Review KARG ‘Resignation’

Karg are from Austria, more precisely from the Salzburg region and is the brainchild of V. Wahntraum, who some of you surely know as J.J. from Harakiri For The Sky. However, the multi-instrumentalist started with Karg in 2006 before Harakiri For The Sky joined in 2011.

Karg make themselves scarce as far as live shows are concerned, as the project has mutated into a pure studio effort. As such, Karg regularly releases albums of which ‘Resignation’ is the latest offering.

J.J. also gives free reign to his creativity and puts six songs on the latest output. As expected, the project once again operates in the post black metal cosmos. Raging black metal parts are combined with hoarse screaming, followed by atmospheric moments where you get images like the artwork of ‘Resignation’ in front of your eyes. Just listen to ‘Was bleibt’. The opener combines all these elements, creating an 11-minute epic that lives through this sonic discrepancy.

While ‘Was bleibt’ fades away with rather calm sounds it is a kind of primal scream that stands at the beginning of ‘EBBE//FLUT’. With I.R. and S.M. (both E-L-R) J.J. has invited guests, which gives the song an extra level of variation.

What you already notice from the song titles is that Karg work with German lyrics where the local dialect comes shining through more than once. These lyrics were written by J.J. himself; with one exception. The vehement ‘Generation ohne Abschied’, with its blackened soul, is lyrically based on Wolfgang Borchert’s ‘Die traurigen Geranien’, which the bandleader transferred into the mentioned Austrian dialect. In addition, the song contains another moment of suspense. A sampler from the film ‘Bringing Out the Dead’ fits perfectly into the overall context of the song and offers a successful twist.

Karg (means ‘Barren’) releases with ‘Resignation’ a well-made record with a nuanced and powerful sound, full of emotions. Fans of melancholic and atmospheric black metal will appreciate this disc, especially during the dark winter days.