Din Of Celestial Birds are a band that have been on our radar for a few years. A couple of performances at Damnation Festival blew us away. Add in a stellar debut and blistering live album, ‘Din’ are definitely ones to watch in the world of post rock/metal.

Takeoffs & Landings, Din Of Celestial Birds new album, is out on August 7th via Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU). Through relentless touring and hard graft, the Leeds based instrumental group have built a strong reputation. They tour with one of our other favourites of 2026, Wildernesses, later in the year. Plus, Din appear at this years ArcTanGent Festival where we will be in attendance.

Here, we welcome bassist and synth player Matt Benatan to our Why I Love column. He shares his love for Australian band, Karnivool.

GROWLING GROOVE

A soft wail of distorted ambience creeps in, laden with inharmonic tension; atmospheric and anticipatory like distant storm clouds over the ocean. The crisp double-stop of a simple marimba chord strikes, playing against the dissonance with its glassy, organic timbre. The compound time of its beats sets us off-kilter, and for a split second we hang in suspense. Then, the storm comes crashing ashore.

We’re swept up in a hypnotic, driving motif anchored in the growling groove of bone-rattling bass, punctuated by the perfect staccato accents of percussion which sits just a hair behind the beat. We have just enough time to settle into this mesmeric wall of sound as the vocal cuts through. We’re treated to another stark and gorgeous contrast as the vocal soars high above the crushing ostinati below; delivered with unmistakable intention and impeccable execution. Awe-struck and captivated, we listen – helpless and enraptured – for 76 blissful minutes of meticulous musicianship and sincere, emotive storytelling.

At least, that’s how it was for me. These two adjective-laden paragraphs try (and fail) to capture the sheer breathlessness I felt when experiencing Karnivool’s Sound Awake for the first time, here focusing specifically on the first 35 seconds of the opening track, Simple Boy. My introduction to Karnivool came through my good friend Rob. When we were younger, he had this uncanny, shamanic ability to recommend bands which have formed the bedrock of my musical influences: Nine Inch Nails, Karnivool, Arcane Roots, Black Light Burns, Losers… The list goes on. 

AN ACCIDENTAL EXPERIENCE

My first experience of Karnivool actually came about by accident: Rob was going to see them, and one of his friends dropped out, so he offered me the ticket. I remember coming away from the show with my jaw on the floor. Going into that concert, I’d have told you that Tool were my favourite band (yes, I was one of those guys). Walking out, I distinctly remember my disbelief at Karnivool taking their place as my new heroes of progressive music.

Their sound is at once profoundly sophisticated and wholly unpretentious. Ian Kenny’s lyrics are deeply considered and dream-like. They meld vivid imagery with insights born of a keen intellect. His delivery is both honed and sincere: I believe every word. More importantly, I believe that he feels every word. As I write this, there isn’t a single vocalist I can think of who is capable of so completely inhabiting a piece of music in the way that Kenny does. And yet, Kenny is probably my least favourite member of Karnivool (sorry Ian). 

THE FOUNDATIONS

Now it’s time for me to mention another friend who’s played a crucial role in my musical education: Tony. Tony’s a drummer who’s deeply fond of prog, so Tony and I have spent hours and hours talking about Neil Peart, Gavin Harrison, Danny Carey, Craig Blundell… You get the idea. So, Steve Judd’s playing is naturally a huge part of what won me over. Every hit fuses a rich heritage of progressive drumming with the contemporary, pin-point accuracy of players like Matt Garstka, Jay Postones, and Baard Kolstad. But what sets Judd apart for me is his incredible time feel, groove, and soul: you can transparently hear the influence of drummers like Questlove, Abe Cunningham, and Chris Dave. His drumming is as unapologetically authentic and intentional as Kenny’s vocals: every beat is placed with unmatched feel, every rhythm utterly hypnotising. 

Judd’s drumming lays the foundation for what really made me fall in love with the band at that concert back in 2013: the bass. Back then, I was fairly naive when it came to bass. I would have told you that my favourite bass player was Justin Chancellor, and I probably couldn’t have named many other bass players. But after that show? Obsession hit. I remember digging into how they created the bass tone on Sound Awake; learning about the importance of blending tones to ensure a strong fundamental while still delivering a gritty mid-range grind. 

DARKGLASS

Jon Stockman’s incredible tones certainly contributed to my love of Darkglass pedals, but it was years later before I really appreciated what makes his bass playing so memorable. After I’d studied players like Paul Turner, Joe Dart, and Jacob Umansky, I came to realise that great bass playing is all about space. Any bass player worth their salt will tell you that bass is as much about the notes you don’t play as it is about the notes you do play. Whether it’s the frenetic, punishing rhythm of Set Fire to the Hive, or the elegant, simple, and supportive playing of In Verses’ beautifully emotive Opal, Jon makes each note – and each rest – count. 

Listening back to Karnivool, after years of loving this band, I realise it’s not just the bass-space that makes them great. It’s the attention each of these phenomenal musicians gives to when to play, and when not to play. Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking’s incredible guitarwork owes much to this same principle. Whether weaving between the gorgeous motifs and enormous, chunky chords of Animation, or the raw distortion and screeching dissonance which underscores Nachash, the guitars are as much melodic masterpiece as they are sumptuous sound design. That key element bleeds through every moment and every track: Goddard and Hosking have not only mastered how and what to play, but when to hold back.

WHY DO I LOVE KARNIVOOL?

And perhaps that’s really why I love this band so much. Every part is written with intention and consideration: nothing exists in isolation, and nothing truly takes the lead, not even Kenny’s vocals. This quality is present in every possible dimension, from the space they give the instrumentation, to the space they give the songwriting itself (having spent 13 years concocting their latest album). There are so many things I could have said about specific motifs, songs, melodies, or lyrics, but when I ask myself, “why do I love Karnivool?,” it really does come down to that surprisingly simple and unassuming principle: space.

So, I invite you to take a chance on this incredible band, knowing that what you’re embarking on is something both meticulously crafted and unapologetically heartfelt. Or, if you’re already a fan of the band, try revisiting the album as I have: listen for that incredible consideration, that balance, that gorgeous space which lives between the beats and is strewn throughout the instrumentation. It’s that sense of space, balance, and consideration which will always be an inspiration to me; something I’ll forever be chasing as a songwriter and as an instrumentalist. I hope you can at least hear a hint of it in the new Din of Celestial Birds album, Takeoffs & Landings.

Our thanks go to Matt Benatan for his words on Karnivool. You can pre-order the new Din Of Celestial Birds album here.

The band will be hosting a Bandcamp Listening Party on Tue 4th Aug at 7:30pm with a live Q & A.

Din Of Celestial Birds: Bandcamp

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