Kadavar always seem to hit you on multiple levels, don’t they? It’s never just one thing. It’s an album, and a tour. It’s a video, and an entire series of them. It’s a split, and a tour. It’s a tour, and a tour. And so on. Next month, the Berlin three-piece head out with Monolord. Fine. Fair enough. Those’ll be killer shows for the Europeans lucky enough to catch them. Oh, and they’re also releasing a live record called Live in Copenhagen — you’ll never guess where it was recorded — both as a standalone LP and on CD as part of a tour edition of their fourth and latest album, Rough Times (review here). Oh, and they have a video from the live record for “Into the Night,” which originally appeared in all its protometallic righteousness on 2015’s Berlin (review here). Oh, and they’re doing a behind-the-scenes series of mini-documentaries about being in the band and touring all the time.

You know, I bet they have new songs in the works too.

If you’re wondering how Kadavar got to be Kadavar, yeah, righteous songwriting helps. The ’70s retroist vibe of their first two records helped. Well-brushed beards help. But there are plenty of bands out there who do that stuff. Kadavar got to be Kadavar by working their ass off. It’s been six years since their 2012 self-titled debut (discussed here), five since their 2013 breakout, Abra Kadavar (review here), and guitarist/vocalist Christoph “Lupus” Lindemann, drummer Christoph “Tiger” Bartelt and bassist Simon “Dragon” Bouteloup have barely stopped to catch their breath. You need amphetamines just to keep up with Kadavar, let alone be in the band.

Look, the point is that even in this often abstract, often horrifying digital post-future it’s not just about social media presence or keeping up momentum on Instagram posts. That’s part of it, make no mistake, but if you’re not actually out there doing something worth plugging for all to see in their feeds on their phones, you might as well be punching yourself in the face. It all feeds into the same cause, and if four records deep into their career you might dare doubt Kadavar‘s belief in their cause, just glance at the fucking string of tour dates they’re about to do. I don’t care how big your bus is, you’re still sleeping on a cot and doing stretches of six shows in a row in five different countries. Kadavar get a lot of credit for putting out good records– and well earned — but they get less credit for how much they back those good records with time on the road and a multifaceted, multi-tiered, multimedia approach to audience engagement, and to me that seems no less passionate than the material they craft itself.

Tour dates below courtesy of the PR wire. Enjoy the video:

Kadavar, “Into the Night (Live)” official video

Berlin-based rock overlords KADAVAR have announced to release a brand new live album called Live in Copenhagen, featuring their infamous show at Pumpehuset in Denmark’s capitol in November 2017 during the band’s tour in support of the most recent album, Rough Times.

Today the band releases the music video for the live cut of ‘Into The Night” from the aforementioned live album.

The album will be available as a tour edition packaged with said studio album (CD only) and also be made available separately on vinyl (see formats below). It’s scheduled to drop on October 12, 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

Pre-order your copy here: http://www.nuclearblast.com/kadavar-roughtimeste

Make sure to catch the band on tour:
KADAVAR + MONOLORD
25.10. D Dresden – Beatpol
26.10. D Magdeburg – Factory
27.10. D Berlin – Festsaal Kreuzberg
28.10. D Rostock – Peter-Weiss-Haus
30.10. DK Aarhus – Atlas
31.10. S Malmö – KB
01.11. N Oslo – John Dee
02.11. S Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers
03.11. D Weissenhäuser Strand / Ostsee – Metal Hammer Paradise *SOLD OUT*
04.11. NL Den Haag – Paard van Troje
06.11. F Angers – Le Chabada
07.11. F Toulouse – Le Metronum
08.11. E Bilbao – Santana 27
09.11. E Murcia – Garaje Beat Club
10.11. E Málaga – Sala Paris 15
11.11. E Sevilla – Sala Custom
14.11. F Six-Fours-les-Plages – Espace Malraux
15.11. CH Lausanne – Le Romandie
16.11. CH Zurich – Mascotte
17.11. NL Eindhoven – Helldorado
18.11. NL Groningen – Vera
20.11. D Bielefeld – Forum
21.11. B Kortrijk – De Kreun
22.11. D Karlsruhe – Substage
23.11. D Leipzig – Conne Island
24.11. D Schweinfurt – Stattbahnhof
25.11. D Neukirchen – Sägewerk
27.11. D Cham – L.A.
28.11. D Munich – Backstage
29.11. D Bochum – Zeche
30.11. D Saarbrücken – Garage
01.12. D Freiburg – Jazzhaus
06.12. D Frankfurt – Batschkapp*
*KADAVAR only

Kadavar, Live Quickies Episode 1

Kadavar, Live Quickies Episode 2

Kadavar on Thee Facebooks

Kadavar on Twitter

Kadavar on Instagram

Nuclear Blast on Thee Facebooks

Nuclear Blast webstore

One assumes that the photo above of Berlin heavy rock magnates Kadavar was taken at this year’s Duna Jam. In the social medias post, they thank Sardinia, so yeah. The band’s new video below for “You Found the Best in Me” from last year’s Rough Times LP (review here) was filmed in the same location, what with the gorgeous beach and idyllic slow motion and whatnot. I don’t think that’s an effect, by the way. I think time actually slows down at Duna Jam. Just try to watch that video and tell me it doesn’t look like fucking magic there.

More to the point, Kadavar have a new live record that’s going to be released in vinyl Oct. 12 and on CD as a bonus with a tour edition of Rough Times. Fair enough, what with the massive run the three-piece are doing with Sweden’s Monolord between October and December. Kadavar and Monolord on tour together. What a god damn show that would be.

Anyhoozle, video’s at the bottom of this post if, like me, you care to daydream of literal foreign shores. Info on the live album and tour dates are in blue as well, as hoisted from the PR wire:

Kadavar Announce Live in Copenhagen Live Album

Release “You Found The Best In Me” Music Video

Berlin-based rock overlords KADAVAR have announced to release a brand new live album called Live in Copenhagen, featuring their infamous show at Pumpehuset in Denmark’s capitol in November 2017 during the band’s tour in support of the most recent album, Rough Times.

The album will be available as a tour edition packaged with said studio album (CD only) and also be made available separately on vinyl (see formats below). It’s scheduled to drop on October 12, 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

Pre-order your copy here: http://www.nuclearblast.com/kadavar-roughtimeste

Furthermore the band has released the official video for the song “You Found The Best In Me” from Rough Times.

Tracklistings:
Rough Times tour edition bonus CD
1. Skeleton Blues
2. Doomsday Machine
3. Pale Blue Eyes
4. Into The Wormhole
5. The Old Man
6. Die Baby Die
7. Black Sun
8. Living In Your Head
9. Into The Night
10. Forgotten Past
11. Tibulation Nation
12. Purple Sage

Live in Copenhagen Vinyl
1. Skeleton Blues
2. Doomsday Machine
3. Pale Blue Eyes
4. Into The Wormhole
5. The Old Man
6. Die Baby Die
7. Black Sun
8. Living In Your Head
9. Into The Night
10. Forgotten Past
11. Tibulation Nation
12. Purple Sage
13. All Our Thoughts
14. Come Back Life

Make sure to catch the band on tour:
SUMMER FESTIVALS
24.08. D Wörrstadt – Neuborn Open Air

KADAVAR + MONOLORD
25.10. D Dresden – Beatpol
26.10. D Magdeburg – Factory
27.10. D Berlin – Festsaal Kreuzberg
28.10. D Rostock – Peter-Weiss-Haus
30.10. DK Aarhus – Atlas
31.10. S Malmö – KB
01.11. N Oslo – John Dee
02.11. S Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers
03.11. D Weissenhäuser Strand / Ostsee – Metal Hammer Paradise *SOLD OUT*
04.11. NL Den Haag – Paard van Troje
06.11. F Angers – Le Chabada
07.11. F Toulouse – Le Metronum
08.11. E Bilbao – Santana 27
09.11. E Murcia – Garaje Beat Club
10.11. E Málaga – Sala Paris 15
11.11. E Sevilla – Sala Custom
14.11. F Six-Fours-les-Plages – Espace Malraux
15.11. CH Lausanne – Le Romandie
16.11. CH Zurich – Mascotte
17.11. NL Eindhoven – Helldorado
18.11. NL Groningen – Vera
20.11. D Bielefeld – Forum
21.11. B Kortrijk – De Kreun
22.11. D Karlsruhe – Substage
23.11. D Leipzig – Conne Island
24.11. D Schweinfurt – Stattbahnhof
25.11. D Neukirchen – Sägewerk
27.11. D Cham – L.A.
28.11. D Munich – Backstage
29.11. D Bochum – Zeche
30.11. D Saarbrücken – Garage
01.12. D Freiburg – Jazzhaus
06.12. D Frankfurt – Batschkapp*
*KADAVAR only

https://www.facebook.com/KadavarOfficial/
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https://instagram.com/kadavargram/
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Kadavar, “You Found the Best in Me” official video

The three-word title of Causa Sui‘s Live in Copenhagen, while accurate, hardly conveys the true scope of what’s contained on the release. One expects a certain amount of breadth from the Danish heavy psych masters at this point, especially after their last couple studio offerings, 2013’s Euporie Tide and 2016’s Return to Sky (review here), but across three discs, a span of three years and a total runtime of nearly three hours — two hours and 40 minutes, anyhow — Live in Copenhagen finds Causa Sui at their most exploratory on stage. 2014’s Live at Freak Valley (review here) might be considered a precursor, but even that collection didn’t bring in the temporal dimension the way Live in Copenhagen does, feeling more like a compendium as it captures the release shows for both Euporie Tide at Dragens Hule and Return to Sky at Jazzhouse.

Presented via their own El Paraiso Records as a limited 3LP box set, Live in Copenhagen then is more of an audio documentary than a a standard from-the-stage offering, and both the quality of the recordings — mic’ed, mixed and mastered by the band’s own guitarist Jonas Munk — guest spots from Papir guitarist Nicklas Sørensen and saxophonist Johan Riedenlow (who appears at both shows), a cover of Agitation Free and a 17-minute take on/homage to John Coltrane‘s “A Love Supreme” to close out the Dragens Hule set only further the there’s-something-special-happening-here vibe of the included material, and so there truly seems to be. As someone who’s never had the pleasure of watching Causa Sui perform on stage, Live in Copenhagen obviously brings forth more than the standard show would, but nonetheless offers an immersive representation of their range, chemistry and flow.

No second is wasted in demonstrating precisely those aspects as the Dragons Hule set — which comprises the first two of the three platters of the release — begins with a 13-minute rendition of Euporie Tide closer “Eternal Flow.” Causa Sui immediately signal their will to use their studio material as a launch point rather than something to be directly emulated, and so they vibe their way through that song and all that follows, whether it’s the subsequent “El Paraiso” from their 2005 self-titled debut (released by Nasoni), the drift-into-noise-wash-into-drift-into-noise-wash of “Mireille” or the 15-minute megajam “Portixeddu / Tropic of Capricorn,” which brings forth Riedenlow‘s sax for a first appearance. Ideas are fluidly engaged and followed, and while one might expect that, at a release show, they’d play what was then the new album front-to-back or at least in full, only “Eternal Flow,” “Mireille,” “Homage” and “Euporie” represent Euporie Tide, as the band’s interests clearly lie in pursuing something greater than promoting a single release.

Can’t fault them the outcome, and as Munk, drummer Jakob Skøtt, keyboardist Rasmus Rasmussen and bassist Jess Kahr bring out Sørensen and Riedenlow throughout the proceedings, they lose nothing of the blissful atmosphere they’re able to harness on their own. In fact, it’s “Portixeddu / Tropic of Capricorn” and the subsequent dreamscape of Agitation Free‘s “First Communication” that finds them at their most dug in, though I won’t take anything away from the funked-up fusion experimentalism of “A Love Supreme” either — parts of it work, parts seem like they’re about to dismantle themselves; that’s the point of the song — but as they go, they keep a steady balance through the relatively grounded “Homage” and the Summer Sessions roller “Red Valley” leading into “Euporie” and the aforementioned Coltrane classic. By the time they’ve gotten there and are rounding out the Dragons Hule set en route to the Jazzhouse, it’s little wonder they started out with “Eternal Flow” what already seems like eons and light-years ago; that track would seem to be a mission statement as much as hypnotic beginning to a spellbinding psychedelic convocation. Or, to be blunt about it: one hell of a show.

A couple years later sees Causa Sui and Riedenlow back on stage together, this time at the Jazzhouse, to mark the arrival of Return to Sky. No minor occasion, as that record could easily be argued as the band’s most stylistically expansive to-date, as though they brought the jazz-minded twists of “A Love Supreme” to their own next batch of material. I suspect the venue they chose for the release show isn’t a coincidence either, and as the setlist is a little more representative of the most recent work, with “The Source, “Dawn Passage” and “Mondo Buzzo” included along with Summer Sessions pieces “Rip Tide” and “Eugenie” before they close with “Ju-Ju Blues” from Euporie Tide, the feeling is a little more forward in its intent than it had been at Dragons Hule. Pieces on the whole shorter individually though still marked as Causa Sui‘s own thanks to the significant flow conjured throughout, and wherever they head, the care they put into their execution comes through without taking away from the naturalism on which their style is built.

To wit, they’re no less at home in the full-on fuzz push of “The Source” than they are in the patient and otherworldly progressive nuance of “Dawn Passage,” and while the Jazzhouse set is less expansive time-wise than Dragons Hule at 57 minutes, the approach that Causa Sui bring to the second of the two included shows here is all the more sure-headed for the years that have passed since the prior release gig. Similar to the jump from one album to the next, the jump from one show to the next on this release sees them become a more established and mature outfit. One could easily make the argument that going into Euporie Tide, the four-piece were well in control of their direction — and I’d definitely agree with that — but Return to Sky found them even more so making conscious decisions on how to expand their palette, and the ease with which Riedenlow slides his sax lines into “Eugenie” at the Jazzhouse reaffirms the success of these efforts. To once again be blunt about it: another hell of a show. Perhaps even more so than its predecessor for how vital and engaged the band sounds in the work they’re doing.

After more than two and a half hours’ worth of live Causa Sui, frankly, the thought of more seems needlessly greedy. Still, there’s a part of me that can’t help but wonder how they’ll sound at the release show for their next studio offering. There’s no date set for another release or anything, and I’d think it’s probably more likely they’ll dig into a collaboration or a jam-type outing before they actually get there — following this or that exploratory whim as they’re prone to do — but whenever they get there, how the progressive arc one can trace from Dragons Hule to the Jazzhouse might continue to flourish along what seems to be a developmental trajectory no less palpable than that from one full-length to the following. I wouldn’t speculate as to whether or not they’ll commit to the notion of putting out a corresponding live album for whatever release show they end up next playing, if they do one at all — we live in a universe of infinite possibilities — but between the laughable understatement that Live in Copenhagen‘s title highlights and the expanses contained within the release itself, it’s difficult to hear Causa Sui sound so manifest, so realized as a group, and not still think of the potential they have going forward.

Causa Sui on Thee Facebooks

El Paraiso Records on Thee Facebooks

El Paraiso Records on Twitter

El Paraiso Records website

If you’d like to make yourself sad this morning, afternoon, whatever, go ahead and take a listen to the streaming live Causa Sui track at the bottom of this post and realize that the limited-to-300-copies-3LP-plus-bonus-10″ version of Live in Copenhagen has already sold through its pressing on preorders. The regular 3LP box is still available, as is the CD for those of us who retain an affection for the format, and honestly, I don’t think there’s much more you really need to know about it other than it’s Causa Sui caught live at the release shows for their last two albums, they cover John Coltraine, and Niklas from Papir sits in on one of the sets. No wonder that shit’s already sold out. I’d buy it twice just to make the point, and I may yet.

Those who heard it will recall that the Danish band’s last live outing, 2014’s Live at Freak Valley (review here), was little short of manna from heavy psych heaven, so it goes without saying that if you haven’t yet gotten your order in for Live in Copenhagen, you probably want to get on it.

And seriously, take a listen to “Eternal Flow” down at the bottom of the post. Might make you sad. Will also make your day.

Behold:

Causa Sui – Live in Copenhagen – El Paraiso Records

This limited boxset captures Causa Sui at two very special nights: At the release parties of Euporie Tide (2013) & Return To Sky (2016). While the two albums are tight and meticulous sizes, that helped propel the band to the very pinnacle of European stoner-psych, this heavy package documents the band at their most free and adventurous. Since the band seldomly performes live, this may very well be your best chance to experience what the band is capable of at their best! One show is recorded at avantgarde institution extraordinaire Jazzhouse, while the other captures the sounds of legendary underground venue Dragens Hule in a warm summer night of 2013, where the band played in front of a small, ecstatic crowd until the wee hours. Both shows were recorded multitrack with an A-grade selection of mics and mixed and mastered by Jonas Munk.

During these three discs Causa Sui aren’t merely running through classic cuts from the catalogue. Each track is explored, reinterpreted and given new life – often straying far away from its original roots with a fervent energy. One minute the band is bluesy and heavy, the next they’re repetitive and blissed-out or venturing into a cacophony of Albert Ayler-like sax bursts, free-form electronics and feedback. Swedish saxophone player Johan Riedenlow joins both shows and Papir-guitar player Nicklas Sørensen occasionally adds his magic to the Dragens Hule set – including a towering 13-minute version of Eternal Flow, that seems to channel the energy of mid-1970s Popol Vuh, as well as a breezy cover version of Agitation Free’s ”First Communication”.

”Ju-Ju Blues” from the Jazzhouse set is Causa Sui at their most fuzzed out and Hendrixian, reaching new improvisational heights, whereas ”Dawn Passage” feels like an obvious fusion of Tame Impala and Allman Brothers. On the Dragens Hule sets the band goes all the way out! ”Portixeddu / Tropic Of Capricorn” turns Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis into a crazed sludge-fest, and fan-favourites ”El Paraiso” and “Red Valley” appear here in their ultimate versions. To cap things off the band delivers a 17-minute exclusive tribute to John Coltrane’s ”A Love Supreme” featuring both Johan Riedenlow and Nicklas Sørensen.

The vinyl version of Live In Copenhagen comes as three LPs in heavy duty sleeves packed in a deluxe slipcase box. Limited to 1000 copies.

140 minutes worth of music – recorded at the release parties of Euporie Tide & Return To Sky.

Jazzhouse
01 Rip Tide 6:38
02 The Source 4:42
03 The Juice 8:53
04 Mondo Buzzo 8:35
05 Dawn Passage 9:48 *
06 Eugenie 8:00
07 Ju-Ju Blues 10:45

Dragens Hule pt. 1
01 Eternal Flow 13:01
02 El Paraiso 12:20
03 Mireille 7:39
04 Portixeddu / Tropic Of Capricorn 15:22

Dragens Hule pt. 2
01 First Communication 6:30 (Agitation Free)
02 Homage 9:28
03 Red Valley 10:13
04 Euporie 11:58 *
05 A Love Supreme 16:47 (John Coltrane)

* Digital bonus tracks

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