The mighty Karnivool have spent the last two years crafting the follow-up to their hugely acclaimed second studio album, 2009’s Sound Awake, and now the Perth five-piece are ready to officially break the silence on what prog magic they’ve been conjuring in the stduio.
The band have released the first taste of their as-yet untitled third studio album in ‘The Refusal’, which aired on Triple J last night as part of Richard Kingsmill’s 2013 program – “It might be an idea to tune in to triple j tonight… more specifically 2013 with the King. Things are afoot my friends…” as the band tweeted – and have now made the new single available as a free download over at the youth broadcaster’s official media site.
The track features Karnivool’s typically sophisticated mix of the brutal with the beautiful, where downtuned guitars and guttural, aggressive vocals mix with Ian Kenny’s melodious singing as the track spins off into atmospheric directions across five scintillating minutes.
Anyone who’s caught the band live in their recent, sporadic tours will have caught ‘The Refusal’ in their sets, including our Tone Deaf reviewer who remarked of the song in their last headline Melbourne show it was “equally cinematic yet forceful; featuring some brutal riffage and screamed vocals from bassist Jon Stockman complimenting Kenny’s melodic singing.”
The song marks the first released material of the band’s highly anticipated third album, which they’ve been updating fans on in a series of online video blogs shot at Studios 310 in Byron Bay, where they’ve been hunkered down with Australian producer Nick DiDia, who’s heavier credentials include work with Mastodon, Rage Against The Machine, and Pearl Jam.
Late last month, a Facebook post from the Perth quintet revealed they were shooting a music video for ‘the first single’, which is presumably ‘The Refusal’. The post reads:
Today we are all in Melbourne shooting a clip for the first single off our forthcoming album. Our old friend Chris Frey is directing it, and we are breaking showbiz rule #1. Dont work with children. Stay tuned…
The band’s official website also teases “New Album. New Tour. New Web Site. All Coming Soon.” The band have already confirmed a number of international appearances, including Europe’s Sonisphere Festival, held in Amnéville, a show at Budapest’s Park, and another performing with Stone Sour at Estragon in Bologna, but details of a homecoming tour or perhaps even festival appearances, are apparently in the works.
In the meantime, Karnivool will be potentially airing new material for their appearance at Queensland music festival, Rivers Sessions on June 28th at the Mackay Showgrounds, alongside a host of big-name Australian acts, including Bliss N Eso and Boy & Bear.
In the meantime, Karnivool remain tight-lipped about details on their new studio album, but recent reports from their video blogs confirm that it can’t be far off, but you can download’The Refusal’ for free direct from Triple J.
