PETRODRAGONIC APOCALYPSE; OR, DAWN OF ETERNAL NIGHT: AN ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH AND THE BEGINNING OF MERCILESS DAMNATION

The 24th album from these prolific Aussies sees them dipping their toes back into thrash metal. 2019's Infest the Rats' Nest is a modern thrash masterpiece, and the band's eco-apocalyptic lyrics suit the grim nature of that music. PetroDragonic Apocalypse is in a similar vein, but the songs are more progressive and ambitious. The riffs are fast, impactful, and complex, and Stu Mackenzie's hoarse vocals are distinctive throughout.

(It should be noted that the album's full title is actually PetroDragonic Apocalypse;  or,  Dawn of Eternal Night:  An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation, but that's a bit clunky, and PDADENAPEBMD isn't the catchiest initialism. The album title is also long enough to have caused issues when transferring the folder to my phone's internal storage, putting it in the same club as such prolix album titles as Dr. Colossus's I'm a Stupid Moron With an Ugly Face and A Big Butt and my Butt Smells and I Like to Kiss My Own Butt and Eximperituserqethhzebib?iptugakkath?ulweliarzaxułum's debut album, the title of which is nearly 500 characters long.)

PetroDragonic Apocalypse was recorded in a manner similar to that of their 2022 album with a long-winded title, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava. Where that album was recorded one song per day from scratch, with songs evolving from jam sessions, Mackenzie explained that he wrote the general concept for this album first and then worked backward from there. However, there is much less bloat here than on IDPLML. The songs are often long, but they're bursting with ideas and frequently take surprising, unexpected turns. 

"Motor Spirit" kicks things off on a sludgy note, and a piercing lead guitar line stands out against the downtuned backing. The verses have a punk-like energy that channels Motörhead, and Eastern flavors crop up in guitar fills. Even when things slow down a bit, there's a sense of dread, and tom-focused drumming gives it a meditative, ritualistic feel. This slower passage gradually builds in intensity, leading to another passage which strongly channels sludge metal. The final minute of this song is especially impactful, featuring tumbling drums and crushing walls of guitar contrasted against anxious, higher-pitched arpeggios.

"Supercell" features barked vocals on top of a jagged thrash riff, and the group vocals in the chorus add a great bit of textural variation. Structurally, this is one of the more straightforward tracks on the record. The playing is fantastic, though, and there are still some creative flourishes and interludes included.

The breakneck pace of "Supercell" carries through to "Converge". This one has some of the band's psychedelic weirdness in the chorus, and it's great foil to the grimness of the rest of the song. King Gizzard cycles through a number of different ideas and musical themes on "Converge", but they all work together. Songs like this run the risk of feeling disjointed, but each section flows into and complements the next.

"Witchcraft" flows immediately out of "Converge", and the vocal melody reminds me a lot of Polygondwanaland. There's a buzzy, occultic feel to the song, and this is the most prototypically-Gizzardian cut on PetroDragonic Apocalypse.

The lead single, "Gila Monster", comes next. This track took a while to grow on me from when I first heard it, and it fits in even better in the flow of the album than as a standalone cut. There's an urgent feel to this song, and the slightly-nasal snarl of the titular Gila Monster is distinctive from Mackenzie's growl, while also meshing with the band's sound perfectly.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse closes on a pair of 9-plus minute songs. "Dragon" is the first of these and bursts out of the gate with a speedy, downward riff. It's bouncy and kinetic but with a sinister edge to it. This song finally gives the listener a bit of breathing room a few minutes in. The arrangement is stripped back, and the vocals are softly muttered. As they've done elsewhere, the band gradually builds things back up until the music is a pounding, swirling maelstrom. As the song nears its climax, the main guitar line is moving upward, in contrast to the opening. Despite this, there's still a sense of haunting doom about it. In the conclusion, the band revisits the opening riff before closing things out on a pummeling, technical passage.

A rapid tom run opens "Flamethrower" before launching immediately into yet another biting verse. After a brief guitar solo, the pace of things ratchets up even further. Everything about this music brings to mind images of fiery hellscapes. Around the halfway point, things slow down and become a bit groovier. The drums eventually expand beyond just the toms, and soon guitars fall away to give synthesizers the lead. These electronic flavors come out of nowhere, but I love it. It's a striking way to end the album.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse is a powerful, punishing release. It's full of hellish riffs that evoke the climatic catastrophe described in the band's lyrics. King Gizzard's ability to excel at so many disparate varieties of rock continues to amaze me. Stu Mackenzie has said this is the first in a "yin and yang" pair of albums, so I am very eager to see the counterpoint to this.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/06/19/album-review-king-gizzard-the-lizard-wizard-petrodragonic-apocalypse/