Perth progressive rock band Karnivool will take their chart topping album In Verses on the road across Australia for the first time, joined by TesseracT and Car Bomb for the biggest headline tour of their career.
by Paul Cashmere
Perth progressive heavyweights Karnivool have announced a national tour in support of their number one album In Verses, marking the band’s first full scale Australian run behind new music in more than a decade. The tour will begin with a hometown performance at the Ice Cream Factory in Perth on July 18 before moving through Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne and concluding at Riverstage in Brisbane on July 25.
Joining Karnivool on the road will be UK progressive metal band TesseracT and New York experimental heavy act Car Bomb, creating a lineup that reflects the technical and progressive edge of modern heavy music.
The announcement arrives only months after the release of In Verses, the band’s long awaited fourth studio album and their first since Asymmetry in 2013.
The significance of the tour lies not only in the scale of the venues but also in the timing. In Verses debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming the first Australian album to reach the top position in 2026. It also ended a 13 year gap between studio albums, one of the longest recording breaks in Australian rock for a band still operating at arena level.
For Karnivool, the challenge now moves from the studio to the stage. The songs on In Verses were developed across years of writing and recording sessions, often revisited and reshaped before reaching their final form. Translating that complexity into a live performance has become the band’s next focus.
The album itself closes with the track Salva, a moment that has resonated strongly with fans online. The swelling bagpipe arrangement near the end of the song has been widely shared among listeners who waited more than a decade for new music from the band.
Formed in Perth in 1998, Karnivool have long occupied a unique place in Australian heavy music. Their debut album Themata in 2005 introduced a sound built on complex time signatures, downtuned guitars and melodic vocal arrangements from singer Ian Kenny. The follow up Sound Awake in 2009 expanded the band’s reputation internationally and has since become one of the defining progressive rock releases to emerge from Australia.
The group’s third album Asymmetry arrived in 2013 and debuted at number one on the ARIA chart, establishing the band as one of the few Australian progressive acts capable of reaching mainstream chart success. After that release the band slowed their recording pace, balancing other musical projects and touring commitments while gradually shaping new material.
Those long gestation periods have become part of the band’s identity. Guitarist Drew Goddard has previously described the songwriting process as something the group continue to wrestle with, with each album emerging only after years of experimentation.
That approach places Karnivool in a lineage of progressive rock bands that favour extended creative cycles over rapid release schedules. In an era where streaming algorithms reward frequent releases, In Verses demonstrates that a carefully constructed album can still command major attention from listeners.
The touring lineup reinforces that progressive focus. British band TesseracT are widely recognised for their role in shaping modern progressive metal, bringing polyrhythmic guitar work and atmospheric arrangements to the genre. Their album War Of Being built a significant Australian audience when the band toured the country in 2024.
Opening the shows will be New York group Car Bomb, who will perform in Australia for the first time. Known for intricate arrangements, shifting tempos and technical precision, the band have built a cult following within the global extreme metal scene.
For Australian fans of progressive and technical metal, the tour represents a rare moment where several influential acts from the genre share the same stage. It also marks the first opportunity for audiences to experience material from In Verses performed live in large venues.
After years spent developing the album in the studio, Karnivool now face the task of translating those carefully constructed recordings into the energy of a live performance.
With venues ranging from theatres to arenas and a lineup drawn from three countries, the In Verses tour signals the next chapter in a career that has unfolded over nearly three decades.
KARNIVOOL
IN VERSES AUSTRALIAN TOUR
With Special Guests TesseracT (UK) And Car Bomb (USA)
Saturday July 18, Perth, Ice Cream Factory
Tuesday July 21, Adelaide, AEC Theatre
Thursday July 23, Sydney, Hordern Pavilion
Friday July 24, Melbourne, Margaret Court Arena
Saturday July 25, Brisbane, Riverstage
Presale begins Tuesday April 14 at 9am local time.
Tickets on sale Wednesday April 15 at 9am local time via destroyalllines.com
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