Themata (album)

Last updated

Themata
Karnivool Themata.jpg
Studio album by
Released7 February 2005
Recorded2004; 2002 for "L1FEL1KE"
StudioPlanet Studios, Perth
Metropolis Audio, Melbourne
"L1FEL1KE" recorded at Pinnacle Studios, Perth
Genre
Length48:52
Label Bieler Bros.
Producer
  • Forrester Savell
  • Karnivool
Karnivool chronology
Persona
(2001)
Themata
(2005)
Sound Awake
(2009)

Themata is the debut full-length album by the Australian rock band Karnivool. The album was released independently on 7 February 2005, and was distributed via MGM Distribution. The album was released in the United States on 10 April 2007 via Bieler Bros. Records and in the UK on 7 May 2008 on the Happy Go Lucky label.

Contents

Three singles were released from the album, "L1FEL1KE" in 2003, "Themata" and "Shutterspeed", both in 2005.

Composition

Metal Hammer said that Themata "clicked with a subculture that was barely post-nu metal, resurrecting [the progressive metal genre] for one last gasp with a Tool-inspired twist". [1] Lead guitarist Drew Goddard played most of the drums on Themata, as well as contributing to the songwriting. The album's songs were composed in a combination of dropped-B and standard E tuning. [2] Metal Forge magazine said that the album's songwriting demonstrated "a whole new spectrum of sophistication, with maturity and a growing confidence evident throughout". [3] "Roquefort" features elements of funk, while "L1FEL1KE" shows influence from nu metal. [3] Rolling Stone India said that the album's sound was defined by "Odd-time signatures, buzzing riffs and jagged guitar lines, soaring and harmonized vocals [and] cerebral writing". [4] In a review of the band's later album, Sound Awake, AllMusic categorized the sound of Themata as "alternative/nu metal", [5] while Rolling Stone India categorized the album's sound as "progressive rock/metal". [4]

"Roquefort" was initially supposed to be recorded with a horns section, but the band did not have time to do this during the recording of the album.[ citation needed ] Harry Angus and Kieran Conrau of the Cat Empire later recorded trumpet and trombone respectively for the single version of "Roquefort". This version has been played live on a few occasions, including at Rock-It 2005, during the Triple J Hottest 100 on 26 January 2007, and at the 2010 Melbourne Big Day Out.[ citation needed ]Drew Goddard said the following regarding "Change", stating "'Change' wasn’t originally conceived as a two part song.

We had written about 60% of "Change" as a whole piece and were desperately trying to finish it in preproduction for inclusion on Themata, as we thought it was shaping up to be an absolute cracker. Due to the nature of the song, the time needed to spend on it and the time we didn’t have we decided do the thing that annoyed everyone so much, and chop it at the peak of the climax, and then finish the 2nd part for inclusion the next album. The title "Change" seemed fitting as this was the last song (mostly) written during the Themata sessions and almost signaled what we thought could be a change of direction on the next album.… It seems we were pretty spot on going by the general feel of the new material. It just wouldn’t have found its place on Themata. [6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Melodic.net Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Metal ForgeStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Metal Storm7/10 [8]
PopMatters 6/10 [9]

Themata received generally positive reviews upon release.

Metal Storm wrote that the album is better than most nu metal albums of the time, but also stated that the album would only find success with fans of the genre and criticized some parts of the album for a lack of originality. [8]

A more mixed review came from Andrew Blackie of PopMatters. Blackie praised the band's musical style for not following the retro rock sound of other Australian bands such as Jet, Wolfmother, and the Vines. Outside of opener "C.O.T.E." and closing track "Change (Part 1)", the review called the album "a mess of unmemorable riffs and the dull experimental slab here and there" and unfavorably compared Kenny's vocals to Fred Durst. [9]

In a retrospective review to coincide with the album's 10th anniversary, Nick Hartman of Happy Magazine praised the band's ability to merge different metal trends of the '90s and '00s together into a coherent style. However, Hartman also noted that Themata was "a sore thumb" in the band's discography due to the more progressive rock/metal shift on later releases. [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Karnivool (Ian Kenny, Drew Goddard, Mark Hosking, and Jon Stockman)

No.TitleLength
1."C.O.T.E."5:50
2."Themata"5:40
3."Shutterspeed"3:46
4."Fear of the Sky"5:16
5."Roquefort"4:38
6."L1FEL1KE"4:40
7."Scarabs"2:10
8."Sewn and Silent"4:12
9."Mauseum"3:54
10."Synops"4:53
11."Omitted for Clarity"0:20
12."Change (Part 1)"3:28

Charts

Charts (2015)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [11] 41

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [12] Gold35,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release details

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
Australia7 February 2005Independent/MGM Distribution CDKARN001
United States20 November 2007 Bieler Bros. CD70015
Digital
United Kingdom7 May 2008Happy Go LuckyCD070015

Personnel

Karnivool

Additional

String section

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References

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  2. MacGregor, Jodie. "Karnivool - Biography". Allmusic . Macrovision . Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Donnelly, Justin. "The Metal Forge >> Review >> Karnivool - Themata". www.themetalforge.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 James, Bobin (31 October 2012). "How Karnivool Conquered India". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  5. Greenberg, Adam. "Sound Awake - Karnivool|Songs, Reviews, Credits|AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  6. "Cracking Q&A with Karnivool's guitarist". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  7. Roth, Kaj (11 December 2005). "Melodic Net Review: Karnivool - Themata". Melodic.net . Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Karnivool - Themata review". Metal Storm. 14 April 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 Blackie, Andrew (11 April 2007). "Karnivool: Themata". PopMatters . Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  10. Hartman, Nick (1 February 2015). "Happy takes a stroll down memory lane and revisit Karnivool's Themata". Happy Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  11. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  12. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 December 2021.