Music

Album Review – KARNIVOOL’s Sound Awake

Published

14 years ago

January 31, 2010

I got an e-mail a few weeks ago that had my digital copy of Guitar Edge within. Seeing as how Alice in Chains was on the cover and the cover promised several other interesting stories, I started clicking through the pages to see what was new in regards to gear, tabs, interviews and articles. One of the articles/interviews in the magazine was with an Australian band named Karnivool.

The description of this band perked every part of my musical interest. Progressive rock? A band compared to Tool and Porcupine Tree?? Crazy effects all over the guitars??? Hell yeah I was interested! The article was touting their new album, Sound Awake, and discussing various aspects of it, from production to song quality to lyrical content and more. But I’d had enough, I needed to hear it for myself and see if this album was worth it.

The album starts off with “Simple Boy”, a beautifully produced track that hooked me in for the rest of the album. The guitars are clearly defined although sometimes it’s hard to pick out the rhythm guitar from the bass. The lead guitars, however, cut through the mix very fluidly. The bass, thick with effects, is the foundation of the song (very Tool-esque) and has a very round sound, even though it is distorted and slightly fuzzy. The drums have a solid thump to the low end and a nice “sizzle” in the higher registers. There is a very cool spot near the middle of the song where the drums come in sans production effects, giving them a very raw and edgy sound. The vocals are at a perfect volume and the vocals harmonies are wonderfully placed, hiding just behind the main vocals, almost ghost-like.

Although “Simple Boy” has its moments of “rocking out”, I recommend, for fans of Muse or The Mars Volta, checking out the track “Set Fire To The Hive”. Faster paced with passages that beg for headbangers to unite, I found myself getting pumped up and hot-blooded.

Even with the amazing production and incredible song quality, it’s a bit exhausting trying to get through the album in one go. The album clocks in over 70 minutes long and the last two tracks are each over 10 minutes. On top of the length, these are not necessarily songs to just sit back and listen to. They require a bit of effort and investment to fully appreciate.

Overall, Karnivool manages stand right up next to Tool, Porcupine Tree, Muse and The Mars Volta while still being able to sound original and unique.

4 skulls out of 5

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

John Squires

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…