So, uhhh, that was awesome
The 'vool didn't come on until about 10, had two support bands (first of which was meh, second was pretty good - kind of hard rock/prog with some hardcore/post hardcore mixed in, theyl go places, I'll get the name from my bro tomorrow)
But Karnivool did not disappoint! They were spot on as usual, sounded crystal clear too. That was probably to do with the fact they didn't crank the volume like most bands that play this venue. The deep, chunky bass lines sounded mint (and were probably the highlight in a sonic sense), and Ian was as pitch perfect as ever. Sound engineer screwed up a couple of times though...
And...drumroll...they played a new song!
It was very deep, low and heavy. But not in a thrashing kind of way, it was kind of like the part near the end of Umbra in terms of pace. It was definately in the demo stage though, some parts were very raw and didn't match the coherance of Sound Awake. I remarked to my bro it seemed kind of contrived in its present form; he agreed.
Good news though: it was very, very progressive. It transitioned maybe four times, from chunky and deep to very soft, to atmospheric, to a bit wacky (that was the contrived-sounding bit) and slowly building back to the deep and chunky section. Certainly looking forward to this one once its finished!
The setlist was a little different than usual, in that Roquefort didn't get a play but Fear of the Sky was more than an adequate replacement. They did something improv-y in the atmospheric part too, which was very well received. The set ended with New Day, which came off brilliantly and was probably the best song of the night. Setlist was:
Goliath
Simple Boy
Fear of the Sky (w/ atmospheric interlude)
Themata
All I Know
Umbra
COTE
Deadman
Set Fire to the Hive
New song (title: Impossible?)
New Day
-------------
Change
Some More of the Same
All in all, brilliant show as always. I'd pay twice the price to see them, they just seem to be on such a rapid upward trajectory. If the new song is anything to go by, you should be excited for what's next from the Karnivault.
Note: I wrote this on my phone on the way home on the train, so apologies if its shittily spelled, poorly grammarised and/or it is a brain dump. And yes, grammarised is a word. I will not be told otherwise.