★★★½
There seems to be a no-nonsense ethos to Kadavar. Not bothered about straying from the sound they dig – ’70s-era hard/psych/stoner rock – the band’s music says, “If we want to play guitar lick after guitar lick, we’re going to do it.
If we want to adopt nicknames like Lupus, Dragon and Tiger, we’re going to do it. If we want to name our album after our hometown, you know what? We’re going to do it.”
The band’s third LP is the result of four months recording live in the studio on analogue gear, and their first since French-born Dragon replaced Mammoth on bass. Taking no prisoners, the band launches straight into an aural assault with ‘Lord Of The Sky’. It’s held together by fuzzy phaser guitar hooks and groove-driven bass, complemented by classic rock vocals and drums. It’s what AC/DC would sound like if they went psychedelic, and it prepares you for what’s to come.
‘The Old Man’, the first single from the record, follows a gypsy-ish riff. Generally, the lyrics are pretty rudimentary – but they’re Germans singing in English, so give them a break.
Overall it’s a solid effort from the long-haired, bearded Deutschemen – the meat and two veg of psych rock.
Kadavar’sBerlinis out now through Nuclear Blast.
