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Karnivool - Sound Awake



8.5 | 142 votes |
Release date: 5 June 2009
Style: Alternative metal, Progressive metal

Owners:

126 have it
23 want it


01. Simple Boy
02. Goliath
03. New Day
04. Set Fire To The Hive
05. Umbra
06. All I Know
07. The Medicine Wears Off
08. The Caudal Lure
09. Illumine
10. Deadman
11. Change

Guest review by
musclassia
Rating:
8.7
"Hello! Hollow Halo! Can you hear them calling?"

So implores the opening words of the mesmerizing closer '"Change," and I can only hope you can hear Karnivool calling, because this album is stunning.

Building upon the promising alt metal sound of previous album Themata, Karnivool add a more prominent progressive edge to their sound here, developing a sound that seems firmly camped between alternative and progressive metal styles. The heavy, down-tuned, complex riffing and passionate vocals are combined with ambitious songs in length, structure, and time signatures, and inventive guitar playing and exciting drumming. The combination of these elements results in a sound that, whilst comparable to other bands (Tool are regularly name-dropped as a reference for Karnivool), is most certainly their own, and which offers them a good opportunity to explore musically, resulting in the varied yet consistently excellent Sound Awake.

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published 31.01.2015 | Comments (10)

Found in 18 lists
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Comments

Comments: 24   Visited by: 517 users
07.02.2011 - 02:41
Rating: 7
Sonic MrSumo

I don't have this album, but I'm keen to get it based on the song "Set Fire To The Hive". This song is like a bastard child of Breed 77 and The Mars Volta.

Is the rest of the album like this?
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All the bridges in the world won't save you, if there's no other side to cross to.
- Rock poetry from Silverchair.
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09.09.2012 - 14:00
Rating: 9
Monolithic
♠♠♠
Amazing.
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21.12.2012 - 19:29
Rating: 9
pinballWIZARD

I'm a big fan of progressive stuff and this album was something really refreshing to me.
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07.09.2013 - 06:29
Rating: 8
Diverge

A good album, although it definitely has its flaws. The longer songs are, in my opinion, not quite as engaging (except towards the end of the album). Goliath and Set Fire To The Hive are wonderful tracks, though. I personally prefer Asymmetry, but I can definitely see the appeal of this album to alternative metal fans.
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11.02.2014 - 23:52
Rating: 8
mz

Interesting and colorful modern progressive/alternative metal. Too bad I didn't hear this earlier and the last caligula's horse somehow spoils this one for me. Also, I don't really get how this album is extensively compared with Tool's Lateralus. These two records are not that similar.
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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11.02.2014 - 23:56
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Listening to a few seconds of it and this definitely sounds like something I can get into. Not sure why I didn't before.
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12.02.2014 - 00:02
Rating: 8
mz

Written by Guest on 11.02.2014 at 23:56

Listening to a few seconds of it and this definitely sounds like I can get into too. Not sure why I didn't before.

I still have not listened to their 2013 record (will start that one in 10 minutes) and cannot suggest that but if this record, check caligula's horse if you haven't already, which is also nominated for the best of prog metal this year. That album gets a little djenty at some points and reminds me very slightly of Uneven Structure. Also, it has the benefit of one of the better clean vocal performances I've heard recently.
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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12.02.2014 - 00:08
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by mz on 12.02.2014 at 00:02

I still have not listened to their 2013 record (will start that one in 10 minutes) and cannot suggest that but if this record, check caligula's horse if you haven't already, which is also nominated for the best of prog metal this year. That album gets a little djenty at some points and reminds me very slightly of Uneven Structure. Also, it has the benefit of one of the better clean vocal performances I've heard recently.

Whoops, for some reason I thought this was a 2013 record and already voted for Karnivool I better hope the 2013 record is good then.

As a matter of fact I have been meaning to check out Caligula's Horse so I'll definitely do that. Nothing else in Prog has my vote yet anyway.
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12.02.2014 - 00:10
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Guest on 12.02.2014 at 00:08
Prog has my vote yet anyway.


Octopus. D:
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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12.02.2014 - 00:11
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 12.02.2014 at 00:10


Octopus. D:

That's even there?! I didn't think it even got a mention when the nominations were being counted up?

Unless you mean write-in of course.
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12.02.2014 - 00:12
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Guest on 12.02.2014 at 00:11

Written by X-Ray Rod on 12.02.2014 at 00:10


Octopus. D:

That's even there?! I didn't think it even got a mention when the nominations were being counted up?

Unless you mean write-in of course.


Nope, it got in... I kind of pulled some strings. xD
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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12.02.2014 - 00:13
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 12.02.2014 at 00:12


Nope, it got in... I kind of pulled some strings. xD

So it is. I nearly missed it altogether. I'll check out Caligula's Giraffe before voting.
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12.02.2014 - 00:23
Rating: 8
mz

Written by Guest on 12.02.2014 at 00:11

That's even there?! I didn't think it even got a mention when the nominations were being counted up?

Unless you mean write-in of course.

You are !L.A.Z.Y.!
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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12.02.2014 - 00:24
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by mz on 12.02.2014 at 00:23

You are !L.A.Z.Y.!

You have no idea how lazy I truly am
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17.03.2014 - 02:34
Rating: 10
Calabi

Written by Sonic MrSumo on 07.02.2011 at 02:41

I don't have this album, but I'm keen to get it based on the song "Set Fire To The Hive". This song is like a bastard child of Breed 77 and The Mars Volta.

Is the rest of the album like this?


No. Not at all.

But I'm judging from your rating that you've figured that out already.

As a side note, if this album was shit except for the last two songs I'd give it a 7.

That's how well this album closes.
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12.04.2014 - 10:29
Rating: 8
Diverge

Deadman is pretty amazing. I've listened to this album for awhile now without a strong reaction here or there, but that song finally just clicked over the last few weeks for me.
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16.08.2014 - 16:31
RedOctober
Account deleted
Written by Sonic MrSumo on 07.02.2011 at 02:41

I don't have this album, but I'm keen to get it based on the song "Set Fire To The Hive". This song is like a bastard child of Breed 77 and The Mars Volta.

Is the rest of the album like this?


Wow just based on one song ? -_- ...
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16.08.2014 - 16:47
Rating: 8
Diverge

Written by Guest on 16.08.2014 at 16:31

Written by Sonic MrSumo on 07.02.2011 at 02:41

I don't have this album, but I'm keen to get it based on the song "Set Fire To The Hive". This song is like a bastard child of Breed 77 and The Mars Volta.

Is the rest of the album like this?


Wow just based on one song ? -_- ...

To be fair, when I listened to this album for the first few times, I would always stop and replay "Set Fire to the Hive" a few dozen times. It's a damn good song and it happened to be the only thing on the album that convinced me to keep listening. I can easily imagine someone getting excited about this album after hearing that track. Now I've come to the conclusion that most of Sound Awake's tracks are probably better than that one, but that song was an important gateway to get me into the album in the first place.

It is, however, out of place on the album, and so if you happen to think that song is excellent and superior to all of the other tracks, I can easily see that this would prevent you from really enjoying the album. It really does overpower. I almost gave this a 6 myself, but thankfully New Day, Deadman and All I Know finally clicked.
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16.08.2014 - 18:16
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Guest on 16.08.2014 at 16:31
Wow just based on one song ? -_- ...

Well if the rest of the album is like that song, he'd get the album. I don't see the problem.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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07.02.2015 - 17:18
AssailantForce

Written by Troy Killjoy on 16.08.2014 at 18:16

Written by Guest on 16.08.2014 at 16:31
Wow just based on one song ? -_- ...

Well if the rest of the album is like that song, he'd get the album. I don't see the problem.


Wow! In his defence - I thought the same exact thing. After looking at your comment I was startled, and I read that again. Only then it made sense.
Two reasons - We both looked at the rating of 6 and expected his comment would be in negative taste. eh, a six huh? what's your problem?
Secondly, as we read the comment, what grabs my eye easily I think was the 'bastard child' remark. It suggests - the said combination was 'in bad taste'. But since he clearly liked that particular song, I could argue that wasn't particularly an appropriate remark in this context. Regardless, I think the combination of the 6 rating and that remark (for an album we personally liked) caused this inattention towards reading the sentence properly and leaping to conclusion. I wonder if this can be considered a fruedian slip.
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09.02.2015 - 02:08
Rating: 8
Diverge

^Dafuq. That's totally wrong. "Bastard child" of X and Y is a common way of trying to describe music and totally appropriate.

While I can't speak for Sonic MrSumo, I do think my original explanation is pretty plausible. Set Fire to the Hive is one of Karnivool's well-known tracks and it was a very overpowering song for me during early listens because it's short and feels like The Mars Volta. Sonic MrSumo obviously thought that Karnivool's other tracks weren't as great as that one, which is understandable because the track is actually unrepresentative of what the album sounds like. Sound Awake is generally pretty chill, especially the long tracks.
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18.06.2020 - 11:07
JoHn Doe

Re-listening after rather long time, forgot how good this album is.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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12.02.2023 - 15:36
Rating: 10
Metal Rasputin

What a blast of an album. I think the superb production is a big reason this works so well, somebody worked their money's worth to make this sound as incredible as humanly possible. With a good hifi system this thing is like honey to the ears.
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You've got a lot of guts. Let's see what they look like!
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15.03.2023 - 12:01
R.Boxma

I ridiculed this band to their face when they were setting up for a gig in Perth before they gained international recognition, shame on me.
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