King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (2023), 2/10

As an experiment within the context of Gizz’s discography this record can be seen as successful; beyond the vacuum and in the context of thrash in the bigger picture, it is underwhelming and unimportant. I personally don’t care for the vocals or the battering ram approach to rhythm and percussion, so it was an uphill battle that was quickly thrown into disrepair. Some of these songs drag on and on, and eventually feel like someone beating you into anguished submission. I came out of the tail end of the album grateful it was over and exhausted by the entire affair. Granted I don’t enjoy much of the heavy metal they are drawing inspiration from, but it doesn’t transcend the sound in process or tone, only in overly pristine production and in individual, distinctive qualities of the band itself. It’s heavy, jammy and complex, filled with flawless performances, yet has an impressively unmoving quality from beginning to end. Great for fans of KGLW, otherwise you’re better off passing up this hyper-focused experiment in rapid fire thrash.