I can still remember the first time I heard Aussie proggers KARNIVOOL as if it happened yesterday. It was the video single, “All I Know” from their widely acclaimed 2009 masterpiece “Sound Awake.” Then, when I checked out the whole album, it was one of those “Neo takes the red pill” moments of my life. Those finely detailed prog epics were out of this world! Their penchant for proggy time signatures and structural intricacies resonated with a good pinch of TOOL, yet the band sounded entirely different. A few years later, “Asymmetry” (2013) failed to hit just as hard, even though it was (and is!) a good album; I reckon, you can red-pill yourself only once. Then the band disappeared for the next 13 years. Midway through 2025, the band dropped a banging single, “Drone,” which teased us into hoping for a new album, especially because it came out with a promise that it would be “just the beginning.” Yeah, right. I must admit I wasn’t holding my breath that I would ever see a new studio album from this bunch. While some Australian, more or less progressively leaning outfits seem to have this quirky habit of going on a lengthy hiatus only to come back with a bang – I’m looking at you, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT and COG! – There are way too many Aussie bands that have gone into a total radio silence after some killer albums – BREAKING ORBIT, whatever happened to you? So, I guess I was afraid that KARNIVOOL would join the latter club. Well, they didn’t! The release of their fourth studio album, “In Verses,” through Cymatic Records was officially announced last year with a couple of new singles along the way. I bet this news was every bit as hoped-for as the release of the new TOOL album back in 2019, albeit in their case, the 13-year wait worked slightly against them: there was no way the album could live up to the stellar expectations – and, quite frankly, it didn’t. In retrospect, “Fear Inoculum” sounds much better now, but it sure presented a cautionary tale of how time is a tricky bastard. So, how does “In Verses” fare with the weight of all these years?
Well, for one thing, the album sure kicks off with a blast! “Ghost” resonates with a subtle Middle-Eastern vibe similar to the band’s biggest banger of all time, “Themata,” the title track from their 2005 debut. Yeah, I reckon that if you want to come back from such a lengthy hiatus, you’d better do it like this. The riffs bite every bit as hard as those on their sophomore album, and vocalist Ian Kenny‘s vocal stature is as huge as ever. The song has “We’re so back!” writ all over it in giant, neon letters. Oh, yes! Welcome back, dudes!
The band’s signature, atmospheric-prog tricks in the single, “Drone,” had already impressed me when it came out last year. The song is basically all of KARNIVOOL‘s trademark fortes solidified into a 5-minute banger. The song subtly echoes the atmosphere of “Aeons,” one of the best bangers from “Asymmetry,” only this time, the riffs pound a bit harder. The follow-up track, “Aozora,” was also one of those early singles released in 2025 that proved to be yet another banger with hard-slapping riffs. So, three tracks into the new album, it begins to look a lot like the 13-year wait was well worth it.
Okay, not all of the tracks are high-octane riffers. The first half of the 8-minute epic, “Conversations,” could be a ballad, in terms of tempo, at least. While the song is not such a spine-chilling, epic journey like, say, “Deadman” or “Change” on “Sound Awake,” the tension is nicely built toward the end, so that when the song is over, you won’t exactly feel as though you’ve just listened to a ballad. Then, “Reanimation” slows things down even further. I’m not sure why the band opted for having Guthrie Govan feature as a guest guitarist when the guitarists, Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking, could have pulled just as expressive lines – I mean, their signature styles aren’t that far from Govan, to be honest. Then again, would I turn down the opportunity to have one of my musical heroes feature on my album? Probably not. The song is not bad at all.
Next up, “All It Takes” is one of the earliest singles from this new effort, released already in 2021. Yeah, I remember the song. When it came out in the middle of the Pandemic, I thought we’d finally have a new KARNIVOOL album. When no such thing happened, I was gravely disappointed. I reckon it was one of the reasons I couldn’t take the vague promises of last summer that seriously. The song is one of the absolute highlights of the album with its tight riffs and Middle-Eastern flourishes. The band seems to be well aware of their fortes and does not stray too far from them. Then again, the lineup has remained the same from 2004 or something like that; I guess you’d be hard-pressed to find a more cohesive rhythm section than Jon Stocman and Steve Judd anywhere. The latter is also one of the best damn prog drummers around, hands down!
After the catchy, uptempo riffer, “Remote Self Control,” the album steers into a mellow mood for the last two tracks. The single, “Opal,” is a cinematic, arena-rock-tinged ballad type of thing, but it has enough progressive twists and turns to not rub you the wrong way. I mean, I hate ballads with a passion, but there is something irresistible in this song. Finally, “Salva” closes the album with a slow-building, almost anthemic arc that’s straight from the post-rock realm. The song features even bagpipes! Fear not, the song is nowhere near “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll” by AC/DC, but it does raise the question of just where the hell do these Australian bands get the idea that bagpipes should be played in a rock song?! Wouldn’t didgeridoo be more like their home turf? The song is pretty good, don’t get me wrong, but as a closer, it is no match for “Change,” which closed the original edition of “Sound Awake” – Spotify is not to be trusted on this one. It is better than the ambient piano piece, “Om,” which closed “Asymmetry,” However. So, “In Verses” is by far not a perfect album, but even with its minor blemishes, it is one hell of a comeback! I just hope that this new life will bring them to Finland again. It’s been a while, dudes!
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Ghost
- Drone
- Aozora
- Animation
- Conversations
- Reanimation (feat. Guthrie Govan)
- All It Takes (2025 Remastered Version)
- Remote Self Control
- Opal
- Salva
Lineup
Ian Kenny – vocals
Drew Goddard – guitars
Mark Hosking – guitars
Jon Stockman – bass
Steve Judd – drums
Label
Cymatic Records
