Kadavar - Scott Hepple and The Sun Band

What remains truly before the apocalypse? Fire falling from the sky? Locusts? Oceans of blood? Depuis Rough Times in 2017, Kadavar expresses its own vision of the end times. Eight years later, the world has only grown darker — much like their response. On K.A.D.A.V.A.R., the kings of Berlin rock return with a heavier, raw, and more precise sound, blending the fuzz spirit of their beginnings with the expanded creativity of their four-piece lineup. Their latest album, I Just Want To Be A Sound, marked an essential fresh start. After years of relentless touring, the band had reached a breaking point. Rather than continuing on autopilot, Lupus Lindemann, Tiger Bartelt, Jascha Kreft, and Simon Bouteloup chose to rebuild everything from scratch. Collaborating with producer Max Rieger, they rediscovered their identity and laid the foundations for a new era. K.A.D.A.V.A.R. emerges as the natural counterpart to that album. While its predecessor drifted through atmospheric textures, this album returns to riffs, groove, and the intensity of hard rock. "We consciously returned to our roots," explains Lupus Lindemann. "We wanted massive riffs and loud, heavy rock." The recording process reflected this philosophy. Produced once again by Tiger Bartelt and recorded to tape with vintage gear, these sessions restored the band's confidence and reminded them that authenticity mattered more than reinvention. Making this album felt less like a rehearsal of the past and more like a return to sources. This return to sources, however, was only possible thanks to everything that preceded it: the experimental Isolation Tapes, the collaboration with Elder, the arrival of Jascha Kreft, and songwriting outside the band. Together, these experiences broadened Kadavar's creative identity, while making this return to rock a true step forward rather than a step back. Kreft has become an essential element of this evolution. His arrival pushed the former powerhouse trio to rethink its songwriting, bringing fresh ideas while reinforcing the complicity that has always defined the band. Lyrically, K.A.D.A.V.A.R. opens up to the outside world. While I Just Want To Be A Sound explored internal struggles, this is a true apocalyptic album — angrier, heavier, and driven by the chaos of today's world. Selon Lindemann, it constitutes the second chapter of a trilogy, the final album of which will ultimately embody renewal after destruction. Across nine tracks, the album moves from the crushing opener of "Lies" to the laid-back rock of "Stick It," via the monumental title track and the thrash attack of "Total Annihilation." Both their heaviest and most varied work, K.A.D.A.V.A.R. pays homage to the band's origins without being confined by them. "We wanted to rediscover the feeling of freedom we had fifteen years ago," explains Lindemann. "We can't recreate the innocence of our early albums, but we can get close to it." Much like their debut opus – but this time as a quartet –, K.A.D.A.V.A.R. is bold, powerful, and full of life. Kadavar has come full circle. Their sound is both familiar and completely renewed. FOR FANS OF: Graveyard, Witchcraft, Stoned Jesus