Review: Benjamin Coe
Photography: Dan Maynard
It’s a cool winters night at Brisbane’s Riverstage, with the premier amphitheater being flooded with black-clad punters chomping at the bit to get a taste of Aussie prog legends Karnivool and their special guests.
First up on tonight’s bill is American math-metallers Car Bomb, who after a previously failed attempt to tour our country are finally making their maiden voyage down under. As the sun disappears and darkness fully sets in, the bands logo is emblazoned across the backdrop and the lads take the stage to a warm reception from the curious crowd. Opening with last years single Blindsides, the band tear through a set that borrows heavily from their last two albums Meta & Mordial along with newer singles like Paroxysm and the aforementioned Blindsides.
Guitarist Greg Kubacki is an absolute wizard on his chosen instrument, pulling sounds from it like you’ve never heard in your life and Michael Dafferner’s vocals are as crushing as the rhythm section. Dafferner expresses the bands gratitude for the crowd that’s gathered for them as they close out a powerful set with Secrets Within from 2016’s Meta album.
Next up is the very special guests, all the way from the United Kingdom and one of the most enduring prog metal bands of the last couple of decades, TesseracT. The backdrop begins to glitch and a deep shade of red floods the stage signaling the bands entrance to a massive reception from the ever-expanding crowd. Guitarist Alec “Acle” Kahney leads the group into the opening track from 2023’s War of Being album, Natural Disaster.
Vocalist Daniel Tompkins is a top-tier performer, not only through his unmatched talent and skill but by his stage presence also. He hits every note with perfection and the addition of the two female back up vocalists only adds to the power of his voice.
The set is heavy yet ethereal with the light show exponentially expanding on the intricately passionate music being performed. Tompkins expresses his love for our country and the fans every step of the way as the slice through cuts from their 2018 album, Sonder. Tracks such as King and Smile sound absolutely huge in the Riverstage arena and the crowd laps up every single moment.
The highlight of the set comes in the form of the title track from War of Being which leads the crowd on an emotional ride through heaviness and stoic composure as the band prove once again why they are a mainstay in the progressive metal scene.
And finally, it’s time for the main event and after a wait that feels like an eternity, the lights go down one last time and the men of the hour begin to take the stage to a thunderous welcome. The In Verses tour has finally made its way to Brisbane after a hugely successful run around the country and being the last stop of the tour, the boys in Karnivool are full of confidence and deeply into their groove as the intro to Ghost sets in motion what is to be a phenomenal set.
The stage show has grown over the years into something to behold, as the lights flash and flicker in front of backdrop that reflects the band members movements and you just get the feeling that while these shows may be their biggest headline performances to date, Karnivool were always made for this type of arena.
Simple Boy sounds massive in the space with bassist Jon Stockman owning the stage with his perfect and powerful plucking of his chosen instrument. The light show is ethereal, lending an all-too-appropriate frame to the transcendent instrumentals on offer.
The new songs translate brilliantly to the live stage, Aozora and Drone showcase just how good this band has become over the years and the heavy grooves of All It Takes get the crowd moving. And as if tonight wasn’t special enough, the band bring out a live harpist, Michelle Smith, for a hauntingly beautiful intro to Animation that has the crowd awestruck.
Vocalist Ian Kenny addresses the crowd stating that they have been doing this for a “long fucking time” and that it blows his mind that they’ve been “shaking their asses and banging their heads” to the next song for over 20 years as the band tear into the title track from their debt album, Themata, much to the delight of the crowd. The sing along is enormous, going to show that the majority of the fans here tonight have been with the band since the early days.
They close out the main set with the classic New Day which also features Michelle Smith on the harp again just to add another layer of beauty to the track. The band exit and play the age-old game of adult peek-a-boo with the anxious crowd. First back on the stage is Smith who plays yet another haunting melody on the harp before she is joined by Kenny for the amazingly epic tune, Opal from their latest album.
The band is so tight it’s ridiculous, with dual guitarists Drew Goddard & Mark Hosking offering not only their ultra-skilful guitar work but providing Kenny with intricate harmonies in the vocals as well.
But alas, all good things must come to an end and the band waste no time transitioning from Opal to the closing track of In Verses and the night, the emotionally driven Salva whose closing features some epic live bagpipes and wonderfully caps off an extravagant performance that won’t soon be forgotten by those in attendance.
– GALLERY –
