Perhaps the most colossal prog monolith ever to emerge from Down Under, KARNIVOOL, made their first big splash in the pool of Aussie prog already on February 7th, 2005, with their alternative-metal-tinted debut full-length “Themata,” distributed via MGM. In Finland, the band did not make much of a wave until their sophomore effort, the haunting prog-metal classic entitled “Sound Awake,” so I probably wasn’t the only Finn to find out about this magnificent record 4 years after its initial release. While the band’s later albums were to embark on a significantly more progressive trajectory, the highlights on this debut have stood the test of time rather remarkably – its anthemic title track has become a staple in the band’s live shows; the last time KARNIVOOL played in Helsinki, in late 2013, they ended the set with this magnificent beast. Blending the drop-tuned guitars of late-1990s alternative metal with the sonic quirks of early-2000s metal trends, this album paved the way, internationally speaking, for the oncoming wave of atmospheric Aussie-prog – bands such as DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, BREAKING ORBIT, and even THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, the last of which had been around since 1999 but was practically unknown in this neck of the woods, at least until the release of their haunting 2006 outing “Imago.”
The album kicks off with “C.O.T.E.” It traverses a sonic terrain somewhat similar to bands such as A PERFECT CIRCLE, CHEVELLE, and THREE DAYS GRACE. Upon first listening to the album, this did come as a slight surprise, given the intricate progressiveness of the band’s follow-up album, which had served as my entry point to their craft. While there are quite a few progressive elements on this outing, too, I wouldn’t call it progressive metal, per se, but rather an album representing class-A alternative metal. Yeah, there are some nu-metal flourishes, as well – “L1FEL1KE” was even stylized in that somewhat passé 1990s nu-metal fashion, almost as if to put an extra layer of LIMP BIZKIT on it, but I wouldn’t dare call this album nu-metal, either.
Every song on this debut was written by guitarist Drew Goddard and the band played these songs only after they had been recorded. This explains why the album lacks the quantum prog approach by which its successor became known. Powerhouse drummer Steve Judd, whose elastic drumming was to characterize “Sound Awake” to a resonant effect, later, had not yet joined the band. Nonetheless, ” Themata ” is a fine portfolio piece to put on Goddard‘s résumé.
Rumor has it that KARNIVOOL was originally formed as a “nu-metal inclined” project, with TOOL and DEFTONES as major influences. On this debut, you can still hear substantial traces of these two, although filtered through the prism of something essentially Australian; in the pedigree lineage of Aussie prog, there runs an undercurrent you cannot exactly put your finger on but it is something that instantly gives away that the band in question comes from Australia – and I’m not sure whether it started with this album or not, but it was certainly present already on this outing. So, while the album’s alternative-metal bangers, such as “Shutterspeed,” “Fear of the Sky,” and “Roquefort” all seem to adhere to the international standards of the genre, there is something essentially fair dinkum about them. (On a side note, the later rendition of “Roquefort” with EMPIRE HORNS brass section slaps even harder than this album version – so, check it out on Spotify! Coming to think of it, this funky beast echoes the sentiment of EARTHSIDE‘s recent endeavors into the funk realm with Larry Brags and Sam Gendel.)
As magnificent as the selection is, as far as quality riffs go, towards the end the album does drag a bit. After the instrumental oddball riffathon, “Scarabs,” which almost side-steps into the realm of MESHUGGAH, the remaining songs offer very little by way of variety, maybe the closer, “Change (Part 1),” notwithstanding. Well, it is an ambient outro of sorts, subtly heralding the awe-inspiring, atmospheric prog brilliance of the band’s next studio endeavor. Still, the song is something that might have worked better as an interlude, placed somewhere in the middle of the selection rather than closing the album.
Judging by this fine debut, I reckon there was no way of knowing that KARNIVOOL would offer such a magnificent curveball of progressive greatness just 4 years later. Okay, the brilliant Middle-Eastern-flavored riffing in the title track might have tipped some people off but, considering what I was listening to in 2005, in this neck of the woods, we had no idea. Most of us hadn’t even heard of this band yet. As a show of individual strength, “Themata” was quite a calling card for the band’s axe-slinger Goddard, whereas “Sound Awake” was to become a show of the band’s collective strength. In addition, the album is a nice throwback to the alternative-metal aesthetic of yesteryear – with a twist.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- C.O.T.E.
- Themata
- Shutterspeed
- Fear of the Sky
- Roquefort
- L1FEL1KE
- Scarabs
- Sewn and Silent
- Mauseum
- Synops
- Omitted for Clarity
- Change (Part 1)
Lineup
Ian Kenny – vocals
Drew Goddard – drums, guitars, backing vocals, string arrangements
Mark Hosking – guitars, backing vocals
Jon Stockman – bass, harsh vocals
Guest musicians:
Ray Hawkins – drums on track 6
Paul David-Goddard – spoken word on track 6
Emma Green – spoken word on track 6
Novac Bull – additional vocals on track 2
Leigh Miller – string arrangement on track 2
Eve Silver – string arrangement on track 8
Ezekiel Ox – whistling and castanets on track 5
Label
Independent (distributed via MGM)
