heaviness is the otherworldly atmosphere they conjure. Every note is enshrouded in a hazy fog that lends their music a darkly unsettling feel. The band also show a rare grasp of dynamics, sometimes falling away to a hushed, restrained quiet that makes their ferocious onslaught all the more terrifying when it arrives.

11PARANOIAS marked themselves out previously by their inclusion of weirder elements that stretch beyond the standard boundaries of doom. “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” sees them fully embrace these influences with incredible results. Monstrous, sixteen-minute highlight “Destroying Eyes” begins with their characteristic leaden riffs but as the track progresses the tempo slowly picks up until the track blossoms into a high octane stoner punk explosion. Relentless filthy baselines drive the track to ever-higher levels of intensity, a glorious racket that sounds like the Stoogesjamming with Acid Mothers Temple as Yobset the controls for the heart of the sun. “Phantom Pyramid” sees the band embrace extended periods of clean guitars to create an ominously intoxicating two chord slow burn that eventually erupts into molten distortion. This track sees them move away from doom to a more psychedelic rock sound although still crushingly heavy, like an iron-clad Bardo Pond.This bleeds seamlessly into the storming finale of “Milk of Amnesia”. Based mostly upon one churning riff of almost garage-rock simplicity, the band throws everything they have into a four minute adrenaline rush of primal ferocity. Its impact is all the more devastating in contrast to the longer, drawn out songs that precede and its unexpected immediacy makes for a brilliant end to the album.

“Reliquary for a dreamed Of World” is an incredible release from 11PARANOIAS. It sees the band raise their already impressive game to another plane with a cosmic onslaught on the senses that makes all other psychedelic doom bands sound like Oasis in comparison. This is the album that should make the band member’s other achievements irrelevant; what matters is that they were involved in the creation of this monumental record.

“Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook