Thirteen years. That’s how long the Australians took to follow up Asymmetry, and the wait pays off: 78/100 from critics, 76 from the public across 759 votes — one of 2026’s rare records where press and listeners look the same way. Metal Hammer (9/10) declares the album « sets the bar for progressive metal in 2026 », Distorted Sound (9/10) salutes an intact creativity, Classic Rock (8/10) melts for Ian Kenny’s « mellifluous tenor ».
The consensus: dense, knotty, emotionally loaded — high-intensity Karnivool that lost nothing in a decade of silence. Even the least convinced, Kerrang! (3/5), admits the record « returns Karnivool to the top of the prog-metal mountain » and speaks of « staggering moments ».
The reservation, carried by that same Kerrang!: « an album of towering highlights with a bit of murk in between », tracks that overstay their welcome (« Reanimation », « Conversations ») and a whole that occasionally lacks consistency. Angry Metal Guy (3.5/5) sits on the same line. Detail versus masterpiece: the prog comeback of the year wins by a comfortable margin.