ALBUM REVIEW: Kadavar hark back to the past on Rough Times

WAY back in the mists of time when the occupants of the metal mansion here were looking back at history there was a significant piece of research (okay beer-drenched listening...) about the thing called proto metal.

All was sparked by Michael Mann's film Manhunter, the first apparition of Hannibal Lector. In the closing, haunting chase scene was overlaid by almost the entirety of Iron Butterfly's 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'. Thus said Iron Butterfly album was purchased and with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida occupying an entire side of the album the flip side was pretty trippy...

With research well underway listening to obscure tracks from Cream, the Yardbirds and many more it was clear that the proto-metal sounds had influenced that first album by Sabbath that created this wonderful music we label heavy metal.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and there is a wealth of bands hooking back into that classic blues based heaviness. But few have done it as well as Kadavar on their latest release 'Rough Times'.

Brimming with heaviness and oozing trippy sensations the trio have encapsulated their own vision of what, well tickles their fancy. They even built their own fucking studio on an industrial estate to get it right.

This, their fourth release, manages to walk the tricky tightrope of heavy distorted blues and laid pack precision.

And, in many ways this is a release that sit perfectly with the old fashioned way there was an 'A' side and a 'B' side to a vinyl release.

The first four tracks are pure grooved out rock 'n' roll, with 'Die Baby, Die' an absolute, as they say, belter.

The first hint of more trippyness is the intro to 'Vampires' before it rocks out.

However, on the closing two tracks -  'You Found the Best of Me' and 'A L'Ombre Du Temps' respectively - the harkening back to a more innocent time when bands were allowed to explore those dangerous things called feelings.

What strikes most of all is the maturity that Kadavar exemplify here. Something guitarist and vocalist Christoph 'Lupus' Lindeman is very aware of.

He said: “We used to put ourselves under a lot of pressure."

“We didn't want to be just another rock band, we wanted to be the best. Now we are free from the idea that we need to hit the charts or fill big halls to become happy. To get to that point everyone involved needs mental maturity, and this satisfies me more than any full arena.”

They have had chart success. They have filled arenas. But 'Rough Times' feels more as if they are content to be themselves with no expectations. It is an album that should propel them much further, an album that is, overall, a worthy successor to what has gone before.

Review by Jonathan Traynor

Rough Times is out now on Nuclear Blast

NEWS: First bands announced for HRH Doom Vs Stoner: Chapter II

Rock n Metal Overlords, HRH are proud to announce the first wave of acts which will perform at HRH Doom Vs HRH Stoner Chapter II (at the O2 Academy Sheffield, between Saturday 30th September and Sunday 1st October 2017).

Bands confirmed include pioneering English doom metal band My Dying Bride; heavy metal heroes and HRH favourites Orange Goblin; German psychedelic, stoner infused Rock Trio Kadavar; Slabdragger, whose monstrously huge sound is legend, and heavy blues band Ten Foot Wizard.

Other class acts include: Black Moth, Boss Keloid, Regulus, Serpent Venom, Blind Haze, Bast,
Kurokuma, Hogslayer, Pist, Barbarian Hermit, Gurt, King Goat, and Witch Tripper.

HRH Doom Vs HRH Stoner extends the model of indoor, weatherproof, residential festivals pioneered by Hard Rock Hell in North Wales to the Steel City itself.

Following HRH Doom Vs HRH Stoner’s thunderous debut in October 2016, HRH DVS 2 ( as
knighted by the fans) will build on its success, presenting heavy, heavy bands which champion and bestride the Doom and Stoner genres like colossuses of metal and rock.

Read our review of Day One 2016 here, and Day Two here and you'll see we - along with everyone else there had a helluva great time and can't wait for 2017!

Until that day, when the rest have played catch-up, accept no substitutes: go for the original and best: HRH Doom Vs HRH Stoner Chapter II.

Tickets can be booked online @ www.hrhdoom.com or ring Rebecca on 0207 193 9564

LIVE REVIEW: Mining the past - Kadavar, Stray Train and Erosion

IT'S often said in fashion circles that “everything old is new again”, that the act of recycling past ideas means that the 'latest thing', while being based on history, is also fresh and exciting.

The same could be said for music, with the rock and heavy metal genres being particularly fond of paying homage to past heroes.

Thus is was that three bands who are fairly newly created, invited their audience into the past in Belfast's Voodoo bar on Thursday night.

Local rockers Erosion kicked off proceedings with their deep, bold 'groove x thrash metal' sound. Blasting from the starting blocks in fiery fashion with 'Giving All One's Got', they prove to be in fighting form tonight, particularly vocalist and drummer Mark Stewart, who tackles his duel role brilliantly.

After an unfortunate incident with an extremely drunk and enthusiastic fan they wrap up rather Sabbath-y final number 'The Eclipsed', complete with 'Witches of Eastwick' intro, with aplomb.

Moving slightly further afield, it was then time for Slovenia's Stray Train, whose focus on rock and roll's blues roots results in a set filled with ass-shaking grooves and huge, beaming hooks. Rather like a swingier and way less po-faced Wolfmother, their faithful adherence to the bluesier side of rock goes down an absolute treat with the growing crowd.

New single 'Green Card Paradise' gets an airing tonight, sounding interestingly like GnR's 'Locomotive', while 'Plastic Princess' and a Rival Sons cover demonstrate a delightful diversity to their music. More of this, please!

A swirl of dry ice and sudden stillness herald the arrival of tonight's headliners, the mysterious and very, very tall trio that is Berlin's Kadavar. Following a trippy as all get-out intro they blast into action with a fervour that's almost startling, as they fire out 'Come Back Life' and 'Pale Blue Eyes' back to back. “Hello Belfast! You guys ready for some rock and roll tonight?” singer/guitarist Lupus Lindemann enquires, before they launch into a raucous 'The Last Dinosaur' which all but drowns out the enthusiastic affirmative from the crowd.

Their music is gloriously, thunderously groovy; it's music stripped back to its raw elements yet sounds so full, so complete – and so, so loud. Full of down and dirty riffs, tribal drumming and occasional dramatic flairs, it's Seventies stoner rock a la Black Sabbath brought bang up to date in the 21st century. Like a coiled spring, when they explode it's simply jaw dropping stuff.

With barely a pause between songs, the rare moments of stillness serve as exclamation points to what has just come before, and precursors to what will follow.

They plough relentlessly through song after song – 'Broken Wings', 'Goddess' – and set heads banging joyfully throughout the room.

Wrapping up with a buoyant version of 'Helter Skelter', and with no encore, they exit the stage, leaving behind a crowd that's spent, sweaty and euphoric. A magnificent set.

With such a rich vein of musical history to mine, it's not surprising that so many rock and metal bands choose to look back in order to move forward. And when it's done like it was tonight, we see absolutely no reason why they shouldn't continue to do so. Done right, it creates music that so many artists yearn for: timeless. Classic. Aspirational.

Review by Melanie Brehaut
Photos by Liam Kielt
Reproduction by written permission only