Nice review from a metal site:
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=1670And another, more mixed one on rateyourmusic:
rupertlenz Aug 12 2013 ▼ 3.00 stars
Why the "low" rating ?
I've had mixed feelings about "Carnival" since the very first listen,
and they haven't changed although I came to appreciate the album more in the meantime.
It's far from being a "bad" one (though my primary rating
was very low),
for NMA are too good a band to produce a genuine stinker.
Too good and, also, too honest in their approach.
But, let me tell you, to me, it's all about good songs.
I had become a fan with the underapprechiated "Eight"
and started buying their backcatalogue backwards,
finding many many great songs, even on their earlier albums
(with a very few exceptions I'm not into "Punk" at all,
so I'm preferring their stuff from "Thunder and Consolation" onwards,
but there's also a lot of class to be found on its predecessors !)
and on b-sides collections.
"Eight" - my favourite to this day - had the reputation of being a "weaker one",
partly due to low budget production (as opposed to "Strange Brotherhood")
and its lack of "straight in the face heaviness" in favour of subtlety and sheer songwriting-craft.
Robert Heaton was gone and Justin Sullivan, remaining the only original member,
somewhat needed to prove that they still "had it",
so this album rocks heavier again
and is aimed at satisfying their long term fans' expectations more than at developing further
from where the natural process had taken them to.
And that's the problem with it.
I'm not one of those who want a new album to sound
exactly like previous things only because I love them.
I didn't want Genesis to do another "Selling England by the Pound" in the 80s,
no matter how much I'm preferring that album to "Invisible Touch".
And having NMA rocking harder again was in no way something I thought of as being disappointing.
But...
the power was not there.
Don't get me wrong, the performances are all very good,
the production/sound is crisp and they still had the power to rock out,
but, during that time, there was no power left at all for writing the songs that were needed to meet that attitude !
No good songs ? How can Roopie say this ? Doesn't he listen ? Isn't "Water" a great opener ?
Isn't "Red Earth" a moody, melodic evocation into wonderful observations, exploding like a bomb at its fierce ending ?
Aren't "Too Close to the Sun" and "Island" supposed to be "NMA classics" ?
What the hell is he complaining about when listening to
energetic rockers like "BD3" or "Another Imperial Day" ?
How can he say there was "no power left"
Because, in one way or another, he had heard it all before,
from the same band, and he had heard it better.
I'm listening hard, actually. There are things so obvious
they don't escape my ears !
The power that I'm talking about is the power to create new tunes
and the only thing new about those songs
- apart from the lyrics - are unnecessary twists that had been added in order to make things more interesting.
I cannot listen to "Red Earth" without thinking of "Queen of my Heart".
It doesn't help that the ending is "new".
I cannot listen to "BD3" or, in fact, most of the other tracks,
without thinking "well, on Lost Songs they'd have had their rightful place, but on a new album they are bound to disappoint me".
The grooves, the riffs, the melodies...
all stolen from themselves ;-) !!!
"Water" is a promising good start, but even "Too Close to the Sun" - a great one in concert, as is "Island" ! - sounds like a rehash of old ideas, familiar effects, NMA recycled.
If I hadn't heard any other NMA-album before,
"Carnival" would have impressed me a lot and won me over, I'm sure.
If you don't know any other NMA-album this may be a good place to start and get to know them.
Everything is in here.
And it's pretty good.
It may even sound like a "best of" !
And that's the problem for me.
It's pretty good for a recycling-album with the band focussing on their "rocking hard-edge" -
hence yours truly having improved his rating to a three stars.
And it's not tuneless. Or bleak.
You can be very happy with it and I don't have a problem,
it's good music from start to finish.
But tell me what you want it's a recycling-album, still,
and that's not enough for me,
cause I had waited for a new one.
I had to wait until "High" until I finally got it,
so "Carnival" remains a transitional outcome
to please all those people who like to hear NMA in a familiar way and have them rocking...
Nothing wrong with that, nothing at all...
as it's far better to listen to NMA recycled than to Bon Jovi doing another "Living on a Prayer" or "Bryan Adams revamped Vol.30" any day.
But there's a slight taste of disapointment to sour my listening pleasure whenever I decide to play it,
cause me... I know... they can do better.
They can do far better.
So, no matter how good this may sound to you,
this wasn't "their best in 15 years",
they had always given their best before...
you ought to love everything else if you love this,
so don't wait nor hesitate, go and buy the albums where
most of those ideas have come from !
LOVE; Roop
