Ultra. Kadabra

With songtitles like 'Graveyard', 'Faded Black' and 'Death' I was pretty sure Ultra would not be an album for me. Like most metal is not and certainly not when "doom", "death", "grind" is part of the description and even more so when "core" is added there. I would have to look up what the monikers accompanying Ultra were, but on the basis of the cover art I decided to listen and quickly fell in with a good, albeit hardrocking album.

Why the cover art mention?, you might ask. Well, because art, or band pictures, showing graveyards, crucifixes or heavily bodypainted men tell me I can 100% skip the album. Look at the artwork next to these words. A lot more intriguing, isn't it?

Ultra starts with a little electrical noise, a load of feedback followed by a couple of heavy riffs that fit with many of the great, classic hardrock bands from the early 70s. The singing adds a little psychedelia to it all. The vocal melody of 'Graveyard' certainly befits the modern psychedelic scene. I would say that Kadraba is the heavy little brothers of The Black Angels. to give one example.

Kadabra is a trio from Spokane, Washington that formed during the pandemic and started to write songs together that were recorded in the fall of 2020. Nearly a year later the record is there. Garrett Zanol plays guitar and sings, Ian Nelson plays bass, Chase Howard is the drummer. The three have found the right mix between the classic rock bands from 1970 and the modern psychedelic acts. This makes them sound dated in one way, yet makes them fit in as well.

The deep end on this record is taken care of so well. Zanol's singing is mixed fully over the songs, making them stand out. The man can sing, that may be an as good explanation as any, as many psych bands mix their singers somewhere out of earshot almost. Not Kadabra. Zanol obviously wants to be heard.

What I find attractive in Ultra, is the mix of the hard and dark riffs flying around my ears in combination with the dreamy way Garrett Zanol sings. He gives the songs a tremendously attractive extra layer. The combination actually plays the two against each other while combining them as well. Next to that Zanol's guitar rips up the whole album by shredding his snares to pieces.

In the bio it says the two guitarists chose Howard for the simple reason he was the best drummer in town. I can imagine he is. Playing in a trio setting, it allows him to really go for it. Something the other two did not have to say to him twice. The whole bottom of the album is taken care of. Inventive rhythms lie underneath each songs, powerfully played, with enough subtleties to stand out.

The bass is all over the place as well. Nelson plays some great bass runs over the drums and underneath the guitars. Clean or heavily distorted, both work extremely well here. As a whole the album reminds me a little of the debut album of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Ultra is heavier, the impact on me is about the same. Hard-rocking psychedelia with songs that are good enough to make a real impression. Riff on, Kadabra!

Wout de Natris