KARNIVOOL

VENUE Croxton Park Hotel, Melbourne DATE 06/05/19 SUPPORT Southeast Desert Metal

How very typical of karnivool to give a big title shot and massive exposure to a relatively obscure indigenous heavy rock band from the deserts of central australia. While southeast desert metal’s sound is aeons removed from that of the headliner, and from progressive music in general, they deserve much kudos for pulling off a great show. it must have been daunting.

karnivool’s set tonight is one hour and 25 minutes of magnificent favourites such as Goliath, shutterspeed, themata, surprise opener change and a highly emotionally charged closer, new day, plus no fewer than three brand new, as-yet-unreleased tunes, animation, reanimation and all it takes, all of which sound tantalisingly promising and receive an almighty roar from punters, who are clearly ravenous for new karnivool music.

the guitars of drew Goddard and mark hosking roar in typically furious and classy fashion, jon stockman’s bass is deep and menacing, steve judd’s syncopated percussive pounding lays waste to all before it and ian kenny’s voice is sweet and pure, offsetting the musical maelstrom that goes on behind him beautifully. it all adds up to a sound that’s enveloping and all-encompassing, that occupies you until the final strains of the encore fade away.

the sold-out, second night audience are ecstatic for the entire length of the set, and display their approval in uproarious fashion, voices rising as one. each audience member howls along to the words of every song, aside from the new ones, with punters crowdsurfing, bouncing along to the off-kilter grooves and thrusting their devil horns skyward. karnivool shows today have become more like an event, a pilgrimage, and the stages they play on altars of worship. their songs are like mighty tides, ebbing and flowing with power, majesty and grace, and the five disparate and compelling talents and personalities on the stage come together as one cohesive whole.

they are a band you never get sick of seeing live, no matter how many times you’ve experienced it.

the only small gripe is the absence of the wondrous, emotive all i know in the setlist, but with so many iconic songs to their credit, we can’t have everything, every time. karnivool are an ornament to australian music, and a gift to global progressive rock. everything that is so deeply loved about this band is on full display tonight, those iconic songs, a willingness to go out on a limb and road-test a bunch of stuff that’s completely unfamiliar to the audience, the commanding stage presence and, of course, kenny’s ever-bizarre but enjoyable gyrations. let’s hope a new karnivool record isn’t too far away.