Karg - Marodeur - review
Karg - Marodeur - review
Tracklist
01. Schnee Ist Das Blut Der Geister02. Findling
03. Yūgen
04. Verbrannte Brücken
05. Annapurna
06. Reminiszenzen Einer Jugend
07. Kimm
08. Anemoia
A review by
AndyMetalFreak April 25, 2025
Translating from German into English as "barren", Karg has been the solo project of J.J. (Michael Kogler) since 2006 (on top of his work with Harakiri For The Sky, he also has additional side-projects such as Lûs, and Seagrave, adding further to his impressive portfolio). Karg's style is mostly a combination of post-metal and atmospheric black metal, although influences such as post-punk, grunge, and shoegaze have been introduced over the course of the band's discography. The music is often powerful and melancholic, covering a range of themes centred around loss, estrangement, broken relationships, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, and depression that sprawl across lengthy mid-tempo songs.
It's arguable that Karg reached peak form with the impressive releases Dornenvögel (2018) and Traktat (2020), which preceded what was considered by some to be a minor drop in form with Resignation. However, swiftly after the stellar Harakiri For The Sky release Scorched Earth earlier this year, J.J. hopes to reignite Karg with its ninth album, Marodeur.
Across a hefty 54-minute duration that still somehow feels longer, Marodeur transports listeners with another lengthy, hypnotic journey filled with captivating melancholic soundscapes, the intentions of which are to wreak havoc with one's emotions. All lyrics are written in a dialect spoken near the Tennen Mountains of J.J.'s motherland in Austria where he grew up. While the lyrics are deeply meaningful and personal to him, understanding them needn't be a necessity, as each listener could experience and interpret something meaningful and personal through the music for themselves.
There's somewhat of a bittersweet feel to the music; it's depressing, even if not by DSBM standards, yet refreshing and uplifting. Following the same principle as previous albums, and not too far from that of Harakiri For The Sky, the style is mostly categorizable as post-black and atmospheric black metal. The song structures mostly consist of repetitive, hypnotic rhythms with pummeling, thunderous drums, and powerful build-ups that get more gripping and intense as they progress. The guitar work is a combination of mid-tempo doomy riffs and repetitive blackened tremolos, with occasional sorrowful melodic lead breaks and gentle acoustic sections. Depending on the song, backing vocals, various string instruments such as violin, synths, beautiful piano sections, and twinkling keys are also present in the background, courtesy of the guest musicians (violinist Klara Bachmair, pianist Michael Eder, and vocalists Perchta and Marko Kolac).
Instrumentation aside, the strongest element in the mix is the vocals. Any listener already familiar with J.J.'s vocals will understand they're an acquired taste; many will find his semi-harsh vocals to be monotonous and lacking variation, but I've always taken to them personally; his performance is never lacking in passion, and he gives a sense of real anguish and suffering, especially when he pulls off his occasional agonizing screams. Many would say he lets the music do the talking, but for me, his vocals do an equally grand job at reflecting the mood and complement the music well.
Once again, I find no particular song in particular to really stand out above the rest; instead, this is an album that I'd say requires full attention from start to finish, as you have to dig deep and feel what you hear from within. This is J.J.'s distinctive emotionally-charged melancholic approach, and it works remarkably well if this is the style you're seeking. Marodeur might not quite reach the heights of Dornenvögel or Traktat, but it feels like a step in the right direction once more, and a slight improvement on Resignation overall. There's something here that really draws you in, and if you allow it to get a grip on you it never lets go; I can really feel the emotional suffering and passion through his voice, as well as the sorrowful soundscapes conjured by the songs. No single moment or melody sticks with me as such, but as a whole the album has certainly left its mark.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written on 25.04.2025 by
Written on 25.04.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
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Posts: 64537
To me this is much better as his last few main band drops
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Posts: 6688 |
Posts: 6688 Written by Bad English on 14.05.2025 at 07:32 Agreed, he seems to have stepped it up this year, first with his contribution for Harakiri For The Sky then with this solo project.
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