Kadavar’s killer new retro release

Berlin-born band Kadavar’s newest release, For The Dead Travel Fast, is a hard-rocking gothic album just in time for the spooky season. With a perfect mix of darkness and originality, band members Christoph “Lupus” Lindemann (vocals and guitar), Christoph “Tiger” Bartelt (drums) and Simon “Dragon” Bouteloup (bass) showcase their range of talents as well as their contemporary sound. Almost every track consists of endless talent, ranging from immortal-sounding, deep dark vocals to insane guitar solos.

The band plays blood-curdling, good songs that make use of all their instruments in a unique, unsuspecting way. Comparable to those of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, is the very ominous sounds of the first three tracks, containing unforgettable guitar solos and wide-ranging vocals that the band does so well. “Children of the Night,” the fourth track on the album, is a haunting, but rocking song that builds upon a slightly electronic sound with wildly insane riffs, fast and slow. The “frightening holy sound” the band produces runs free into the darkness of the night, where there “may be no tomorrow.”

Meaty guitar riffs and spooky sounds are on the menu for this album, and especially on “Dancing with the Dead.” A sense of nihilism grows with a smooth sound of suffering that is solidified through the bands singing and strumming. It is impossible to ignore the vintage sound Kadavar implements, or their ample bass and drums. The band’s crisp sounds and originality are apparent throughout the album and especially on song six, “Poison.”

For The Dead Travel Fast incites hallucinatory feelings of some kind of supernatural mystery that only Lindemann’s guitar can solve. From somewhere in between “Demons in My Mind” and “Saturnales” a spiritual tailspin arises, shining “such a beautiful light” on all the darkness and depth that has been packed into this nine-track album. Combining a classic sound with the talent of each band member—from a dirty drum solo to inspiring vocals—the band concludes with “Long Forgotten Sound.” The wicked and retro sounds along with the excellent guitar solos in almost every song ignite and sustain Kadavar’s For The Dead Travel Fast.