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'.
Change
Karnivool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The glass that breaks against the wall
I'd trade it all for several
Pieces of your anger
I am the interest of your heart
Say this will wash away
I'm climbing this rope I feel good
Would you care to stare me down
Karnivool's song 'Change' features abstract lyrics that are open to interpretation. One interpretation of the lyrics suggests that the singer is willing to exchange his own destructive tendencies for someone else's anger. The line "If you like the sound of the glass that breaks against the wall, I'd trade it all for several pieces of your anger" suggests that the singer is willing to take on the anger of someone else in order to spare them from their own destructive behavior. In other words, he is saying that he wants to take on their pain and anger in order to protect them.
The next line "I am the interest of your heart, say this will wash away" suggests that the singer is trying to comfort the person whose anger he has taken on. He is saying that he is there for them and that their anger will eventually wash away. The line "I'm climbing this rope I feel good, would you care to stare me down" is more difficult to interpret, but it could suggest that the singer is experiencing a sort of euphoria as he takes on the other person's anger. The final line "I portray you in a different light" suggests that the singer sees the other person differently now that he has taken on their anger. He has gained a new perspective on them and their struggles.
Overall, the lyrics of 'Change' suggest a willingness to take on the struggles of someone else in order to protect them from their own destructive tendencies. The song is open to interpretation, but the theme of empathy and compassion towards others is certainly present.
Line by Line Meaning
So if you like the sound of
If you enjoy the noise made by
The glass that breaks against the wall
Objects shattering when they collide with the wall
I'd trade it all for several
I would exchange everything I have for
Pieces of your anger
Your intense emotion in small amounts
I am the interest of your heart
You are completely invested in me emotionally
Say this will wash away
Asserting that it will soon disappear
I'm climbing this rope I feel good
I'm scaling up this line and it's making me feel excellent
Would you care to stare me down
Are you willing to engage in a confrontation with me?
I portray you in different light
I am representing you in a new way
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES ADRIAN GODDARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Carlile
I don’t know why, we question who we are, and then we die….
I guess I’ll see you when it ends,
I’ll see you round the bend,
My sober sorry friend
That tiny little segment, of this tragically beautiful epic song always waters my eyes just a little bit.
Love this song
Love this band
Aaron Cutting
Watched this performance "live" and this was my favorite of the night. Still think Sound Awake is a top 5 album from this century.
Jem Gorker
What are your top 5 from the previous century?
doctajuice
@Jem Gorker nevermind is probably on the list, just saying
Rachael Parsons
Agreed!! This was epic
Jem Gorker
@doctajuice and the century before?
doctajuice
@Jem Gorker Idk like beethoven or something probably
James Bennett
This song just speaks to me... The changes in tempo, the highs and lows, changes in the mood... Truly something else. My favourite Karnivool song 🤘❤️
Butttsack
goosebumps and waves of emotion ay, makes the brain click in all the right places
Unearthlywhales
These guys and Leprous are on the same level of brilliance and being underrated and I hope they get much more recognition in the future which they deserve in the public eye.
The Silk
Dude such a good call