Following their recently released single ‘Pleura,’ King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have just released their seventeenth studio album, titled ‘L.W.‘ The Australian 6-piece are widely known for dabbling in a wide variety of genres, ranging from psychedelic pop to thrash metal.
The opening track, ‘If Not Now, Then When?’ starts the album off with heavy cymbals and a thrashing metal riff that could have fallen straight off of an AC/DC album. It follows on straight from their last studio album, ‘K.G.’, in such a storytelling and melodic way, that makes you believe this is part two of their most recent narrative. After the eccentric introduction, the track moves into the softer, more psychedelic/funk side of King Gizzard that we know and love. The jazzy guitar music creates sounds reminiscent of ‘K.G.’, but more explorative and tighter overall.
‘L.W.’ takes us even further into these newer sounds, diving into ‘O.N.E.’ The song’s introduction has significant similarities to Velvet Undergrounds ‘Sunday Morning’ but slips right into the psychedelic guitar and drumbeats that transform a song into that of the heavier rock genre. Their one of a kind guitar sound continues in the next track, ‘Pleura.’ The single release of this track gained the band a lot of attention and traction, only released weeks before. The heavier vocals featured on this track combines with the incredibly fast-paced melody creates a whole other world for the King Gizzard sound.
Next on the tracklist, we have ‘Supreme Ascendancy’, featuring sounds created from extremely distorted guitars that create an almost sitar sounding riff. The highly infectious drumbeats and anthemic vocals create a track that clearly will be exceptional live. The manufactured sounds on this track feel like if ‘Supreme Ascendancy’ was played in a random club in Soho, attendees would have no complaints. ‘Static Electricity‘ has been created to sound pretty much like the title. The unnerving introduction hisses and wails, with the looming sounds of cymbals in the background. We can hear those Middle Eastern guitar influences here, with vocals chanting throughout. The track features mesmerising change in pace towards the end, perfect as a soundtrack for a high-speed car chase, or daring bank robbery. ‘East West Link’ fits in next on the album, sounding clearly very similar to the preceding track. Obviously, if you’re going to release seventeen albums in the space of only eleven years, you’re going to find similarities in your music.
For me, the most noticeably classic song on this album is ‘Ataraxia.’ With dazzling synth beats that keep you wanting more, this track gives all King Gizzard listeners what they want. This track simply is catchy, with deep, psychedelic loops that gain more depth as you play the track again. The verb ‘ataraxia is defined as a ‘state of serene calmness,’ something you may not necessarily link to King Gizzard.
‘See Me’ is another illustration of the true hypnotic sounds that King Gizzard are so commonly known for, despite there being literally nothing about the band that is ‘common.’ In this song, it’s clear that some Black Sabbath influences are shining through, evident in their guitar riffs and heavy drumming.
Finally, ‘K.G.L.W.’ concludes this album, with a 9-minute-long thrashing magnetic ballad to wrap up the dauntless adventure this album has turned into. Embodying all things King Gizzard, the band manage to send you on what feels like a journey through time and space. Not many artists would have the guts to use their band name as the basis for the titles of two studio albums, never mind the closing track on one of the same albums. As mentioned previously, there must be a point where bands run out of inspiration for track names, particularly when you’ve released so many albums in such a short space of time.
Although this album hasn’t been as rock-orientated as some of their earlier studio albums, it has definitely toyed with the heavier psychedelic and metal genres, daring to continuously be different. Pairing perfectly with its forerunner, ‘K.G.’, King Gizzard have managed to create fresh sounds that fit in with their own classic and personal brand.
