Although joking that they’re all a little uglier, hairier and older now, a decade after issuing their first album, Ian Kenny believes Karnivool are ‘‘hard-wired to move forward’’.
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‘‘We’re a bit wiser,’’ the singer said.
‘‘I think we’ve got a better handle on the idea of music, how to approach it, what it really means.
‘‘We still write the same way; it’s still walking through the dark until we find something that we really think is the right thing.
‘‘We really openly wore our influences on our sleeves, and now we’re a bit more subtle about creating what is Karnivool, and Karnivool now is very much its own thing.’’
Released in 2005, the harder-edged Themata was the Perth act’s first full-length.
Having broadened their sound to craft some truly labyrinth-like compositions since then, the progressive/hard rock band has released a further two successful LPs, 2009’s Sound Awake and 2013’s Asymmetry.
Australian No1 chart positions, gold certifications, ARIA Awards, appearances at high-profile festivals and extensive overseas touring have followed.
The band will honour their origins via the upcoming Themata anniversary tour, during which they’ll perform the album in its entirety.
‘‘I think Themata is what started everything for Karnivool really, and that’s what really connected with our fan base,’’ Kenny said during a break from studio work with Birds of Tokyo.
‘‘More importantly, it’s probably one of the most important records to our fans.
‘‘It still stacks up compared to the other ones, like the core fans still hold it really dear to their hearts,’’ Kenny said.
By the time Themata was released they’d played many shows in their home state of Western Australia, but a national tour with Cog in 2005 proved a breakthrough.
“We toured our balls off after that,’’ the vocalist laughed.
Despite this, some Themata material has been rarely, if ever, aired live.
‘‘We’re just such different people now, and mechanically a different band now.
‘‘It was such a good time for Karnivool, putting out that record.
‘‘We worked so f...ing hard on it, and it took like three years to get it to where it needed to be for a debut for us, and what we considered good enough.’’
During their formative years, the band existed on the fringes of the metal scene, often supporting international acts such as Sepultura, Strapping Young Lad and Soulfly.
‘‘It was an interesting time for the band, because Karnivool’s not a metal band.
‘‘It’s a heavy band, there’s heavy parts that are always going on, but we’re not metal.
‘‘Some of them went really well, and some of them we were up against it.
‘‘Like hardcore metal fans really didn’t want Karnivool there, and were so vocal and physical about it. ‘‘We never knew how it was going to go, but we always welcomed the challenge.
‘‘Just by getting through that we won a bunch of fans, but it wasn’t always the easiest gig.”
KARNIVOOL: UniBar, University of Wollongong, Thursday, April 30, click here for tickets