Hot on the heels of their first European tour, the Karnivool cavalcade is winding its way around the country for the band’s sole tour of the year before they retire to work on their next full-length release.

FasterLouder spoke to guitarist Drew Goddard about how fans around the world were responding to their brand of Aussie prog rock.
Relaxing at his home in Perth, Drew Goddard couldn’t sound more relaxed. Having not long completed an eight-week European tour, the prospect of setting out for another month’s touring across sold out shows all over the red continent doesn’t seem to bother him.

“I don’t think anyone really had any expectation of this happening, apart from maybe pipedreams of one day becoming recording artists,” he remarked casually. “It’s sort of slowly unfolded like this. I don’t think anything happens without imagining it first, so I guess that was the first step.”

Imagination is something the five lads from Perth certainly aren’t lacking. Having begun as little more than a grunge cover band playing dives around the Western Australian capital, their reputation has grown from being as clown-like as their name, to becoming an Aussie success story, spearheading the prog rock revolution which has swept the country during the past few years.

“I’ve been in the band for nearly half my life,” Goddard laments, recalling the band’s humble beginnings in 1998. “I was really into the grunge thing back in the day, and Kenny got into metal, like Carcass and Sepultura. We even got into pop – Weezer and the like. Tool were big back in the day. We were into a lot of different stuff.”

This diversity of influences and willingness to experiment quickly spilled over into Karnivool’s music. This musical melting pot, which can be heard in raw form on their early EPs, soon culminated in the band’s breakthrough release, Themata, released in 2005. Heavy yet melodic, hooky yet complex, it has been compared with the likes of The Mars Volta, Tool, A Perfect Circle and Porcupine Tree.

Before long they’d clocked up album sales of over 30 000 without the help of a label, signed an international licensing deal and were getting positive reviews from major press around the world.

Goddard traces the beginnings of his musical passion back to a single moment in his childhood. “I remember when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit,” he recalls. “I would’ve been nine years old. There was something about it that really grabbed me. There was something intriguing about this guy who couldn’t really sing properly, and all these people jumping around. I was too young to really get it, but it was enough to inspire me.”

Musical blood was in the family. He was encouraged into music by his father, who was a singer/songwriter in the 70s. “I’ve got some of his vinyls in the closet here. He had a single called Sky High Rosery. I’d be surprised if anyone could find it, though,” Goddard laughs.

“Playing music and getting into music were two different things for me,” he explains. “My parents had me going to piano lessons up to the age of eleven, which I’m grateful for now, but at the time I hated every minute of it.”

The drums were initially Goddard’s musical weapon of choice, but his experimental nature soon saw him lend his hand to other instruments. “I still consider [the drums] to be my first and main instrument,” he said. “I studied at the [UWA] Conservatorium of Music on drums for a year, but I found it wasn’t really my thing. I started playing guitar around the same time. I still don’t know how I ended up playing guitar – I guess it was a medium that was a bit more accessible at the time. And it definitely got me more girls.”

Goddard finds it hard to pin down the many influences on his own music-making, which include such varied names as Nirvana, Devin Townsend,Meshuggah, Radiohead and Soundgarden: “These days I’ll listen to anything if it’s good. On my iPod I’ve got everything from Meshuggah to Sam Cook.”

After a four year wait, Karnivool’s sophomore release finally hit the shelves in 2009. Sound Awake, which debuted at #2 on the ARIA album chart, perhaps proved the band’s prog credentials, surprising critics with its lengthier songs and a more technical edge, all the while retaining the core alt-metal aesthetic.

“I think people I’ve spoken to are amazed by the difference between albums – it was a bit of a leap to the side,” Goddard said. “It wasn’t as mainstream as people expected, with long, winding songs and unconventional song structures. A lot of people seem to get it – at live shows, people say: ‘It just clicked.’”

Sound Awake is the first album Karnivool has written as a full collaborative unit. The use of different methods of composition and production aided the process of experimentation, keeping the ideas fresh.

“We jammed a lot and pieced it together,” he explains. “We went into the recording process with the songs half written. It made us make some snap decisions, which we were really happy with. Decisions got made that otherwise wouldn’t have if we had the time.”

Goddard makes it clear that the record’s different direction in sound was not something set out in a prior brief, “It definitely wasn’t conscious,” he recalls. “Everything we do, we try to consciously keep it subconscious. It often feels like there is something external we have to follow, but in the end this was the thing to happen.”

The band’s long-running relationship with prog rock producer Forrester Savell has been an important ingredient in all their releases. “I’ve known him from day dot. I first met Forrester at uni, where he was doing his sound course. He asked me to lay down some drums, bass and guitar, which eventually ended up on our first EP.”

“He’s got a great set of ears. He knows us and we know him. It was great working with him on Sound Awake – he really immersed himself. He didn’t involve himself in the song structure or writing, but he gave us just the sound we wanted.”

After such a long period of gestation, the band was relieved to see the album released. “It was amazing to finally get it together after investing a lot of blood and sweat into it. The feeling of accomplishment afterward was worth it – we were happy with the result.” Goddward enthuses earnestly.

Having since ventured to the United States and Europe to tour the album, in addition to some high-profile Big Day Out appearances back home, Goddard is pleased with the impact the record has made. “The Europe tour was the first time for us as a band,” he said. “Plenty of the shows were pretty mind-blowing for us. The Helsinki show was a highlight – we had 300 fans singing along to all the songs.”

With the New Day tour reaching its halfway point, Goddard is happy to return to a home crowd, in settings not unlike a number of very large house parties. “It’s our first and only Australian tour this year, so we’ll chuck in a couple of oldies, as well as showcasing Sound Awake,” he promises. “We’ll change it up for multiple shows, too – switch around the set lists. It’ll be a dazzling show.”

As the band prepares for one of their biggest shows yet – a spot at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, England next month, alongside a lineup of giants including Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Slayer – material for their next album is already in the pipeline.

“We’ve started already,” Goddard said, with a noticeable tinge of excitement, “we’ve got our own space in an area called Bayswater in Perth. It’s extremely early days, so we’ve got lots to work through. We’re also writing on the road, which is a new one for us.”

Goddard is unlikely to be drawn into giving any specific dates of release, however.

“I’m not going to do that this time,” he laughs. “It definitely won’t be as long as last time, though.”

Make sure you catch Karnivool at their last Australian dates for the year.