KARNIVOOL: Themata (PROGRESSIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

The clash of two continents, the confrontation of diametrically opposed cultures! While the old Europe and more precisely France discovered what was the "Metal" thanks to Tokio Hotel, Australia incensed Karnivool, the author of this "Thematha". To highlight this huge gap that separates us, we had to wait until 2007 and the re-release of this last album that was successful in his country in 2005 to discover this opus.

"C.O.T.E." and the eponymous track that opens the album are tracks combining the efficiency of metal with incisive riffs and unforgettable and heady melodies put forward by the superb organ of Ian Kenny! The first thing that strikes the listener when listening to this "Themata" is indeed the tremendous talent of Ian Kenny whose range is a clever mix of Jeff Buckley, Brandon Boyd (Incubus) and Maynard James Keenan (Tool).

In the same way as Chevelle, if we should classify and compare Karnivool, Tool comes straight away to mind because of the alternance of dark and melancholic titles and heavy titles with syncopated riffs, the whole in an undeniably progressive spirit... Progressive like the fantastic "Fear In the Sky", a real firework with its unstructured riff and an inspired break that any band of the genre would not have rejected! And what can we say about what comes next? Apart from the fact that the title can make you smile in our country, "Roquefort" turns out to be a powerful rock song particularly addictive that can remind you of Led Zeppelin.

But "Themata" is above all an album proposing catchy and lively tracks. In this vein, "L1fel1ke" will delight the fans of modern energetic metal in the manner of Incubus. If the sequence of the 12 tracks could seem redundant to the demanding ears of some listeners, the Australians awaken the possible skeptical ones with the huge polyrhythmic instrumental interlude "Scarabs" justifying the admiration of the musicians for Meshuggah and confirming that Karnivool is not limited to the only talent of Ian Kenny! And to better take the listener by surprise and justify the status of a band to follow, the Australians go on with a ballad "Swen and Silent" with bewitching melodies.

It's never too late to catch up. Don't hesitate for a second to have to listen to this promising band that has perfectly digested his obvious influences to make this "Themata" an album that, if it is not a must because of a certain sign of weaknesses at the end, is to be discovered urgently anyway! - Official website

KARNIVOOL

THEMATA

REPLICA

PROGRESSIVE METAL