In 1996, Kenny began by recruiting two of his high school classmates (Andrew Brown/Brett McKenzie) to play Carcass and Nirvana covers at several gigs around Perth. At this time, both Karnivool's current bassist and lead guitarist were attending a conservatorium to study jazz guitar and drums respectively. In 1998, Andrew Goddard joined Karnivool on bass, and from there they began writing original material. Soon Andrew "Drew" Goddard was switched to lead guitar, Andrew Brown and Brett McKenzie were replaced by Jon Stockman (bass) and Ray Hawking (percussion). The band have since released several singles and two EPs, Themata and most recently their sophomore record, Sound Awake. Currently Karnivool consists of Ian Kenny on lead vocals (also one quarter of Birds of Tokyo), Andrew "Drew" Goddard on lead guitar, Mark Hosking on rhythm guitar (both a part of Revolucion Street and an accompaniment for The Cat Empire while they are on tour), Jon Stockman on bass (one fifth of Floating Me) and Steve Judd (originally the drummer for Hope Here Gone which has now disbanded, replaced Hawking in 2004 as a "permanent gun for hire"). Goddard and Stockman also contributed guitar and bass parts to Pendulum's record Hold Your Colour released in 2005.
Themata: Their debut album was named after Themata, an old Greek word; the plural of Thema. A Thema is a gut assumption or intuition about the workings of the world or life itself, a philosophy you can’t prove with hard evidence, but something you instinctively know is right and are willing to back. For the recordings of Themata, they used guitars tuned in the tuning of B-F#-B-G-B-E, a hybrid tuning of Dropped-B (low strings) and Standard E (high strings). Guitarist Andrew Goddard said that this was because he forgot the high strings while detuning and that he liked the complexity. Andrew "Drew" Goddard wrote the tracks for Themata as well as playing drums throughout the recording of the album, he commented too that he often plays guitar like he does drums. Karnivool only actually played the songs off Themata together as a band after the album was recorded, according to Drew. The record was not written with any real foresight, which is evident in many of the song titles and lyrics (Roquefort is actually a strong smelling French cheese, Mauseum is a word "from the depths of Jon's mind" (Drew Goddard) and C.O.T.E. means Center of the Earth), and Karnivool's writing process was dysfunctional and slow going.
Sound Awake: After returning from the US, and completing their slot in the 2008 Big Day Out, the band headed back into the studio to write their follow-up to Themata.
In an interview with X-Press Magazine, guitarist Andrew Goddard said that the new album was a huge step up from Themata. He also said that the writing process of the new record had been more of a collaborative group effort by the band than previous works, and that they were going to go into the studio with a new recording strategy: that is, trying to focus less on the minute details, and put together a more natural sounding album. Karnivool released their long-awaited second album on June 5, 2009.
During live performances in the Aeons Tour, they played three new songs, titled "Goliath", "Deadman" and "Pearogram", as well as "New Day", which had been played at previous shows. At their performance at Homebake in 2008, they debuted a fifth new song entitled "Set Fire to the Hive". The new songs appeared to have a more mature vibe, but still bore resemblance to the band's other work. The album was one of the most anticipated Australian releases for 2009. In an interview with Channel V, Ian Kenny stated that after the success of the Aeons Tour, the band's next tour would be based on a similar layout which brings a new impression on the typical rock show.
On the 26 April 2009, two days before schedule, the band's first single from Sound Awake, "Set Fire to the Hive", was released on the band's MySpace page. The video for the single, confirmed by the band earlier, was released on the 9 May 2009. Sound Awake was set to be released internationally in early 2010.
Sound Awake entered and peaked 2nd on the ARIA charts, following this, just over a month after the release the band announced via their MySpace Sound Awake had gone 'Gold'.
Box
Karnivool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hahahahaha you're beat
Hahahahaha you're beat
Take a look at your own face
To see it's a disgrace
To know what you held in your hand
What you see is your own fear
There's nothing you want, but you will
To know if you want to
To know if you have to
To make this decision on your own
Always look and disturb me
To see if you beat me
I know you'll try but you won't win
You live this lie every day
There's nothing here for me to say
It doesn't matter anyway
'cause I don't give a fuck
So this is the calling
Yes this is the warning
I'm letting you know where you stand
You took me for granted
You said that I planned it
Don't dump your shit back on me
You got what you came for
To settle your own score
You're living this life in a dream
So run with your eyes closed
I hope that you won't fall
The reason to find me in the end
You live this lie every day
There's nothing here for me to say
It doesn't matter anyway
'cause I don't give a fuck about you
You see, lie lonely
I try, you build me
You live this lie every day
There's nothing here for me to say
It doesn't matter anyway
'cause I don't give a fuck
You run, you hide
You know you can't decide
Which way to turn so you might as well stay
What the fuck did you say
What the fuck did you say
What the fuck did you say
Oi, I say what the fuck
The opening lines of the song, "Hahahahaha you're beat", appear to be a taunt directed at someone who has just failed or lost a battle. The repetition of the line emphasizes the singer's satisfaction with the other person's defeat. The subsequent lines "Take a look at your own face, to see it's a disgrace" suggest that the singer is calling out the defeated person's inability to cope with the outcome.
The lyrics then go on to talk about fear and the need to make decisions independently, even if it is difficult to do so. The line "You took me for granted, you said that I planned it" can be interpreted to mean that someone else has wrongly placed blame on the singer for something that was not in their control. The last lines of the song, "You run, you hide, you know you can't decide which way to turn so you might as well stay" imply that the person being addressed is indecisive and unwilling to take risks.
Overall, the song appears to be a call to action for the listener to take charge of their own life and make their own decisions, rather than relying on others or succumbing to fear or indecision.
Line by Line Meaning
Hahahahaha you're beat
I am laughing at you because you have been defeated
Take a look at your own face
Examine yourself and recognize your flaws
To see it's a disgrace
Realize that your appearance is shameful
To know what you held in your hand
Understand what you possessed but have now lost
What you see is your own fear
Your perception reveals your own insecurities
There's nothing to see here
There is no worthwhile sight for you to witness
There's nothing you want, but you will
You currently do not desire anything, but you may in the future
To know if you want to
Determine whether or not you have a desire
To know if you have to
Determine whether or not you have an obligation
To make this decision on your own
To ultimately decide for yourself
Always look and disturb me
Continuously observe and irritate me
To see if you beat me
To determine if you emerged victorious over me
I know you'll try but you won't win
Although you will make an effort, you will ultimately fail
You live this lie every day
You perpetuate deception in your everyday life
There's nothing here for me to say
I have nothing further to communicate
It doesn't matter anyway
Regardless of the circumstances, the outcome will remain unchanged
'cause I don't give a fuck
I do not care
So this is the calling
This is the invitation or summons
Yes this is the warning
This is the indication of potential danger or harm
I'm letting you know where you stand
I am informing you of your position or status
You took me for granted
You assumed my worth and value without proper acknowledgement
You said that I planned it
You falsely accused me of intentionally causing harm
Don't dump your shit back on me
Do not place responsibility for your problems onto me
You got what you came for
You have achieved what you initially desired
To settle your own score
To resolve personal conflicts or grievances
You're living this life in a dream
You are living in a state of delusion
So run with your eyes closed
Proceed forward without awareness
I hope that you won't fall
I desire that you do not stumble or fail
The reason to find me in the end
The purpose of seeking me out eventually
You see, lie lonely
You perceive, yet remain isolated
I try, you build me
Despite my efforts, you create obstacles for me
You run, you hide
You attempt to flee or conceal yourself
You know you can't decide
You are aware that you are indecisive
Which way to turn so you might as well stay
You are unsure of which path to take, so you opt to remain stationary
What the fuck did you say
An expression of confusion or disbelief in response to something said
Oi, I say what the fuck
A rude interjection expressing frustration or anger
Contributed by Madison F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nick Detsch
I feel like I gotta defend this song lol... I saw them play it live the first time I saw them back in... I wanna say 2007 or 2008? whatever.... it was fire live. these guys really stood out from Nonpoint and the other bands that were playing that night and everyone was wanting to see. But it was this song here, and lifelike, that were to this day some of the coolest live songs I've seen to date. though, honestly that whole set they did was complete fire. I havent even seen them do a show like that on any of the ones posted on youtube. but, whatever...words... this song is still fire live lol
Simon Burfoot
If I'm honest, I'm very relieved at the more dynamic direction Karnivool went in after this song and their self-titled EP. This stuff doesn't give Kenny the scope to use his magnificent voice to its full potential. Thanks for uploading though- interesting to see how different their earlier influences were.
Ashkinda
If i closed my eyes and imagined a slightly deeper voice, this would be korn Fortunately I like korn too - but I am a huge fan of their current stuff and would prefer them to bring out more of that This stuff would sound a lot better if it was put through a better recording studio as well I reckon, it is a quality piece even though it is more dark/grunge than their current stuff
Pat Bowden
This song always cracks me up. :P
Greenslime300
Actually, I think they should rewrite this to make it slightly more interesting, and then rerecord it.
Kerfuffleinahussle
Greatness from small beginnings, I guess.... :/
Joeteor
Start sounds very like Freak on a Leash, probably been mentioned plenty of times tho lol
Sideways Sky
I mean... we all gotta start somewhere, right?
Batfan
LOL @ the Woody Woodpecker laugh
bigLukie
@keepwalkin1010 this is when they were in high school, back in 97/98