Review: Karnivool - Sound Awake

Every once in a while, I come across a band that deserves to be a lot more famous and widely recognized than they are.  Sometimes these under-appreciated groups come out of left field with an album of unexpected technical skill and emotional impact, and I’m blindsided by appreciation.  Writing objectively about albums like this and avoiding the pitfalls of fanboy-like adulation is tough sometimes, but I’m attempting it here by reviewing the most recent album by Australian prog-rockers Karnivool, Sound Awake.  I have no shame in declaring that this album, released in North America in February 2010 (having been available in the band’s home country since the previous summer), is one of the most impressive pieces of work I’ve listened to in quite a while, and has quickly earned a place alongside my favorite albums of all time.  Seriously.  It’s that good.

Karnivool’s beginnings were relatively humble - the band’s early material found them focusing on a style of melodic alternative metal that wouldn’t sound out of place next to Sevendust or Breaking Benjamin - but even on releases like 2005’s Themata, their experimentation with time signatures, polyrhythms, and song structure suggested that they might have a little more in common with Tool or Meshuggah than their peers.  Both of those bands’ influence on Karnivool’s sound continues to be pretty obvious on Sound Awake (lead singer Ian Kenny’s vocals in particular owe a massive debt to Maynard James Keenan), but their sonic palette has expanded quite a bit to reflect the influence of other bands like Radiohead and Porcupine Tree.  What this all adds up to is a record that, while not as immediately metallic or riff-laden as its predecessors, is overflowing with ideas from all across the musical spectrum.  Sound Awake may not be quite as heavy as Themata, but what the band sacrificed in heaviness it made up for in ambition and dynamic control.  The album is, in a word, epic.  Practically every song is a roller-coaster of crescendos and decrescendos, dissonance and resolution, restraint and release.  The band hasn’t lost its metallic edge, that’s for sure; they’ve just learned to bring the heavy when it counts the most.  Case in point: “New Day” and “Deadman,” two of the album’s finest songs, both stretch out for well over eight minutes (in the latter’s case, over ten) and take every single second to build meticulously from subdued openings to ominous, building passages (a verse here, a bridge there, with little regard for the order in which these things usually come), finally reaching explosive, anthemic conclusions that make the entire journey more than worthwhile.  Even the shorter, radio-friendly songs on Sound Awake feel huge and expansive.  “All I Know” trudges along relentlessly while its melodies weave seamlessly around each other, buoyed by Kenny’s soaring vocals.  Album opener “Simple Boy” begins with an eerie marimba line before the rhythm section (comprised of Jon Stockman on bass and Steve Judd on drums, both delivering world-class performances on the album) storms in with a filling-rattling groove; however, guitarists Drew Goddard and Matt Hosking subvert the traditional headbanging guitar riff and take a more atmospheric, effects-laden approach throughout the song, making it all the more intense.  It’s this creative, expectation-defying mentality that makes the album so thrilling to listen to; Karnivool is clearly a band of unusual maturity for its members’ ages, and on Sound Awake, they display an incredible amount of songwriting and compositional talent.

Of course, this amount of conceptual ability wouldn’t be quite as impressive if the band didn’t have the chops to follow through.  Luckily, the gentlemen in Karnivool are more than up to the challenge of turning in killer performances to match their songwriting acumen.  As mentioned, Stockman and Judd provide a rhythmic foundation beyond reproach; Stockman’s bass playing in particular is quite impressive, alternating between a chugging low-end rumble and high-register countermelodies that provide great interplay with the guitar lines.  And both guitarists prove themselves as consistently creative, tasteful, and fun to listen to; their explorations with alternate tunings and effects lend each song its own distinct sonic identity, while the album’s heaviest moments feature detuned riffing that’s chunky, tight, and more than satisfying in every case.  Of course, Kenny’s vocal performance is top-notch, displaying the singer’s impressive range and tonal control.  Even the lyrics, often an Achilles’ Heel in bands such as this, are consistently good, without a single cringe-inducing or high-school-poetry-esque moment among them.  Clearly, I love this album.  Listening to it is always a great experience; it’s intricate enough that there’s almost always something new to notice, but visceral enough that it resonates on a deeper, emotional level every time.  Know that feeling?  Listen through to the climax of “New Day” and I guarantee you will.  Sound Awake is an amazing record, and Karnivool are positioned to become one of the biggest bands in the genre; if there’s any justice in the world, many more music fans will become aware of this incredibly talented band’s existence in the near future.  And I personally can’t wait to hear what they do next - if Sound Awake is any indication, Karnivool have a very bright future ahead of them.

Rating: 5/5

Standout Tracks:
“New Day”
“All I Know”
“Deadman”
“Simple Boy”
“Change (Part 2)”

Release Date (North America): February 16, 2010

Review: 30 Seconds To Mars - This Is War

From the beginning of their career, 30 Seconds To Mars have always had a penchant for big statements.  The band, led by actor Jared Leto on lead vocals and guitar, has released three albums in the past decade, and each one has been chock full of the kind of huge, anthemic rock that’s tailor-made to fill stadiums and blast out of car windows.  The band does have their progressive leanings - most heavily showcased on their self-titled debut, released in 2002 - but at their heart, Leto and company just want to make people sing along and pump their fists.  That fact has never been more obvious than on their 2009 release, This Is War.

30STM’s sound has evolved pretty drastically from album to album, and This Is War continues to take steps away from the chugging, theatrical industrial-metal that made up the majority of their debut.  One of two things that stick out like sore thumbs here is the heavy prevalence of synths and electronics - the band was clearly indulging their love of old-school synth-rock throughout the writing and recording process.  And for the most part, it works pretty well; most songs benefit from the programmed percussion tracks and 80’s-influenced keyboard patches that abound on the album.  Heck, “Hurricane,” one of the more enjoyable songs on the album, is based entirely around a pulsing electronica backbeat and synth-orchestra backdrop to Leto’s always-melodramatic singing - quite a big leap away from their blistering first single back in the day, “Capricorn (A Brand New Name).”  This isn’t a bad thing at all, though, since it’s actually a very satisfying song.  Of course, there are a fair share of rockers on This Is War, but the vibe this time around tends to be much more uplifting and less brooding than their earlier material.  Tracks like “Kings And Queens,” “Closer To The Edge,” and the title track are some of the most anthemic, singalong-inspiring songs 30STM have ever recorded, almost coming across as a heavier, goth-ier U2.  You’d think that the soaring, triumphant melodies in songs like these would be enough to incite plenty of singing along from the band’s fanbase, but it seems like 30STM didn’t want to take any chances, leading to the album’s other glaringly obvious trait: almost every song prominently features crowd vocals backing up Leto’s singing at key moments.  A small, lucky group of die-hard 30STM fans was invited into the studio to record these gang-vocal touches, and to their credit, their contributions really do add to the feel that the band was clearly going for - rabid throngs of followers hanging on Leto’s every word.  In a few places, it actually sounds like the crowd at a live show rather than a studio flourish.  In fact, if the band is guilty of anything on this record that would detract from its enjoyability, it would be simply laying it on way too thick.  The crowd vocals really don’t seem all that necessary sometimes, and the already-busy mix would be a bit less cluttered without them.  Also, Leto’s vocals are so over-the-top sometimes that it’s distracting - instead of coming off as earnest and convincing, his over-singing gets to ridiculous extremes on occasion.  30STM really did craft a good album with This Is War; it just seems like they were trying so damn hard.  With future releases, if the band lays back a bit and lets things come more naturally, the results would likely be even more inspiring.  Until then, This Is War will make a welcome addition to their repertoire, and fans of the band should certainly enjoy singing along to every word.

Rating: 3.5/5

Standout Tracks:
“Kings And Queens”
“Closer To The Edge”
“Night Of The Hunter”
“Hurricane”

Release Date: December 8, 2009