While it’s arguable that Australian prog outfit Karnivool aren’t as universally revered on the scene as European acts like Opeth or American mainstays like Dream Theater, what’s inarguable is their musicianship, dedicated hardcore fan base, and ability to write soaring, epic songs. Their show at the Roundhouse showcased all of these talents and more to an audience who were absolutely devoted in their attentions.
London based prog/djent collective Monuments open proceedings to a surprisingly sparse crowd. Their rhythmic riffing is almost entirely crippled (at least for some portions of the crowd) by a choppy mix. John Browne and Olly Steele have their palm-muted guitars almost entirely subsumed by the bass, vocals and drums. Chris Barretto’s soaring cleans are impressive and uplifting, and his sax work is proficient, but is again lost a little to the sheer space of the venue. He controls the crowd well, getting all but a few down to one knee at one point, and it’s a toss-up between his front-man schtick and Mike Malyan’s fluid drumming (where he is locked into his own little rhythmic world by his headphones) for what is the most enjoyable part of their set. It’s certainly not Barretto’s banter though, with his quip “and who says djent don’t get the pussy” coming off as a bit too smug.
Karnivool stride on to the stage supremely confident, not awed at all by their surroundings or the expectant crowd. They then proceed to bring a bevy of tracks from across near twenty year career to vibrant life. From the climbing, riff-heavy ‘Shutterspeed’ through the commanding ‘Goliath’ and the twisting, angular ‘Themata’ the five piece are on rare form. Ian Kenny is an absolute powerhouse, throwing out near perfect, soaring vocal melodies without breaking a sweat.
It’s a shame that Jon Stockman’s bass is a little low, robbing some of the deep, visceral groove from their sound, but this is balanced by their overall huge sound, with both the guitars and the drums encompassing the whole room and then some. As you’d expect from a band celebrating an anniversary (ten years since the release of debut album Themata) the setlist hinges largely on the album in question, seeing cuts like ‘C.O.T.E’ and ‘Roquefort’ aired to much fan approval. The smiles plastered to the faces of all five members throughout are reflected back at them by the crowd, and it’s clear both band and fans are loving every minute. This is prog as it should be done.
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Karnivool
Monuments
