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'.
New Day
Karnivool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did they know?
This misconception of fate
I'm about to let go
Awake in a new light, I'm
Alone in this room
Heavy at heart, it may be a lie
It's a new day
(Why did they follow me home?)
It's a new day
One
More
Step, it's
Here waiting for you, now
Go
Slow, take your time
Leave
No
Mark
You lost your way
I hope you're watching me
One
More
Step, it's
Here waiting for you, now
Go
Slow, take your time
Celebrating
For the one so free
You lost your way
No-one held you back from me
How do you all
Speak
With a lying tongue?
How do we all
Sleep
With a dying sun?
Sit down
Lighten your own
This storm is coming
You should stay home
But I feel warm
Hey, let's get lost in the crowd, while
Searching for something worth holding
Hey, let's get still lost in the crowd
I'll show you so much more
Much more
So much more
So much more
Are we waiting?
For the savior?
Someone to heal this
Or erase us
How did they find me?
How did they know?
This misconception of fate
I'm about to let go
Awake in a new light, I'm
Alone in this room
Heavy at heart, it may be a lie
You will not see me
It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day
Are we waiting?
For the savior?
I'm so sick of waiting
I've been waiting my whole life
This is a new day
This is a new day
This is a new day
The lyrics of Karnivool's song "New Day" speak to the universal feeling of being lost and searching for meaning. The opening lines, "How did they find me? How did they know? This misconception of fate, I'm about to let go" suggest a feeling of being stalked or pursued, and leads into a more introspective message about waking up to a new light and being "alone in this room". The lyric "Heavy at heart, it may be a lie, you will not see me" could be interpreted as a desire to go unnoticed, or feel invisible.
As the song progresses, there is a shift towards a more positive message, with the repeated chorus of "It's a new day" suggesting a hope for change and renewal. The line "You lost your way, no one held you back from me" suggests that while we may feel lost, we are ultimately responsible for our own path. The musician challenges the listener to take slow, intentional steps towards their goals and dreams- "One more step, it's here waiting for you now, go slow, take your time".
In the bridge, there is an acknowledgement of the chaos and uncertainty of the world, with the lyric "This storm is coming, you should stay home, but I feel warm". It seems that the musician is suggesting that while it may be tempting to retreat from the world and stay safe, there is a warmth and hope within us that beckons us forward. The song ends with a repeated message of "This is a new day, I'm so sick of waiting, I've been waiting my whole life." suggesting a desire for positive change, and a willingness to take action towards it.
Line by Line Meaning
How did they find me?
I'm confused about how my actions were noticed.
How did they know?
I'm unsure how knowledge of my actions became public.
This misconception of fate
I realize that my perception of destiny might not be accurate.
I'm about to let go
I'm giving up on this idea.
Awake in a new light, I'm
I'm seeing things in a new way.
Alone in this room
I'm by myself.
Heavy at heart, it may be a lie
I feel troubled, but maybe it's not true.
You will not see me
I've decided to keep my thoughts to myself.
It's a new day
Things are different now.
(Why did they follow me home?)
I'm wondering why others were tracking me.
One
Step forward.
More
Distance to go.
Step, it's
I need to keep moving forward.
Here waiting for you, now
Something awaits me.
Go
Keep moving forward.
Slow, take your time
Move cautiously.
Leave
Don't mark your presence.
No
None.
Mark
Any sign of your passage.
You lost your way
You didn't stay on course.
I hope you're watching me
I'm confident about my direction.
Celebrating
Honoring.
For the one so free
The person who's no longer tied down.
No-one held you back from me
You weren't restrained from coming with me.
How do you all
Why do people
Speak
Talk
With a lying tongue?
Deceiving others?
How do we all
Why do we
Sleep
Rest
With a dying sun?
In a world that's getting worse?
Sit down
Take a break.
Lighten your own
Find your inner peace.
This storm is coming
Trouble is about to arrive.
You should stay home
You're safer inside.
But I feel warm
Despite the danger, I'm optimistic.
Hey, let's get lost in the crowd, while
Let's blend in with others.
Searching for something worth holding
Looking for something valuable.
Hey, let's get still lost in the crowd
Let's remain unnoticed.
I'll show you so much more
I'll demonstrate all that life has to offer.
Are we waiting?
Are we waiting for someone or something?
For the savior?
For someone who can save us?
Someone to heal this
Someone who can fix everything.
Or erase us
Or eliminate us altogether.
I'm so sick of waiting
I'm tired of waiting for help.
I've been waiting my whole life
I've been waiting for a very long time.
This is a new day
Today signifies a fresh start.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW GODDARD, IAN KENNY, JONATHAN STOCKMAN, MARK HOSKING, STEPHEN JUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gypsyzaz8750
I will never forget this band, the person who showed me the band and the day I first listened to Umbra 💔
@jamesrudland9734
Karnivool must be the most underatted band in history.
@Jlittles2
agree 100% they're very underrated.. they deserve much more credit and popularity than they have
@MJ-vd8bj
They are really respected in the prog scene even with the lack of new music, many people see Sound Awake as a masterpiece. But yeah outside of that they are barely known (expect Australia)
@xbeast666
Lol. Ohhhhh plzzz
@ivanyiattila3547
No. The most underrated is Van der Graaf Generator.
@Shoninator
Red is the most underrated band ever. Go listen to a few of their songs, come back, and tell me I was right.
@SlappaDeBassMon
"How do you all speak with a lying tongue? How do we all sleep with a dying sun?" Love that line, awesome lyricism in this band.
@Nebula_dragon
My favourite lyrics too 😁
@somebloke3869
If I zone out and miss this line, I'll start the song again.