Sometimes, you just need something a little different.  And what can start out as a fun diversion can end up being deeper and more interesting than you expected.  That is how I feel about the debut solo record from Johan Niemann.  It is called Karnivore, and it released on August 21^st.

Johan Niemann is best known as the bassist for my all-time favorite metal band, Evergrey.  He is lesser known for his recent collaboration with Carl Westholm (Carptree, Jupiter Society) in the band Hollingshead.  If you haven’t heard their 2020 debut Stay Dead, I highly recommend it.

For Karnivore, Johan is decidedly in musical territory we’ve never heard from him.  He introduced the album with the words “odd-sounding, 80’s-smelling, fretless bass-driven pop music”.  I think that is a fair description.  The music here is certainly bass and keyboard driven, sometimes reveling in spunky electronic sounds, while other times choosing to visit dark ambience.  I would say some of the songs would even be appropriate on a Halloween playlist, as I’ve already added some to mine.

I’ll be honest—this is a bass album through and through.  The keys are well-played and feature some searing and even catchy melodies that brighten the music.  However, where it really counts, this is about Johan being an amazing bass player as he produces groove after groove of fascinating, off the wall, and courageous bass lines.  Beneath all the atmospheric touches, the bass is absolutely the king of this record, and I’m in love with his performance here.

I’ll also note that this album reminds me greatly of a video game score.  I’d even venture to say that a couple tracks remind me of 2000’s Perfect Dark and its amazing soundtrack—the closing track on the album feels like it literally could have been on that soundtrack, so much so that my kids (who play the game with me often) asked if it was from the game.  For me, that is a huge plus.  I don’t know if Johan is a fan of the game or not.

On first listen, Karnivore can feel like something of a carnival ride with bright lights, crazy sounds, and lots of color.  When you go back, though, and then back again and again, you begin to realize there is something more here.  There is a haunting well of character and mystery within this album, and it is easy to find yourself lost in its undulating beats and hovering shadows.  The more I listen, the more I find to love about it.

Some of my favorites on the album are the weird opener “Palms for Mick” with its awesome bass groove and strange keys, the grit and honey of “Bones in Mud” with its ambience and eccentric bass, the ambient and electronic space of “The Right Lie”, and the very Perfect Dark-sounding “The Leap”.  In fact, the last four tracks all sound very Perfect Dark to me.

My favorites overall are “Less Worse Same”, “Red Flag”, and “Visions of Cyprus”.  “Less Worse Same” sounds directly out of an eerie horror movie; I love the spine-tingling keys and conversational bass, and the flow of it could go on forever for all I care.  “Red Flag” begins life as a spunky and bold piece with a great bass line, but what I really love about it is the dark synth that emerges in the middle, and then the cinematic atmosphere that rises in the last minute or two.  It has such a fantastic progression.  “Visions of Cyprus” is such a great closer; I love how dark and dangerous it feels in some moments, and how sweeping and illustrious and epic it sounds in others.  The keys on that one are a real highlight, but the bass drive is what really makes it engaging and ethereal to hear.

I definitely hope Johan continues to make music like this.  Karnivore is great for many different moods, and it has meat to it that might escape you the first time.  I love the interplay between the keys and bass, and there is no doubt that this will be one of the best bass records of the year.  I would love to see this on vinyl, though I doubt that will happen.

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