Karg – Resignation
Release Date: 25th November 2022
Label: AOP Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Post Punk, Blackgaze, Post-Metal.
FFO: Harakiri for the Sky, Lifelover, Sólstafir, An Autumn for Crippled Children.
Review By: Joe McKenna
Founded in the summer of 2006 as a one-man solo project, Karg is the expressive musical oddity of Michael V. Wahntraum (aka J.J), a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for post-black metal band Harakiri for the Sky. Although starting out as a solo project for J.J, by 2010 Karg has become a fully-fledged touring group, performing live across many parts of Central Europe as well as the band’s native Austria. Karg’s musical style is an immense fusion of ambient black metal and post-metal elements which have often evolved into other stylistic territories such as post-punk, shoegaze, and grunge. Releasing seven studio albums’ prior to 2022, the band has seen a drastic musical progression from songwriter J.J’s debut Von den Winden der Sehnsucht in 2008 to 2020s Traktat, Karg has utilised a variety of characteristics aimed at conveying themes of melancholy, depression, and self-destruction. Written in 2021 when J.J secluded himself from the world to a cabin in the woods, the eighth studio album Resignation proves to be one of Karg’s most experimental and emotional releases yet.
There’s a sense of beauty and grandiose attached to many of the tracks on this album that complements the moments of dejected realisation throughout the musical enactment. Warm, forbearing soundscapes fill the spaces whilst drummer P.F’s rhythmic progressions take hold of the overall drive. Yet there is a real sense of mourning within other aspects of the instrumentation, such as the harsh guitar tone which transcends us into more baleful territory, as are the lead vocals which scream with a lowly antagonised sense of despair. Early tracks such as Was bleibt and EBBE//FLUT configure this juxtaposed musical configuration well, for example the power of J.J’s leading vocals can be heard battling with the more sombre and nurturing tone of the backing choir sections by guest vocalists I.R. and S.M of E-L-R as if to emphasise the artist accentuating feelings of dread and longing.
Harsh dissonant black metal does have its ability to resemble terror and chaos, however, in this instance such tremolo picking, and blast beats have also been utilised in a more experimental fashion that renders a more emotional sense of torment and despondency, as much shoegaze-influenced black metal does. Yet, there is an intriguing way that the artist does this that unconventionally starts to lean into other genre traits, like the beginning of Grab der Wellen that produces a harsh, noisy post-industrial textures or the ambient, neoclassical dreamscapes of Generation ohne Abschied that run alongside the traditional use of instrumentation to convey darkness and anger.
Alongside the immersive vortex of trio guitar accompaniments by band members Daniel Lang, Chris Purch, and Georg Traschwandtner, this record also features many other guest performances that enhance the blissful experience. Klara Bachmair of Firtan offers some wistful violin work on a number of tracks, and Christoph Höhl’s trumpet and flügelhorn arrangements also on the opening tracks. Both vocally and lyrically, there are some interesting in how such characteristics are expressed with much of the lyrics being articulated using a dialect spoken in the Tennen Mountains, this authenticates the songs on this record even more making it more of an intimate and unique listen. It should also not go without mentioning the final two bonus tracks on this album being two very distinctive and contrasting covers, first Einen Traum weiter dort fangen wir das Licht (The Cranberries – Dreaming my Dreams) and finally, Fieberherz (Nothing – Fever Queen). Being rearranged in the manner that they have, and sung through this native form of dialect, these final bonus tracks actually work more effectively as a fitting way to end things.
A somewhat mystical, and very unique approach to the ever-evolving post-black metal subgenre, Karg’s Resignation is a wonderful and intriguing listen that offers plenty of room for experimentation. Through the immersive, harsh soundscapes, something quite dramatic and platonic, and with excellent musicianship that sees a range of different artists offer something new it allows Karg sees frontrunner J.J unleash his pain and anguish in a completely transcendental way, expanding into sonic territories totally beyond the realms of post-black metal. 
(4 / 5)
