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Review: Karnivool/The Ocean Collective, O2 Academy
Not so long ago, Karnivool were playing the Anson Rooms. Tonight, they packed out the Academy, with an oft-postponed show that was upgraded from SWX. Australia’s biggest progressive rock band are certainly making waves on this side of the globe. It probably helps that Bristol audiences really, really love their prog-metal.
First up are Berlin’s The Ocean Collective (aka The Ocean, and not to be confused with defunct Britproggers Oceansize), who’ve been given a generous hour-long slot and a great sound for a set drawn from the Pelagial and Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic/Cenozoic albums.
is needed now More than ever
Their penchant for lengthy compositions named after geological epochs may be a gift to detractors, but the six-piece Collective’s dynamic and frequently hypnotic sound can be hard to pin down. It’s occasionally reminiscent of their Swedish chums Katatonia, who share their enthusiasm for opaque lyrics, though the synth/drums intro to Holoecene threatens to turn into Tom Sawyer at any moment.
Miocene, meanwhile, permits Loïc Rossetti to demonstrate his command of a variety of vocal techniques from deep growl to full-throttle roar. They’re back in town at this summer’s ArcTanGent festival and are well worth your attention.
If The Ocean showcase prog-metal’s more melancholic side, Karnivool are more on the genre’s euphoric wing, with choruses built for audience participation. Even with the longer songs, you’re never far from a big singalong moment amid the pummelling riffs, rumbling bass and odd time signatures. The enthusiastic Bristol crowd obliges by bellowing along with gusto throughout.
It helps, perhaps, that Karnivool are relatively unprolific. While many bands passed the time during the pandemic recording and releasing albums of new material that they’re now eager to play in public, Karnivool managed just one single – All It Takes – which is dispatched fairly early in the set. The rest of the show leans heavily on their best known album, 2009’s Sound Awake.
Given that Karnivool’s burgeoning popularity rests on their reputation as a live band, lockdown must have been particularly tough on them. But on this first UK date of their tour they’re in fine fettle, already road-hardened by a jaunt through Europe. Ian Kenny nails all of his vocal parts but eventually gives up and allows the crowd to take over for the audience favourite encore, New Day.
All pix by Mike Evans
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: February 2023
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