Album review: Karnivool – In Verses

If there’s one thing you can predict about Karnivool, it’s that you can’t predict anything. Incredibly, In Verses is the Australians’ first album in 13 years. People have had relationships start and end, begun new careers and survived a pandemic in the time since we last heard from them. Proud outsiders, they did release the standalone single All It Takes in 2021, a remastered version of which appears on this fourth album, but they’ve otherwise been the strong and silent sort since 2013’s Asymmetry.

When at its best, as in the arresting Animation, you’re close to feeling it’s been worth that ridiculous wait. 'We almost had it all,' singer Ian Kenny keens before immense slabs of sound, guitars like landslides, just crush and comfort in equal measure. These are staggering moments, reminding you of what this type of music can deliver when it’s gifted with such a level of creativity.

Karnivool serve these courses several times on this intriguing comeback. Take Aozora – the name is inspired by the Japanese term for blue sky – which again combines emotive and aural volume in impressively equal measure.

It isn’t entirely consistent, it hardly could be, and there’s a few tracks like Reanimation and the eight-minute Conversations that dawdle, overstaying their welcome. You want them all to clear the tower like Animation, Drone and the rebirthed All It Takes so often do – but it’s an ascent and a peak too far.

Consequently, In Verses becomes an album of towering highlights with a bit of murk in between. Climactic closer Salva leaves Karnivool oceans deeper than places many bands could go, or would even attempt to go, but there’s still the feeling that this talent-stacked quintet could hit harder. It’s been one hell of a gestation period, and while not everything connects, at its most inspired In Verses returns Karnivool to the top of the prog-metal mountain.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Sleep Token

In Verses is released on February 6 via Cymatic Records/Sony