King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are showing no signs of slowing down, unveiling details of their 28th studio album, Alien Metal, alongside the release of its title track and a fresh run of Australian live dates this October.
Melbourne psych-rock innovators King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will release Alien Metal later this year through p(doom) Records, marking another dramatic stylistic shift for the ever evolving six piece. Built around the modular synthesiser setup affectionately nicknamed “Nathan”, the record dives headfirst into techno, hardcore, house and jungle while retaining the band’s unmistakable psychedelic DNA.
The new single, “Alien Metal”, follows the previously released “Level 5” and offers another glimpse into what promises to be one of the band’s boldest releases yet.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard ‘Alien Metal’
The project was born from King Gizzard’s experimental rave performances, where traditional instruments were replaced with an expansive Eurorack synthesiser rig, what began as a live experiment quickly transformed into an all consuming creative pursuit.
“It completely rewired my brain,” said Stu Mackenzie. “I was like, ‘I’m going to forget everything I know about music and relearn it all from scratch’.”
The creative process proved anything but straightforward, the band discarded countless recordings before finally discovering the album’s direction.
“We’ve never scrapped so much material as we have for this album,” Mackenzie says. “Entire albums, entire universes that were formulated, created, recorded, deleted and started again.”
Everything finally clicked during a marathon late-night improvisation session, with every track on Alien Metal ultimately evolving from that single performance.
“It sounds so crunchy, but also beautiful,” says Mackenzie. “Alien Metal goes really hard, but it also goes to really interesting places,” adds Joey Walker. “And it feels unique – it feels like us, still.”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Australian Tour Dates
- Tuesday, October 13th – Thirroul, Anita’s Theatre (with Xiao Xiao)
- Wednesday, October 14th – Sydney, Hordern Pavilion (with Xiao Xiao)
- Wednesday, October 14th – Sydney, Liberty Hall (Late RAVE Show)
- Saturday, October 17th – Melbourne, The Croxton Block Party*
- Sunday, October 18th – Melbourne, The Croxton Block Party#
* Featuring B3lly, Babe Rainbow, Heavy Moss, Moktar, Shonen Knife, Stu Mackenzie and Techno666
# Featuring C.O.F.F.I.N, Glyconic, Gut Health, Moktar, ORB and Public Figures
Tickets: Presale is on now until Thursday, July 30th at 12pm.
General public tickets go on sale Friday, July 31st at 12pm.
King Gizzard will play shows in Thirroul and Sydney before taking over Melbourne’s Croxton Block Party across two nights, joined by artists including Shonen Knife, Babe Rainbow, C.O.F.F.I.N, Heavy Moss, Gut Health, Public Figures and ORB. Each Melbourne performance will feature an expansive two and a half hour headline set, while Sydney will also receive a special late night rave performance at Liberty Hall.
With Alien Metal, King Gizzard once again prove there’s no creative lane they’re unwilling to explore.
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