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'.
Fade
Karnivool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I willl never stand in your way
Take it back and then you say again
Tell me what you want to be
I will never stand in your way
You know I sat here thinking just the other day
What it was you said to make me snap
You're not the enemy
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
Take me back into the other day
when I was so proud to hear myself
You will slap me, and I know this sucks
Your're just the enemy
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
now that I've found somewhere to rest my head
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
You said just show me what you want to be
I willl never stand in your way
Take it back and then you say again
Tell me what you want to be
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
now that I've found somewhere to rest my head
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
(In time, I guess this will all fade)
Slap me up again, Just slap me up again
Slap me up again, Just slap slap me up again
(In time, I guess this will all fade)
Slap me up again, Just slap me up again
Slap me up again, Just slap slap me up again
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
The lyrics to Karnivool’s song “Fade” are quite introspective and contemplative. It appears to be about self-reflection and analyzing old wounds. The song starts with someone asking the singer what they want to be and reassuring them that they will not stand in the way of their dreams. However, the lyrics take a darker turn as the singer reflects on an incident that caused him to “snap” and questions the loyalty of a friend. He acknowledges that he sees things more clearly now that he has found “somewhere to rest [his] head” but wonders if the hurt he’s experienced will ever fully fade away. The repetition of “I will never stand in your way” implies a feeling of being trapped or limited in some way.
The line “You will slap me, and I know this sucks” is particularly interesting. It seems to highlight the cycle of hurt and betrayal that can exist in relationships. The singer accepts that he will be hurt again but also recognizes that it “sucks”. This gives the impression that he is resigned to this continuing pattern but is not necessarily happy about it.
Overall, the song seems to be about the emotional struggles of recovering from past traumas and trying to move forward. It’s a message of hope tinged with sadness and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
You said just show me what you want to be
You requested me to express my aspirations.
I willl never stand in your way
You won't hinder me from achieving those aspirations.
Take it back and then you say again
You contradict yourself by retracting your initial statement.
Tell me what you want to be
You want me to vocalize my ambitions.
You know I sat here thinking just the other day
I pondered over recent events.
What it was you said to make me snap
I'm perplexed over your remark that made me feel irritated.
You were always gonna be my friend
Regardless of the current situation, you will always have my loyalty.
You're not the enemy
You aren't my adversary or a hostile force.
I will never stand in your way
I won't obstruct your objectives.
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
Yet, I have emerged from the situation with greater clarity.
Take me back into the other day
I wish to be transported to a previous point in time.
when I was so proud to hear myself
A memory of me feeling self-assured and content.
You will slap me, and I know this sucks
You will hurt me, and it will be a painful experience.
Your're just the enemy
You have caused me harm and are therefore my adversary.
In time, I guess this will all fade
Over time, this situation will become less impactful.
now that I've found somewhere to rest my head
I'm at ease now that I've found a place to belong.
Slap me up again, Just slap me up again
The memory of an individual seeking physical pain possibly as a release.
Slap me up again, Just slap slap me up again
A repetitive desire of experiencing physical pain.
Contributed by Makayla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mostafa Hossain Tuhin
You said just show me what you want to be
I will never stand in your way
Take it back and then you say again
Tell me what you want to be?
I will never stand in your way
You know I sat here thinking just the other day
What it was you said to make me snap?
You were always gonna be my friend
You're not the enemy
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
Take me back into the other day
When I was so proud to hear myself
You will slap me and I know this sucks
You're just the enemy
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
Now that I've found somewhere to rest my head
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
You said just show me what you want to be
I will never stand in your way
Take it back and then you say again
Tell me what you want to be
I will never stand in your way
Yeah, but in my mind I see clearer
Now that I've found somewhere to rest my head
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade
Slap me up again, just slap me up again
Slap me up again, just slap slap me up again
Slap me up again, just slap me up again
Slap me up again, just slap slap me up again
In time, I guess this will all fade
In time, I guess this will all fade.
Dash 7 Studios
Holy damn. Been a fan of Karnivool for a while now (I'm from the US), and had NO idea they had an album before Themata (thanks Spotify). The music on this album, especially this song, is absolutely fuckin amazing! Wish they had stuck to this type of music, personally.
J Powell
This whole ep is beautiful. And I think they took alot from this to make themata.
Cale Liebig
My favorite Karnivool album. But I'm biased - I live in Perth and followed them round in the late 90's. This EP was pure balls crankin out of the hifi speakers bolted onto the rear wall of my hq ute!
Jordan Croy
The best song ever to close on. Monolith rocked last night good work fellas!
CaptainBenji
Back when Karnivool was nu-metal. Love this song.
Bryan Lenihan
I wish they kept this/themeta sound
Dan Cruden
My absolute favorite Karnivool song!
Jal
I saw Karnivool live last night. They played this song. And Ian Kenny shook my hand :p!!! Life complete.
Brodzzzzz
Everytime I go to a Karnivool Concert in Perth... There's always the crowd chant for the first lines of the song! Fucking love it. I bet you Karnivool just think on stage " Shut the fuck up, God I wish we never made that song " LOL
karmaofgood
honestly, that's probably the best compliment they could get from fans.