karnivool - ad complementum tour announcement
- Kaylah Chilcott
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Get keen, Perth’s progressive metal outfit, Karnivool, have just announced their 2025 ‘ Ad Complementum’ tour!
The band’s Facebook announcement reading;
“Ad Complementum
(a) /latin/ to complete
After 5 long months in the studio we rise with something new. Australia – we give you the first taste of what is to come.”
Sounds like we will be getting some new material from the band over the course of the tour! Australian audiences will be getting a sneak peek at new sounds before the rest of the prog-hungry world. Karnivool are excited to take Australia by storm and return to their fans with rediscovered momentum.
2025 may be the first studio drop we see from the band since 'All It Takes' in 2021.
You will be able to catch them at thirteen shows across July and August, kicking off in hobart on july 17th and finishing up in their hometown on October 17th. Pre-Sale is open Friday 23rd of May, and general is open Monday 26th of May.
tickets and presale signups are available through karnivool.com
We last saw the band in May 2024, playing five shows across the country for their Tri-Continental Drift Tour, before heading back off to play a European leg.
Being one of Australia’s finest metal exports, let's do a quick recap on Karnivool’s previous albums.
Karnivool have been dropping progressive metal and alternative rock since their self-titled debut in 1999. This EP has a nu metal sound to it and is a bit harder to find, so a great place to start is their 2001 release, Persona, which is a better produced and easier to find record. The band has reformed and defined their sound over the last 25 years, and every album is a testament to how they have evolved.
Persona (2001) is incredibly raw in sound and subject manner, with an unpolished touch. From the tough riffs in ‘Fade’, to the Karnivool shimmer through ‘Headcase’, as well as the soft to hard dynamics of ‘Some More of the Same’. Listening to the later albums, you can certainly trace the signature sound we love starting here.
Their sound really takes shape with Themata (2005) (the best album, fight me), starting to lean into the progressive side of their sound. It is arguably not as heavy as Persona, but also somehow heavier? On a relisten, I think it’s because it strikes the perfect balance between the heavy parts being used with more impact, while being paired with wide and dreamy soundscapes, as you’d see in the title track ‘Themata’ and ‘Mauseum’.
Karnivool really owned their progressive techniques with Sound Awake (2009), their songs having a similar run time you’d commonly find in the genre. much like Themata, this album does a wonderful job at combining heavier riffs with dense layers of saturation to create a wide atmosphere. Sound Awake transports you elsewhere, taking a slower approach to sound than the last album, leaving you to soak in the noise and vibes. While ‘New Day’ and ‘All I Know’ demonstrate this well, I find ‘Illumine’ is an underrated performer on this album.
Asymmetry (2013) is their most recent album, nearly rivalling TOOL with how long a new album has been anticipated for (2025 is 12 years vs 13 years for Fear Inoculum in 2019)! This is most certainly a progressive album, and you hear it from the very first beat in ‘Nachash’. It is more refined from that aspect, still creating harmony between the fewer heavier sections, such as ‘The Refusal’ and dreamier soundscapes like ‘Sky Machine’, but isn’t as striking as previous records. Prog fans will certainly enjoy this release, especially if they're partial to Porcupine Tree or Rishloo’s Feathergun.
With the previous four albums in mind, and the trajectory of their sound, I feel that we will see some more atmosphere heavy noise from the band. or Perhaps, after such a long break, they will revisit their 2000s sound. Either way, every Karnivool fan - old or new - has a lot to look forwards to from the group this year!
To stay up to date with Karnivool, please follow the links below!
