Album Rating: 4.0

Production so good I want to go check out who else Forrester has worked with

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah Forrester's production on this album is fantastic. He's produced a bunch of other big names in the Aussie prog scene besides Vool. His website lists Twelve Foot Ninja, Caligula's Horse, Cog and a bunch of other bands.

Album Rating: 4.5

Someone mentioned somewhere the bagpipes are actually guitars. I wonder if that's true

Album Rating: 4.5

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-06/karnivool-unpacks-album-in-verses-bagpipes-mental-health/106307988



Ah, right. So it's guitars AND bagpipes

Album Rating: 4.5

@cloakanddagger He also produced a couple of Butterfly Effect albums but his work on this one is immaculate.



@kalkwiese yeah there's an interview on youtube that confirms this, but there are both real bagpipes and guitars with effects simulating bagpipes as well



edit: ah, came here to say that haha

Album Rating: 4.0

Yea it’s a weird combo, I also thought there may be keys in the mix there too. Either way, it’s a pretty triumphant and bittersweet(?) way to end the record

the bagpipes are definitely a nice touch

Album Rating: 3.5

Good review - strange...the two songs which stood out for me where Conversations and reanimation

Album Rating: 4.0

Forrester also produced the new Textures if I'm not mistaken.

Album Rating: 3.5

The considerable lapse in time between this and Asymmetry does make it an even more impressive achievement. Also felt this has a dark mature tone to it; a certain melancholic edge.

Album Rating: 3.5

Album is overall quite good but I find a lot of it is in one ear and out the other for me; while each individual song is good they're all pretty similar so a lot of it runs together especially in the middle of the tracklist. I do find the first two tracks are excellent, and the end of Salva is sublime, that said. Went back and listened to Sound Awake after this and that album is so much more varied and dynamic track to track. 3.5 feels right on the nose for now but may grow with time, it's only been a week after all.

Album Rating: 3.5

^^ my thoughts exactly so far. Solid 3-song start but then it gets almost too smooth where the songs are a comfort to listen to but doesn't pique my interest. Reminds me of the random album I reviewed (Obiymy Doschu's "CoH") where the music is so well done but you can tell that they edited and revised the songs to the bone that some of the personality feels missing.

Album Rating: 3.5

Indeed, the strength of the record seem to decline as the second half kicks into gear. I did feel there was perhaps a slight lack of variety and a certain lack of musical risk taking. Some of these tracks felt a little too 'comfortable' in their stylistic choices, compositional structure, etc. The overall darker tone did appeal to me however.