Kadavar – Kadavar

Doing The Time Warp

One look at the name, and you’d think Kadavar played the heaviest metal you can imagine. One look at the album art, and you’d think the album was recorded in 1970 in a grubby English studio. And, you’d be wrong on both counts. Kadavar, a contemporary trio from Berlin, has captured the sounds of metal’s birth so accurately on their self-titled album, you’d swear they were actually there. They won’t turn hard rock on its head, but they’ll certainly knock it around a bit.

Opener “All Our Thoughts” features big, fuzzy guitars and warm, woof-y bass, all the hallmarks of proto-metal. Above it all, singer/guitarist Wolf Lindemann’s distant, overdriven vocals tell of nature, magic, and the mind. The follow-up, “Black Sun”, gives bassist Mammoth plenty of room to shine, weaving artful countermelodies in-and-out of the sparse guitar. “Forgotten Past” is an off-kilter rock waltz with a touch of Hendrix, while “Goddess Of Dawn” channels a little Pentagram with its soaring melodies and unrelenting drums. Finally, closer “Purple Sage” begins as a weirdo rock epic, before transitioning to a monstrous, Doors-inspired groove peppered with a little Zeppelin wash.

The boys in Kadavar display a deep affinity for the early years of heavy rock, and lovingly take us along on their journey through time and space. Sure, they won’t win any prizes for originality, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to blow the doors of the place. Fans of early Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, and throwback bands like Tweak Bird will want to check this out. Just don’t forget your fur lapels and muttonchops.