ALBUM REVIEW: Umbra – Kadabra
Along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, lies the city of Spokane, Washington. Surrounded by stunning mountains and turbulent rivers, it is the perfect place to inspire a fuzz-drenched, tempestuous, 1970s-influenced proto-doom album that feels like it’s throwing you down the rapids whilst on a trip to another realm.
Out of the mist and thundering down the mountains comes Umbra, the sophomore album for KADABRA. Formed in 2020, the band have quickly gained a reputation for being a captivating and explosive live act. Following on from their distinctly vintage sounding debut album Ultra, KADABRA have come back bigger and bolder than ever before. Building on the solid foundations that they laid down on Ultra, the American trio have created a mesmeric album of swirling organs, groove-laden riffs and captivating vocal melodies.
KADABRA certainly have a penchant for earthy, swampy doom riffs and they interlace them with moments of otherworldly psychedelia, soaring vocals and a bluesy American swagger. With sounds and textures that remind you of bands such as HIPPIE DEATH CULT, SAINT KARLOFF, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS and DEAD MEADOW, but with their own signature twist, KADABRA have certainly aimed high with Umbra as they look to launch themselves into the upper echelons of the heavy psych and doom worlds.
After relentless touring across the western United States and Europe, the cohesion and chemistry between long time friends Garrett Zanol (guitar, vocals), Ian Nelson (bass) and Chase Howard (drums) developed further and to a deeper level. This comes to the fore on Umbra, as the band’s sophomore effort is infinitely more cohesive and focused than its predecessor. There is a clear vision from start to finish, because of this it has allowed the band to strengthen their songwriting, which in turn has allowed the enchanting magic of their live performances to freely flow throughout the album. As a result, Umbra is an excitingly dynamic and energetic album.
The bluesy, proto-doom influences of the 1970s are at the core of this album. Wrapped around its chunky, swampy riffs are layered harmonies accompanied by a screeching rock organ that create a humongous wall of sound. KADABRA seamlessly shift between thunderous riffing and hypnotising psychedelia, layering melodies, scorching guitar leads and deep bass riffs and drenching them in thick fuzz or steeping them in deep baths of reverb, flange and delay. Like the changing tides, these waves of sound ebb and flow beautifully, showcasing a definitive evolution of the band’s sound.
There is also a slightly gothic element to Umbra; Zanol’s lyrics conjure up hazy images of occult practises, serpents and high priestesses taking part in powerful rituals. Yet it doesn’t use those images in the stereotypical way, there is an enigmatic nature to them which adds a layer of mystery to the album as the perspectives seem to shift with each track. This sets it apart from its predecessor quite significantly as it feels like KADABRA are exploring a single, multi-faceted theme of their own creation instead of dining out on heavy psych staple topics.
Umbra opens up with White Willows, a three-minute psychedelic instrumental track that sets the scene for the album; scorching solos, screaming organs and deep bass riffs hypnotise you before the long build up and ball busting riff drop of High Priestess. This track kicks the album into gear with an anthemic chorus and a high energy, pummelling riff that feels like BLACK SABBATH on steroids. Midnight Hour continues this thundering energy but injects it with a bluesy swagger that eventually permeates through the rest of the album.
The Serpent is more doomy than Midnight Hour, slowing the pace of the album ever so slightly but ramping up the fuzz to deliver a gut-punching series of riffs accompanied by an ethereal sounding Zanol as his vocals reverberate off of the walls of the abyss. The Devil carries on the slower vibe but feels more ritualistic; a bewitching staccato riff rhythm intersected by an ascending and descending lead creates a disorientating and hazy atmosphere which is driven forward by the searing rock organ. Battle Of Avalon takes you into the realms of Arthurian myth for a small moment with bombastic downstroke chugged riffs punctuated by the organ’s crazy flurries of notes which results in the most epic sounding song on the album. Mountain Tamer follows a similar template, but leans more into the band’s psychedelic side to create a trippy eight-minute magnum opus. Album closer The Serpent II is a surprising acoustic number that is a gentle finish to an otherwise raucous album.
KADABRA have followed up their debut in style. Umbra is a tight, cohesive and focused album that pushes them up to another level. No sophomore syndrome here, KADABRA are certainly ones to watch.
Rating: 8/10
Umbra is set for release on October 6th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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