Kadavar: Abra Kadavar

Black magic from Sabbath-worshipping Berliners.

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With their lank hair, luxuriant face-fuzz and vintage hippie duds, the three members of Kadavar resemble a rock band from the early 70s. And they sound like one – namely, Black Sabbath.

Across the years, countless heavy metal bands have kneeled at the altar of Sabbath. But few have recreated the sound of the Sabs’ classic Ozzy-era albums as accurately as Kadavar have done on this archly titled second long-player. With guitarist/vocalist Lupus Lindemann doubling as Tony Iommi and Ozzy, the trio pay homage in both sound and word.

The head-banging riffs of Doomsday Machine and Dust are pure Iommi, while the lyrics of Black Snake reference Sabbath’s Into The Void, and the title of Abra Kadabra nods to the old masters’ Sabbra Cadabra. But in truth, Kadavar are little more than a tribute band, albeit a very good one. And with a genuine Black Sabbath album coming soon, these guys needn’t have bothered.

Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”