Nordvargr — Resignation IV

Nordvargr might be a name not altogether familiar in the UK, but to say that the Swedish musician is anything but ultra-prolific would be an understatement. Henrik Nordvargr Bjorkk assumed his middle name as an alias for what is nearly forty years spent blending metal, electronic and industrial music. His current Resignation project, ongoing for over fifteen years, is Nordvargr’s (very successful) attempt at dark ambient soundscaping metrically infused with repetitive beats. Two years on from the release of the Resignation trilogy box set, his latest instalment Resignation 4 picks up where its predecessor left off – bringing together dark techno, industrial ambient and electronic soundscapes in one highly cinematic combination. 

It all started back when he was just 16 and purchased his first synth, the Roland SH-101, swiftly leading Nordvargr and his friends to form industrial-synth combo Pouppée Fabrikk. Around the same time, he began to develop his love of all things electronic and ambient as part of black-industrial experimentalists Maschinenzimmer 412. Continuing to release music with both bands throughout the following decades alongside a whole host of other projects, Nordvargr launched his solo career in earnest around twenty years ago.

The Resignation series materialised back in 2008, when Nordvargr started mixing techno beats with old 78s inspired by S.A. Andrée’s 1897 balloon expedition to the North Pole. Sadly, the explorer crashed and froze to death - an apt framework for such deeply pervasive, black music. The project was actually forgotten until Nordvargr resurrected it in 2019 adding a third chapter and releasing the trilogy as a limited-edition deluxe box set in 2022. Fast forward two years, and we arrive at part four - another wonderful dose of ambient darkness and beat-driven soundscaping, which sees Nordvargr’s leaning hard into the rhythmic.

Again, available in a limited edition, Resignation 4 goes deep into the very essence of industrial music while pushing the boundaries above and beyond in this intense but ultimately rewarding piece of work. ‘Nibelvirch’ starts with a pseudo-glitch drone peppered with drips of electronic notes before hitting its stride with thunderous rhythm - a dark rave aesthetic with percussive beat replaced by a looping synth. ‘No Tears Wasted’ hits with dubstep crunch and cinematic electronics before those promised percussive beats arrive - dub techno, the sound of the underground and the beat increasingly incessant. ‘Our Lord of the Abyss – Part One’ plays with industrial drone, garbled voices trapped in the ether as synth pushes through the mechanical to an ambient flourish. ‘Silent Command Echo’ is a deep breath. Gentle lilting notes seep in before the industrial grind returns - drills, machines, welding. ‘Runa’ hints at soaring ambience with a 120bpm rhythm and undulating synth. But there’s no let up as the voices of the secret society permeate an intense and foreboding ‘Resistance’. And then the calm begins to return with the ethereal beat of ‘Our Lord of the Abyss – Part Two’ into the final battle of ‘Aska’ where buzzing drone gives way to the soaring ambience and whisper of ‘You’re all my Children’. A journey of fire, brimstone and a flicker of light.