The Berliners KADAVAR, have established the reputation of the next best thing in this retro-Rock wave. And let me tell you, that’s so damn true. From image, to cover art, to production, to content and so on, this power-trio is as close as it gets to the spirit of the long gone but never forgotten era of Rock. Of course, it pleases me that musicians are still able to live up to the task but what is actually more impressive is the people’s demand for pure Rock.
“Abra Kadavar”, the band’s second album, follows the same successful yet deeply honest recipe of the debut. Well, perhaps this time the bass is not so profoundly dominant (still it’s quite loud) but generally you could say that the trademark sound of KADAVAR remains intact. So, you better be prepared for the ultimate vintage fest. This is one helluva trip back to the best era of Rock.
During the first half of the record the listener is exposed to (mostly) fast paced, proto-Doom Metal in the vein of KING CRIMSON and BLACK SABBATH while in the second half we are dealing with more space oriented compositions a la early HAWKWIND. Apart from the unique sound and the great musicianship Lindemann’s performance on the vocals really stands out. The man’s voice combines the razor sharp lines with the warmth of the classic late 60’s. I wouldn’t say that Lindemann has improved as a singer cause he was already great in last year’s debut but the songs of “Abra Kadavar” seem more fitting.
“Abra Kadavar” is perhaps not the most original material you can find out there but it’s still great for what it is. There are many bands right now that claim to have achieved that kind of fidelity to the retro sound (both in principles and execution) but KADAVAR are by far the best in that! With names like ORCHID, GRAVEYARD and WITCHCRAFT, people at Nuclear Blast are starting to get the message…
