Find yourself in shanebutler’s gallery
Coming to the end of a highly successful album tour, the four year wait for a follow up recording had done little to faze the crowd whose passions had only intensified. The talk in the line of past performances and favourite tracks raised expectations of the legendary night to come.
Opening the show, locals Sugar Army had something very Brit about their sound and show that evening that might have thrown off the metal heads. Well advanced for a Perth band with a sense of destiny that will take them far beyond western shores their support slot was well and truly deserved and could have stolen the show if it wasn’t for Karnivool front man Ian Kenny keeping a watchful eye from side of stage.
Tongue in Cheeks bellowed out with guitars sounding like foghorns through the soupy consistency of the downstairs crowd. Sugar Army delivered a measured performance starting at moderate volume and to then flinging into crazed action with lead guitarist jumping about like a cornered rat.
Performing under great lighting, the band cast darkness in full glare with macabre tones. Tight instrumental control gave their strongest tracks Now you’re old enough I think that you should know… and Acute a reliable working over. With their debut album to be released in a week it’s certain they’ll gain crowds nationwide similarly prepared to stand in fish scales to get the best view in the house.
Following the opening set a short sound check had the drums getting a smashing, making the floor vibrate in anticipation of the earthquake to come. With the house lights dimmed, a few more moments were taken to get down some florescent tape while a chant started up in the crowd.
A drum roll, a buzz of frequencies and the chimes of a xylophone welcomed onstage the main act introduced by the opening bars of Simple Boy. With varying textures of sound, the first track off Sound Awake was an apt launching platform for Karnivool’s brilliant display. Everyone dressed in black, but not a mourner in sight, the band had the crowd rejoicing, head banging from the start.
Like a praying mantis engaged in a mating dance Kenny was a strange specimen to behold: spitting water over the stage; bobbing his head; looking cockeyed and side-on at the crowd.
The rattle of guitars on the epic Goliath felt like seismic shakes through the upstairs balcony. From their debut; Shutterspeed then Themata with the crowd singing every word that finished with a round of applause from the band in appreciation.
It got dangerous down front when COTE broke through the sound barrier from crescendo to almighty crescendo. New Day was so familiar it was easy to forget it was from Sound Awake. Caught in lights thrown across the room heads could be seen nodding in time and mouths opening and closing as word for word the lyrics were uttered back.
Bassist Jon Stockman was rigid through his shoulders, but was lightning fast up the fret board. Guitarists Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking produced a rousing thrash and often made use of the technology set out in front of them creating loops and layers of instrumentation. Drummer Steve Judd at some point went shirtless, increasing his mobility through demanding solos.
While the audience threw their bodies forward in a praising, hailing motion, Fear Of The Sky was a great demonstration of vocal control. Deadman, Umbra and Themata rounded out the last few tracks mesmerising all in attendance before Roquefort blew the ear drums into next week with an exhilarating barrage of metal. The encore united old and new material with Change Part 1 and Change bringing in a solo vocal to start, an acoustic guitar in the middle and a keyboard refrain to end.
Hypnotic, mesmerizing and utterly addictive Karnivool’s live show is positioned at the peak of Australian hard rock and appears to be getting better.
to listen to their music now on 
