Review: KARNIVOOL - Ad Complementum Tour
… Was It Worth the Wait?
Sunday 19th October 2025
Written by: Jimmy Wah
Photographer: RA
After having the rug pulled from under us the day of the original Sydney show in July, the stage was finally set for KARNIVOOL’s long awaited performance at Enmore Theatre as part of their Ad Complementum tour. Since then, there has been the monumental announcement of KARNIVOOL’s 4th full length studio album after nearly 13 years, making this night even more special. Having released 2 more singles - Drone and Aozora - in the lead up to the shows, fans were ready to get the fix they had been waiting for.
First up was BIG NOTER, the only support for tonight’s performance. The show began with a black room, a heavy beat and dissonant chords that were made even more eerie by red light flooding the stage. Guitar and bass fleshed out a heavy groove on drums for what seemed like an entire song and I was almost fooled into thinking we were listening to progressive rock. It was then that vocalist BRIGGS appeared to cheers from the audience and his heavy pacing set the mood for the aggressive vocals to come.
Image: BIG NOTER
BIG NOTER is an all-new project featuring Aboriginal Australian rapper and icon BRIGGS, a proud Yorta-Yorta/Wurundjeri/Wemba-Wemba man from country Victoria. I first saw BIG NOTER in April at this very venue, supporting TOM MORELLO on his recent Australian tour before his appearance at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. BIG NOTER utilises a full live band, tapping into BRIGGS’ hard-core, punk and metal roots. The band brings a new dimension to his politically charged rapping and makes it hit even harder.
Image: BRIGGS
The thumping grooves were very reminiscent of nu metal from our youth, which seemed like an appropriate dedication to the news of LIMP BIZKIT’s bassist Sam Rivers passing the day before. Energetic guitar and rhythmic bass was matched by unbelievable lighting which illuminated the KARNIVOOL stage, giving us a taste of what was to come. As eyewatering opinions cut through the infectious groove of the music, the evenly spaced sea of nodding heads grew considerably thicker each time I turned mine. I don’t know if it was just me but the anticipation seemed palpable, or maybe that was the subsonic frequencies giving me a new heartbeat.
Image: Leigh Davies
Image: BRIGGS
Image: Steve Smith + Craig Strain
A short break gave a chance for those willing to leave their spot to catch up with friends. The KARNIVOOL following feels like a big family and I lost count of the number of friends we saw. We all resumed our places to admire the stepped banners featuring the In Verses artwork framing the stage, the lights went down and the cheers were broken by a low, pulsing drone until each band member was greeted by distant roars as they appeared. Kenny appeared as the music kicked in for ‘Drone’ and the momentum of the now iconic groove couldn’t be stopped.
Image: Ian Kenny
KARNIVOOL gave the audience everything and more, following Drone with the world-renowned fan-favourite ‘Goliath’ played with absolute precision followed by ‘Aozora’, the latest release from the upcoming album. The sound in front of the stage-side speakers was so loud I felt lucky to have my earplugs but to my amazement it sounded even clearer when I took them out, a testament to the quality of the Enmore’s unbelievable system. As I ventured around to the back of the room and across the sides during ‘Simple Boy’ the impeccable sound and stunning lights made me warm and fuzzy before I headed back down the front just in time for the bass drops at the end of ‘Mauseum’, at which point I returned the hearing protection so I can still enjoy it when I’m older.
Image: KARNIVOOL
An unbelievable song to hear live is ‘Cote’, which was enriched with shaped accents and golden lighting before dropping to blue for a song I hadn’t heard. I could see plenty of people trying to identify this seemingly ingrained yet oddly unfamiliar groove that we desperately wanted to know. ‘Ghost’ is the first song on the upcoming album In Verses set to be released in February and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes embedded in our psyche. The blue light remained as Kenny announced ‘Deadman’, another clear favourite that left many misty eyes and heartfelt singing. Before we knew it we were singing along to the euphoric notes and lyrics of ‘Themata’, the song that stamped KARNIVOOL’s authority in 2005 as Australia’s new progressive metal titans, and a song that many fans are accustomed to hearing at the end of a set.
Image: Mark Hosking
Image: Jon Stockman
Image: Drew Goddard
Image: Ian Kenny
KARNIVOOL hardly made it off the stage before chants could be heard for “One more song!” which were left unanswered for just a bit longer than usual. It was at this point that I realised there wasn’t enough time left for all the iconic favourites too be played and I wondered what the encore would be. The now familiar opening drums from ‘All It Takes’ filled me with satisfaction, which was later reflected by 2 happily dancing fans who sneakily made their way on stage to have a dance before their moment was cut short by stage security who swiftly took them off. After this came the chewy opening riff from ‘Roquefort’, which I assumed would be the final song, an assumption that I happily shredded my vocal chords for. I was wrong, KARNIVOOL finished with ‘New Day’, because of course they did. For an ultimate karaoke moment filled with cheers, tears and exhilaration; the band faced a stacked Enmore Theatre with an audience almost as loud as they were.
Image: Ian Kenny
So after finally feeling my favourite music crushing my bones, hearing new music that we love played live, having long overdue catch ups with our friends, and walking out with the thickest band hoodie I’ve ever owned. Was it worth the wait?…
Image: KARNIVOOL
…Fuck yeah!
Photographer: RA
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