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KarnivoolThemata MGM When first presented with Karnivool's debut EP 'Persona' back in early 2002, I must admit that I didn't walk away with a terribly high opinion of the group. Fast forward almost three years and my opinion has gone in quite the opposite direction after experiencing their first full length, 'Themata'. This recording is as provocative as it is intelligent, emphasising a lot more of the dark ambient side of the group rather than pushing the whole nu-metal sound which they were originally noted for. The inclusion of tracks like Scarabs, however, show that Karnivool still haven't abandoned their heavy roots, but it's evolved into something a lot more appealing. It's clear right from the opening Cote that their song construction is now much stronger, eradicating the awkwardness of their earlier material. Perhaps the other main shift is that they have also shed the tendency to give the listener what they might expect to hear. For example, in the opening to Fear Of The Sky an eerie guitar piece builds with the progressive tapping of a high hat, by which time you can almost predict the direction the song is going to take; instead, the listener is met with chugging guitars and off-time drum patterns. It is the more subtle and unexpected aspects of this release which you uncover along the way, which tend to be the most intriguing. If I were to make one criticism, it would be that at times the group's sound stands on the borderline of drawing too much from bands like Cog or The Butterfly Effect. In order to remain being that completely original act which they profess to be, I think the use of more electro additives, and experimenting with more distorted sounds, would place them in a musical bracket all of their own.  |
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