Karnivool - In Verses - review
Karnivool - In Verses - review
Tracklist
01. Ghost02. Drone
03. Aozora
04. Animation
05. Conversations
06. Reanimation [feat. Guthrie Govan]
07. All It Takes
08. Remote Self Control
09. Opal
10. Salva
A review by
musclassia February 16, 2026
One can’t help but wonder what exactly underlies these gaps for active bands. With 4-year jumps between each of their first three albums, the Australian progressive/alternative metal outfit have never rapidly churned out material, but as the years since Asymmetry went by and nothing was heard despite continued touring by Karnivool, an air of mystique grew, one that was charged further by the 2021 single “All It Takes”. It was a further four years until another single dropped (“Drone” last summer), but finally we now have album number 4 here, loud and proud as testament to a decade-plus of toil and false starts.
Before this long gap, there was a natural trajectory across Karnivool’s budding discography; the alt-metal of 2005 debut Themata betrays the record’s proximity to the heyday of nu metal, but by 2009 Karnivool were flexing their prog muscles and imbuing a real emotionality into the seminal Sound Awake. Asymmetry went even further in adding complexity to their compositions, although some (including myself) might argue to their slight detriment; while I do like that record, I find the indirect nature of the writing leads to moments of anticlimax, and misses out on both the memorability and catharsis that rendered Sound Awake so singularly exceptional. Thirteen years on, In Verses does sound a bit like the band looking to ‘rewrite these wrongs’ (taking a leaf out of their own book) by marrying that complexity with more rewarding songwriting.
For those that hadn’t bathed in the singles prior to the album’s release, the first introduction to In Verses comes in the form of “Ghost”, a triumphant return that does a great job of making immediately clear why Karnivool’s comeback is such a big deal. The band at their best find a wonderful sweet spot where polyrhythms and unconventional structures are delivered in tandem with such lush grooves and resonant hooks that the complexity is not immediately noticeable while also greatly elevating proceedings. Ian Kenny’s voice is as honey-sweet and evocative as ever, and the way he dials up the pitch, volume and intensity as the vocal refrains escalate drives the song towards a bruising, emphatic bridge and swelling climax.
The majority of the pre-release singles are found in the first stretch of the tracklist, comparable to the ‘hit’-heavy start to Sound Awake, and while I don’t find any of the tracks after “Ghost” to have that ‘instant hit’ magic of a “Goliath” or “New Day”, Karnivool demonstrate that they retain an obvious knack for writing punchy choruses. There’s a breeziness to the more stripped-down (yet subtly complex) alt-metal of “Drone”, but I’m more partial to the relentless percussive drive of “Aozora” that eventually builds its way to the gritty chorus/post-chorus, which has a touch of A Perfect Circle to it. Not every moment on the record lands, and I do find the soft, slow opening verse of “Animation” to be a bit flat (perhaps due to reminding me of a similarly tedious song opening on Eden Circus’s own comeback album Irrlicht), but when the song eventually gets going, it reveals itself to be dense, brooding and richly soundscaped.
My own favourite of the advance singles is that 2021 relic “All It Takes”, remastered for the full album release and sounding resplendent with its persistent polyrhythms and eschewing of an obvious chorus in favor of sustained tension. However, it is the pair of songs in between that track and “Animation” that really steal the show on In Verses. Running for 15 minutes between them, “Conversation” and “Reanimation” are a back-to-back duo of long, tender emotional affairs, the latter capped off with a Guthrie Govan guest appearance. Karnivool have a very strong track record when it comes to evocative long-form writing, and while neither of these tracks reaches the sheer levels of heartwrenching pathos that “Deadman” from Sound Awake managed, they are more than worthy successors to that lineage.
I’ve made a couple of ‘not quite as good as Sound Awake’ comparisons in this review, and I do feel this album doesn’t quite eclipse that record, at least based on my experiences with it in the limited time since its release (and to be honest, I’m skeptical of any long-term fans who can have lived for nearly two decades with an album as nigh-on perfectly composed as Sound Awake and immediately rush to proclaim this superior). However, I think it is very comfortably next-best, having the strengths of Themata and Asymmetry without their respective weaknesses. It also finishes on a very high note; “Salva” goes long and emotional once more, but with a slightly hopeful and uplifting tinge to it compared with the earlier tracks, and after ebbs and flows, its grand conclusion is capped off unexpectedly yet beautifully by the sudden appearance of bagpipes.
A commendably well-written and assembled record, In Verses is the kind of record that both makes the long wait worthwhile, yet will leave fans desperately hoping it won’t take a decade to hear further from Karnivool.
Written on 16.02.2026 by
Written on 16.02.2026 by
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I keep going back and forth on this one. It’s got plenty of subtle details and complexities that I keep finding with each listen, but it’s just not as memorable in a way that makes me want to put certain tracks on repeat like Sound Awake and Asymmetry were. That’s a high bar though, and I think this was a very solid effort and a good comeback. Didn’t realize it had been 13 years though, I was in college and deep in a Tool phase and I had just discovered the band when Asymmetry came out. I can remember vividly how much I loved that album at the time. Time sure flies.
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Sound Awake is a very high bar to clear. Judging by your review, the new album didn't exactly get up there. But I am intrigued by the review and will definitely check the album out. On a side note, Karnivool is one very few bands that do odd time signatures right.
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A bit winded at times, but certainly nothing to really complain about. In Verses is a wicked ablum with enough nuanced moments to make many future listens an equally (or better) experience).
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