Karnivool - Sound Awake (2009)

It has been four long years since Karnivool's last album, but with the release of "Sound Awake" comes the dawn of a new era for Perth based band Karnivool.

When you consider how long it has been between drinks, it is difficult to not bring some level of expectation to the table.

As one of the most anticipated releases of 2009, Karnivool have managed not only to craft a sonically diverse and evolving sound scape with their second LP "Sound Awake", but they have also avoided the dreaded ‘sophomore syndrome’ with the album debuting at #2 on the Australian charts.

There’s your obvious radio friendly singles scattered amongst the odd epic ten minute opus, but this is an album that needs to be listened to in it’s entirety in order to really appreciate it.

This album sees the return of Persona and Themata producer Forrester Savell, who manages to produce a clean, crisp sound with enough space between each instrument to let the listener pick up on the subtleties strewn throughout the album.

From the chunky bass that opens Simple Boy to the bee-like buzz of the guitar in leading single Set Fire to the Hive this is a partnership that obviously works really bloody well and each listener will revel in the continuing progression of their unique sound.

Karnivool have found their anchor in Savell and the production value here is amazing; you can tell from the meticulous qualities that Savell brings to the board that this is a match made to last.

"Sound Awake" has also retained that classic Vool aesthetic, however, the more collaborative song writing process that guitarist Drew Goddard has mentioned in recent interviews prior to the albums June 5th release is evident in each track, and Steve Judd’s nightmarishly difficult time signatures could make even the most earnest math rock chin stroker raise an eyebrow.

Some of the material is already a few years old, with tracks such as New Day having already made their live debut as far back as 2006.

The album’s stand out tracks include All I Know and Illumine, and the addition of a reworked Themata track Change at the end of Deadman before leading in to what has been dubbed by fans as Change (Part 2) gives us a taste of the new direction the band is moving towards.

Karnivool are currently touring nationally.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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