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<\/p>\nThirteen years is a lifetime in the world of popular music.<\/p>\n
Especially these days, when the industry is shaped by the rapidly shifting trends of algorithms. Most band careers must work with, or inevitably against, the (short) attention economy.<\/p>\n
But Karnivool are not most bands.<\/p>\n
One of Australia’s most respected and important heavy music outfits, Karnivool have built a career upon crafting finely detailed epics that handsomely reward the concentration they require.<\/p>\n
Between their 2005 debut Themata and critically revered 2009 follow-up Sound Awake, the Perth-bred five-piece established a pioneering approach that expanded the boundaries of what homegrown rock could be.<\/p>\n
Fusing alt-metal oomph with prog rock’s tricky time signatures and structural intricacy, they’ve achieved platinum-certified sales and international renown, playing to large audiences across Europe, the UK, and \u2014 one of their biggest markets \u2014 India.<\/p>\n
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Karnviool’s fourth album In Verses is a triumphant comeback. (Supplied: Cymatic Records)<\/p>\n
Their fans are a dedicated but also extremely patient bunch.<\/p>\n
This week marks the release of Karnivool’s long-awaited fourth album, In Verses.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a long time in the making,” says guitarist Drew Goddard.<\/p>\n
That’s an understatement. In Verses is the group’s first album since 2013’s chart-topping Asymmetry. The pinch-yourself sense of relief, for band and fanbase alike, is palpable.<\/p>\n
“It’s massive,” says vocalist Ian Kenny. “When we left the studio at the end of May 2025, we were like, ‘Holy crap, we’ve done it!'”<\/p>\n
Worth the wait<\/p>\n
In Verses is a worthy addition to Karnivool’s esteemed discography. It possesses much of what makes them beloved \u2014 atmospheric soundscapes, juggernaut grooves, emotive melodies \u2014 but also puts fresh perspectives on familiar signatures.<\/p>\n
The interplay between Goddard and fellow guitarist Mark “Hoss” Hosking defines shape-shifting opener Ghost and the sprawling, seven-minute Reanimation.<\/p>\n
Bassist Jon Stockman and drummer Steve Judd drive heavier material: the jagged syncopations of All It Takes and thundering Remote Self Control.<\/p>\n
Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n
In contrast to the ARIA Award-winning, wilfully experimental Asymmetry, In Verses feels more welcoming. Songs like Aozoa<\/a> and Opal <\/a>regularly hit the sweet spot between the group’s famed complexity and more direct, anthemic refrains.<\/p>\n “I think that was a reaction to Asymmetry,” Goddard confirms. “We like a little bit of the yin and yang in whatever way, in whatever direction.”<\/p>\n This is composition that’s deeply technical yet emotionally absorbing, largely thanks to the commanding vocals of Kenny (who also fronts chart-topping Aussie rocker Birds of Tokyo).<\/p>\n “Something we picked up early on \u2014 we love melody and Kenny’s very good at it. So why not use and harness it?” says Goddard.<\/p>\n “We were conscious to head in the direction of more consonant harmony rather than dissonance.”<\/p>\n Kenny’s lyrics reflect that concept through themes of perseverance, searching (sometimes in vain) for some positivity and resilience in a world that feels progressively more dystopian.<\/p>\n There are recurring, ominous references to “the fall” and hope, variously described as “an illusion” and “a fated point of view. The sensation is that oblivion is imminent, if it hasn’t quietly happened already.<\/p>\n It’s tempting to interpret these songs as expressing the band’s own hardships during the decade-plus journey to complete In Verses. Which begs the obvious question\u2026<\/p>\n Thirteen years: why so damn long?<\/p>\n “It’s a big question. Depends how long you’ve got,” Kenny deadpans.<\/p>\n “It wasn’t a full-time, worked-on project. It was done in bits and pieces \u2026 a patchwork, and it was the only way we would have got it done.”<\/p>\n Firstly, studio time was scheduled around each member’s other creative pursuits: Kenny’s commitments to Birds of Tokyo, for instance, or Goddard co-founding remote mentorship initiative Barefoot Bands<\/a>.<\/p>\n Drew Goddard (far left) and Ian Kenny (centre) have known each other since attending primary school together. (Supplied: Courtney McAllister)<\/p>\n Ideas were generated, renovated or abandoned, over and over, the band’s renowned perfectionism becoming a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n Periods of intense focus were followed by long stretches of inactivity, sometimes lasting years, with the light at the end of the tunnel often seeming unreachable.\u00a0<\/p>\n “There were definitely times where if we had have really pushed and really dug our heels in, I think the band would have imploded at one point,” admits Kenny.<\/p>\n The Sisyphean process took its toll and tangled with personal issues \u2014 parenthood, financial strain, physical and mental health struggles, particularly for Goddard.<\/p>\n “For me personally, Karnivool can help or it can make it worse,” he admits.<\/p>\n “It’s all-encompassing.<\/p>\n “I had some health issues too, around 2020, that I needed to just escape and go do my own thing for a bit, which I’m so glad I did.”<\/p>\n Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n Overseas touring in 2023, celebrating Sound Awake’s 10th anniversary, marked a turning point that “really put some wind in the sails,” Goddard notes.<\/p>\n “We got over to Europe and played these amazing shows. The crowds were so happy and we were playing so well. I think all we needed was just a bit of momentum again and the belief we could get it done.”<\/p>\n The band credit long-term producer Forrester Savell and engineer Owen Thomas for helping “gather the troops” in mid-2024 to reach the finish line.<\/p>\n “I was thinking we needed a couple more songs,” Goddard remembers. “[But] Forrester came over [to WA] and said, ‘I think we’ve got a record here, guys. We don’t really need more.'”<\/p>\n Scaling the mountain<\/p>\n “In any situation, mental health comes first,” says Kenny. “People have got to be looked after and understood. And that takes time to work through.”<\/p>\n That sentiment underpins tender mid-album track Conversations.<\/p>\n “Still thinking about all of the ways that I fell through \/ not showing up, not big enough,” Kenny sings mournfully amid plangent textures.<\/p>\n “It’s too late for conversation; it’s only a mountain I’ve been trying to move.”<\/p>\n Karnivool did eventually scale that proverbial mountain. They didn’t need to move it, they needed to get over it, together.<\/p>\n “That’s the thing” Kenny agrees, extending the metaphor.<\/p>\n “It’s all about the climb, isn’t it? The pursuit of what you’re trying to achieve and just keep climbing.”<\/p>\n He and Goddard share a knowing chuckle.<\/p>\n In Verses concludes with the bittersweet, eight-minute Salva, which swells into a surprisingly victorious moment of catharsis: the rousing sound of highland bagpipes.<\/p>\n Yes, really. It’s a moment unlike anything else on the record, let alone Karnivool’s entire output.<\/p>\n “It sounded like a very celebratory kind of release, which was new for us,” Goddard adds. “It gave us goosebumps.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The bagpipes are played by Hosking’s cousin, Grant Scroggie, then layered with Goddard’s effects-laden six-string, resulting in “guitar-pipes”.<\/p>\n The technique was inspired by Hans Zimmer speaking about collaborating on the Dune soundtrack<\/a> with British guitarist Guthrie Govan (who Karnivool also tapped for a fireworks solo on Reanimation).<\/p>\n The pipes fanfare rings like a triumphant climax, 13 years in the making, which should deeply resonate with both artist and audience.<\/p>\n “It was the most fitting way to close the record,” notes Kenny. “Like, ‘Wow, we finally did it. Jesus Christ!'”<\/p>\n As for how the band are going to pull it off live? “I don’t know,” says Goddard. “I’ve got no idea \u2026 we’d love to try it with real bagpipes eventually.”<\/p>\n Rather than being another punishing peak to scale, it seems more of a welcome challenge for a band in much healthier shape.<\/p>\n Karnviool have learned “a lot more about the future of the band and who we are,” says Kenny. (Supplied: Courtney McAllister)<\/p>\n “There’s so much we have learned, from and about each other and about our process and getting through that,” Kenny says.<\/p>\n They launch In Verses this month with a series of sold-out acoustic shows,<\/a> and are looking forward to playing and presenting their new work on tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n “And funnily enough, after so long, I don’t think anyone’s feeling too fatigued,” says Kenny.<\/p>\n “There’s a lot of good things coming up. There’s a lotta love around the fact the band has something to share again, and we have something to say. It’s exciting, man!”<\/p>\n Having survived tough times is one thing. But to emerge out the other side with another thoroughly rewarding listening experience? That’s the sweetest of accomplishments.<\/p>\n “So many things happened in 13 years, and there’s five unique personalities in the band,” Goddard remarks. “It was challenging.<\/p>\n “But I think Karnivool is about overcoming adversity. That’s the sound of Karnivool to me.”<\/p>\n “I’m a very lucky boy in so many ways,” Goddard concludes. “But challenges are going to help the music become something real, and the release was real at the end because of it. Another one down, what next?”<\/p>\n That’s the spirit.<\/p>\n In Verses is out now. Karnivool play acoustic launch shows this month in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.<\/p>\n![\"Five](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c5fa54a7e54efdfdcde2d69b6520ec3b.jpeg\")
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