KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD’S 28TH ALBUM, ALIEN METAL IS OUT NOW VIA P(DOOM RECORDS) / SOLD-OUT FIELD OF VISION FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND & AUSTRALIAN DATES IN OCTOBER
On Day 1 of their sold-out Field Of Vision Festival in Buena Vista, Colorado, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard unveil their 28th album, Alien Metal, out now via p(doom) Records.
Created and recorded using the modular synthesiser setup that the band toured with during last year’s ‘rave shows’—a system they lovingly named ‘Nathan’—the album sees them exploring the darker side of electronic dance music.
The release follows singles ‘Level 5’, ‘Alien Metal’ and final teaser ‘Kill For The Steel’ which was released earlier this week, and comes ahead of Australian tour dates this October, including a takeover of the Croxton Block Party in Melbourne/Naarm.
The Block Party line-up curated by Gizz includes Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife, Northern Beaches rock & roll band C.O.F.F.I.N, Heavy Moss, the psych-pop quartet led by King Gizzard’s bassist Lucas Harwood, Byron Bay psych-rock band Babe Rainbow, alongside local favourites Public Figures, Gut Health and ORB, plus sets from Moktar and Stu Mackenzie on the Eurorack. Each night will be capped with mammoth 2.5-hour King Gizzard sets.
NSW shows include Anita's in Thirroul and Hordern Pavilion with support from Xiao Xiao, plus a late RAVE show at Liberty Hall.
Widely regarded as one of the most thrilling live acts in the world today, the Melbourne 6-piece will play three huge sets at their very own Field Of Vision Festival this weekend, followed by a run of three headline shows at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and a ‘rave show’ in Brooklyn at Under the K Bridge Park.
Never ones to musically stand still and following explorations of everything from prog-fringed thrash metal, primitive synth-rock, down-home jam-rock hoedowns and feel-good symphonic rock on recent albums, Alien Metal grew out of last year’s ‘rave shows’, including the free pop-up in Melbourne/Naarm which saw 10,000 fans descend on the iconic Fed Square. Traditional instruments were abandoned as the band gathered around an expansive modular synthesiser setup, each making their own manipulations to create a mind-altering whole. And what began as an experiment soon became an obsession, inspiring one of the band's most ambitious records to date.
"It completely rewired my brain," said Stu Mackenzie, having discovered the possibilities of the Eurorack synthesiser format on the recommendation of fellow band member and self-confessed ‘techno head of the group’ Joey Walker. "I was like, 'I'm going to forget everything I know about music and relearn it all from scratch'."
The album was far from straightforward to make. Over the course of several years, the band scrapped countless recordings and abandoned entire creative directions while searching for the project's identity. "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."
The breakthrough finally arrived during a late-night improvisation session that stretched for more than an hour. That spontaneous jam became the foundation for the entire record, with every track on Alien Metal evolving from the same source performance.
The result is a seamless, ever-shifting journey through techno, hardcore, house and jungle influences, filtered through King Gizzard's unmistakable psychedelic lens. Pulsing rhythms, distorted textures and unexpected twists collide across a record that feels both futuristic and uniquely their own. "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
Oct 13 Thirroul / Dharawal @ Anita’s Theatre w/ Xiao Xiao
Oct 14th Sydney/ Gadigal @ Hordern Pavilion w/ Xiao Xiao
Oct 14th Sydney/ Gadigal @ Liberty Hall (Late RAVE Show)
Oct 17th Melbourne / Naarm @ The Croxton Block Party *
Oct 18th Melbourne / Naarm @ The Croxton Block Party#
* B3lly, Babe Rainbow, Heavy Moss, Moktar, Shonen Knife, Stu Mackenzie, Techno666
# C.O.F.F.I.N, Glyconic, Gut Health, Moktar, ORB, Public Figures
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