Boasting a penchant for pushing genre boundaries and work rates to the limit, channeling a strong progressive and psychedelic rock flair, amidst a myriad of other influences and styles from album to album, the reason for appearing on these hallowed pages, is for the second time in their career King Gizzard channeled their metal urges. In 2019 they released the well-received Infest the Rat’s Nest. Naturally, there will be pre-conceived doubts from listeners as to whether a largely non-metal band has any business releasing a credible, fully-fledged metal album. Well, King Gizzard could seemingly give two fucks what the masses think. And I would encourage those with this line of thinking to at least give PetroDragonic Apocalypse a decent shake, as it is a hugely fun and entertaining platter performed with genuine metal attitude and conviction, all executed within the adventurous, kaleidoscopic realms in which King Gizzard gleefully reside.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is an odd collective with restless ambitions and musical talent to burn. Across seven tracks and 48 weighty minutes, King Gizzard bring their own unique flair and creativity to a set of hard-rocking, driving metal anthems. PetroDragonic Apocalypse’ possesses a scorched desert, Mad Max-style vibe, as King Gizzard weave threads of red dirt-speckled thrash, biker metal grunt and punky Motörhead attitude, all filtered through their distinctive and bizzarro progressive and psychedelic-washed lens. Middle Eastern-tinged melodies, tribal percussion, revved-up riffs and propulsive energy drive epic opener “Motor Spirit,” kicking the album into top gear. The crunchy thrash and punk-infused thrust of “Supercell,” and acid dipped Motörhead charge of “Converge” follow, setting the album’s bar high, with momentum largely maintained. Other bangers drop mid-album, such as the fantastical charms and hopelessly infectious hooks of “Gila Monster,” before the band wig out hard across two nearly 10-minute, hard-hitting and experimental jams to close things out.
It doesn’t always work, some self-indulgent bloat and repetition presents, but the pros far outweigh the cons, and the songwriting is never less than interesting. In the end, the nature of the band, strange vibes and tongue-in-cheek elements will likely divide metalheads. I had initial doubts but left with a smile on my face and scrambling back for more with the music being too damn fun, addictive and wickedly inventive to resist. PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation is well worth a crack for the curious or skeptical, it just might win you over.
Tracks to Check Out: ”Supercell,” “Converge,” Gila Monster,” “Witchcraft”
