It seems like it took forever but Kargvint’s debut full-length, ‘Seelenwerks Fortgang’, is finally here. I remember hearing that this German one man act, led by Finistere Nachtvint, were preparing to record and release a debut some time late last year. The precise date as to when this record did FINALLY come out isn’t known, but it’s believed to have been some time in June 2008. Considering the anticipation and apprehension, I possessed mixed emotions upon entering this twisted portrayal of misanthropy. Having first heard the German band through the demo, ‘Once Killed Souls’, which was issued in 2004 (only four fucking years before this record) and that I enjoyed, the excitement was intense when I discovered that this record was finally out. Generally speaking, this record is a noteworthy addition of the black metal genre, particularly if you enjoy fast tempos, aggression and a dosage of ambient soundscapes.
Kargvint’s debut performance stands up as a solid start to the career of this band, which could stretch beyond eternity if the sound of this band manages to sustain it’s already formidable style. Kargvint aren’t fancy. Kargvint aren’t pretty. What Kargvint are is true to their roots and honest in their portrayal of black metal music. There are those who are going to consider this to be a depressive black metal record but, to me, that would be an unjustified tag upon this record. In my humble opinion, this is pure black metal, sticking to the traditions and values the second wave structured in to the industry. On occasions, I can hear a distinctive Nargaroth vibe, particularly in terms of drumming style and guitar leads, to the atmospheres and soundscapes that dominate much of the music. The Nargaroth era that I am speaking of is the best era, in my opinion, ‘Geliebte des Regens’ dominated the sound of that particular era. There are several elements of this record that remind me of that record, in terms of instrumentation. Song writing, which will be touched upon more later, must be heralded. The monotonous double bass, the repetition and the epitome of the Kargvint sound doesn’t become dull, only lifeless, but that’s the desired effect. The soul of this record is lifeless and addicted to negative emotion, which flows like a river of blood through the records soundscapes.
The first element would be the production. Although the sound quality is good, the instrumentation is often low. For example, the lead guitar, although it’s distinguishable amongst the other instrumentation that is occurring, the production is dark and dense, leading to a very distinctive sound which places more emphasis on the second guitar, which is played at a higher pitch than the first with it’s whirlwind of black metal wizardry effects. To me, the decision to make the overall sound of a low nature is to place more importance on bass, which is easily distinguishable also. Despite the heavy amounts of distortion that the lead guitar places upon the soundscapes, which depict traditional aspects of life like misanthropy, pain and suicide, the bass can be made out. It seems like Finistere Nachtvint has a game plan and that is to allow the low instrumentation to be accessible to the audience, despite the distortion, just like ‘Geliebte des Regens’ era Nargaroth. Kargvint clings on to the idyllic nature of the second wave and allows the listener to become nostalgic and reflective due to the formulated approach - repetition, repetition and more repetition.
For example, take the song ‘Death-Yell’. Despite the distortion to the guitar, the bass can easily be held above the desired distorted effects. Song writing is an element of music that often takes a bashing when it comes to black metal, but Finistere Nachtvint has shown his abilities to be able to include all aspects of the instrumentation to good effect. The vocals are a bit of a mystery. There are occasions when typical rasps are dominant, and then there are sections of the record where they play little or no role in the mixture. From rasps, to spoken vocals, Kargvint are certainly an expressive band, in terms of vocals. Whether or not I see this as a positive or a negative remains to be seen. To be honest, the vocals don’t play much of a part in my opinion for music anyway, besides when they’re totally out of place, which they are not. There are times when the listener is reminded of notable second wave influences like Burzum, especially when it comes to the powerful ambience which is generated by the repetitive guitars and assumedly ambient keyboards, much like of Burzum’s ‘Filosofem’. Although the keyboards, which generates a distinctive sound pattern, don’t play much of a role in the soundscapes, we are still left with more positives than negatives. Worthy.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=hJzdjyiwD04&t=1002s
