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

Wow. KG have ventured into heavier territory in the past, but this puts it over the top. Granted, it's not a super-heavy guitar tone, so don't expect any black/death/djent vibes here. This is progressive doom metal, for the lack of a better term, with the typical KG quirkiness.

And it's brilliant! I love it.

Tracks:

1. Motor Spirit (4.5 stars): A ferocious opener, setting the tone for the album.

2. Supercell (4.5 stars): Continuing at the same pace. It's really heavy, doom/stoner metal. Very authentic, the band sound as if they've only ever played this kind of music. Then suddenly there are short interuptions, tribal percussion breaks.

3. Converge (4.5 stars): More of the same, but in a good way - the onslaught continues, with slightly different riffs.

4. Witchcraft (5 stars): Quite hypnotic. Less doom, more psychedelic/stoner here. Still heavy as f.ck.

5. Gila Monster (4.5 stars): This gets a little too repetitive, but I can give that a pass since it is sort of the title track.

6. Dragon (5 stars): This is my favorite track, and also arguably the most prog one. Epic and hypnotic, summoning the dragon. Quite psychedelic as well.

7. Flamethrower (5 stars): Starts with maybe the heaviest riff on the album, venturing (almost) into Petrucci territory. A worthy closer, after the heavy start it segues into a fast, driving section interspersed with the same heavy riffing. Love the choruses, the deliberate rhythmic variation of the words "flame thrower" is just the right amount of prog quirkiness.

But the track has a second part, starting with tribal drumming and hypnotic riffs. By the end we're in full Ozric Tentacles mode, combined with deep register throat-singing vocal chants. What a ride!

Originally published at tagyourmusic.org

Australia's gift to the legions of cannibis users (as well as heirs apparent to jam bands like Phish and The Grateful Dead), the GizLiz Wizards, are back with another foray into the territory of the metal artists. Apparently, their fans loved their previous effort in this direction, Infest the Rats Nest, and so have been greatly anticipating this release.

1. "Motor Spirit" (8:32) a great opener giving the listener a clear idea of where the band have landed for this album: the historic Molten States of Metal. There are 1990s feelings to this style of music (though I fear the drumming is unbefitting), though not quite as abrasive or technically precise--and the singing is more akin to the metal singers of the early 80s when the fiery genres were really exploding and solidifying like PANTERA, SLAYER, TWISTED SISTER, WHITESNAKE, IRON MAIDEN, and even BLUE 'YSTER CULT and a little BEASTIE BOYS. I love the trance/chant passage in the fourth and fifth minutes. (Are those vibrating vocals in the fifth minute attempts at Central Asian throat singing?) There are many moments when I can hear and feel the presence of all that is essential to the soul of the GizzWizzies, which is nice. A darn good song that is friendly enough to cause the listener to engage, not recoil. (18.25/20)

2. "Supercell" (5:05) solid metal but sounding like a band evolving toward DEATH or ATHEIST, but only about halfway there. The lead guitar solo work sounds more like SPINAL TAP parody material. (8.75/10)

3. "Converge" (6:16) okay, maybe three-quarters. (The drumming is finally getting up to speed.) Nice grating voice for the snarling metal vocals. The "converge" chorus is a bit laughable. I do appreciate and like the unexpected twists and turns the band takes us on--like the afro-pop rhythms behind the passage in the fourth minute before the BEASTIE BOYS-style version of the chorus. (8.75/10)

4. "Witchcraft" (5:03) feels to me like milktoast metal. Too much of KG&tLW signature sounds and unfitting, incongruous drumming. The weakest song on the album. (8.66667/10)

5. "Gila Monster" (4:35) a more 1970s, militaristic, lead guitar-oriented approach to metal--like SABBATH-OZZY or THIN LIZZY (almost Blue 'yster Cult). Engaging. A top three song. Same vocalist/vocal styling as "Converge" only with a little better two-part chorus. (8.875/10)

6. "Dragon" (9:44) sounds as if BIG COUNTRY merged with some Viking Metal band. I LOVE the chorus parts, as well as the guitar and bass play. This could have been my favorite song on the album but it drags on (no pun intended) longer than it should. Pretty impressive growling vocals (and vocal arrangements) from multiple singers. (17.75/20)

7. "Flamethrower" (9:21) the exact voice and styling of the previous song already yields demerits to my listening experience. Doubling-up of the vocalist with a background singer is a smart move. The music shifts and turns to and from several motifs, which is nice--and different for a jam band--even going into TED NUGENT territory as well as other 1980s heavy metal bands. There is a transition at the halfway point into a smoother, almost Latin jazzed-up motif which is carried forward as a more psychedelic/industrial instrumental jam. With far more presence of keyboard/synthesizer pops and beats and chant-like group vocals, the second half could serve the audience as a trance-inducing experience if extended live. I like it! This feels more true to the KG&tLW mission. (18/20)

Song #8. "Dawn of Eternal Night" (14:22) is not available through my Bandcamp access/service but it can be listened to in a Live at Red Rocks form on YouTube. It is an apocalyptic allegory read by a female voice that is support by an appropriately spacey, atmospheric rhythmless soundscape, not really a KG&tLW musical performance.

Total Time 62:58

While quite interesting--and surprisingly diverse in their imitative stylings--I do not find that the GizzLizard Wizzes bring very much new to the metal genres. There are glimpses of genuine inspiration that, with repeated listens, reveal themselves as being merely the authentic King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard peeking (or shining, depending on your allegiances) through the metal clothing.

B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you are A) a KG&tLW fan and/or B) like metal musics or C) like hearing/seeking the retro-historical references in your music.

It's hard to believe that Australia's KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD has only been around since 2010 and only released their debut album eleven years ago in 2012 but this prolific band has somehow found it in them to release 24 albums in a wide variety of musical styles in that decade plus time frame. While dabbling in everything from psychedelic garage rock to neo-psychedelic prog, the band tackled the world of thrash metal with its 2019 release "Infest the Rats' Nest" and has found it on their work table to continue down this path in 2023 with the exhaustingly named album PETRODRAGONIC APOCALYPSE; OR, DAWN OF ETERNAL NIGHT: AN ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH AND THE BEGINNING OF MERCILESS DAMNATION.

Like most of KING GIZZARD's output, this album is based on a series of recorded jam sessions that were then teased into various genre twists. Looks like thrash infused speed metal won the contest this time around and so it made the perfect noisy backdrop for an overall concept that tackled sci-fi themes such as dragons and witches. Tried and true heavy metal themes from the getgo. The album features seven tracks hovering close to the 49-minute mark however if you happen to shell out the extra dough for vinyl release you will be treated to the 14-minute bonus track "Dawn of Eternal Night" bringing the playing time up to 63 minutes.

Honestly this is one of those bands i don't really get the hype about. Sure these guys have crafted some interesting psych prog that does indeed strike the right mood but when it comes to the band's metal creds i find them lacking in many departments. First of all this to my ears basically PETRODRAGONIC sounds like a Motorhead tribute album as hinted at on the opening track "Motor Spirit" which reveals its true intent with its track name. Almost as if a homage to Lemmy himself the album meanders from crushing speed and thrash metal riffing crunchiness to moments of psychedelic interludes that may have found a home in an early Hawkwind offering.

Likewise even the vocals are on Motorhead mode and the seven tracks seem to not vary much in terms of intensity or creative input. While the thrash metal guitar chugs are pleasant enough the songwriting seems out of place in the context of a thrash metal experience which honestly throws the entire thing off for me. The slower moments of muddled guitar riffs with keyboard accompaniments sound more authentic to my ears as the band lacks the songwriting skills and drumming prowess to animate a true thrash metal attack. It honestly sounds like a non-metal band is taking its first steps into unfamiliar territory! Not to mention a complete lack of virtuosity in terms of lead guitars, chord progression changes and a complete failure of dynamic instrumental interplay. Yes virtuosity matters in thrash metal.

Since the 1980s the world of thrash metal has produced countless mega bands ranging from Metallica and Megadeth to Slayer, Sepultura, Coroner, Sadus, Exodus, Forbidden, Overkill, Annihilator and Vektor just to name a very few and somehow KING GIZZARD fails to approach a competency even close to any of these great bands. What we get here is more of a proto-thrash approach in the vein of Motorhead most of all with some aspects honing in on early "Kill Em All" Metallica and early 80s thrash metal before the genre got too sophisticated for many non-metalheads. Well to each their own but this band just doesn't pull off extreme metal to my liking. It sounds disingenuous on many levels and fails to beckon a return visit of any sort. I would recommend the good Aussie GIZZARDS to stick to the world of heavy psych and neo-psychedelia which suits their abilities because i find this rather uninspiring. A band that truly has chosen quantity over quality.