In case you didn't know, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard really likes releasing music. The band's brand new record Alien Metal is the group's 28th studio album. That's around triple a normal band's studio output for their entire career!
How does Alien Metal stand up to those other 27 albums you ask? Well, it's a real trip.
Being billed as King Gizzard's "techno" album, it definitely is the most electronic the band has ever sounded in my opinion. But this is a group that treats genres like yummy little desserts at an all-you-can-eat buffet, so it's not that crazy that they're doing something like this. I mean c'mon, they even made a thrash record!
Overall, Alien Metal sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a Flash Gordon movie, or better yet He-Man and The Masters of the Universe (it would have been great in the new movie)! The record comes off like it's not taking itself too seriously, but yet ... maybe it is? It's hard to tell whether the band is pulling your leg and is doing such a good job at it that you still get into it.
Is the album going to polarize people? Probably. But the conversations that will arise with talking about this record are bound to be hilarious, and I feel the band probably encourages it. This group builds entire backstories to go with their releases, and Alien Metal would be right at home with fans of Spelljammer.
Recommending this to people might be difficult, it's not easy listening, that's for sure. If you like some of Aphex Twin's more abrasive work, Autechre or Orbital, give this a listen. Something about it doesn't come off as serious as those groups, but if some of the songs came on during a playlist I think they could fit in.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has gained quite a reputation for their live shows, so it's fun imagining the songs from Alien Metal in a live setting. Just picture it: the group puts on the biggest rave of all time, fully equipped with enough lasers and animatronic aliens to make Electric Daisy Carnival look like child's play. Here's hoping the band goes bigger than anyone has ever seen before.
So go on! Head out there and fight the Galactic Empire, take on the Xenomorphs, plug into The Matrix and go toe to toe with the Cylons — just make sure Alien Metal is your soundtrack.