King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard stands out in a musical landscape where many bands struggle to find an audience, boasting 26 albums over 12 years that cover an eclectic variety of genres from garage rock and microtonal folk all the way through to psychedelic metal.

On their latest masterpiece, Flight b741, Australian group has unleashed their freak flag with full abandon.

Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock first emerged during the 1960s as part of a countercultural movement to challenge dominant society values. Artists created an innovative hybrid genre which combined jazz with rock music improvisational elements for a sound both experimental and uplifting, most famously represented by bands such as Big Brother & the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead.

Psychedelic rock music is all about exploring its boundaries of sound and taking listeners on an auditory journey. This genre often incorporates droning guitars, irregular time signatures and smooth vocals; sometimes even exotic instruments such as sitars or theremins may make an appearance!

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is one of the world’s best-known psychedelic rock bands, hailing from Melbourne and known for experimenting with multiple genres and staging energetic live shows. Their 26 LP releases offer something new for fans while expanding their minds with mind-bending lyrics that challenge reality.

Alternative Rock

Alternative rock is an expansive genre that encompasses various subgenres. Ranging from indie rock to psychedelic rock, alternative music offers a broad landscape of sound and emotion to many listeners, touching hearts in many places along the way. As this genre continues to adapt and innovate with time, artists such as Billie Eilish continue to expand it and bring new audiences into its fold.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s music defies categorization; that is their ethos! Each album they produce shatters any resemblance to any particular genre or subgenre; their recent barnburner Flight 741 channels 1970s country rock to tell stories of hog-wild living; perfect for their live shows where garage rock roots unfurl into sprawling jams!

Heavy Metal

King Gizzard are renowned for pushing musical boundaries. Be it their Microtonal Banana album or their cult audiobook Eyes Like the Sky, their musical experiments continue to push boundaries of music and push horizons further than previously imagined.

Murder of the Universe marks their first foray into heavy metal territory, featuring fast riffing and drumming with tales of dragon-monster destruction of mankind over fast riffage and drumming.

This album is a space opera sci-fi concept album in which Earth is dying and people must find somewhere new to live. Throughout, the band blends their love of psychedelic rock with heavy metal for a sound that appeals equally to veterans as newcomers.

At a time when heavy metal music has come under increasing fire from political and academic groups for being linked with drug abuse and depression, it is encouraging to know there are still bands who push the limits of heavy metal music. One such band is Scapegoat; I highly recommend giving this music a listen.

Pop

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is unrivaled when it comes to its ability to switch genres of music so effortlessly, from psychedelia and various metal genres, garage rock, synth-pop and sixties sunshine pop – to name but a few! Their 26 albums (plus additional live ones) span everything from psychedelia and various metal genres through garage rock, synth pop and sixties sunshine pop.

However, they have retained an identity all their own. Their lyrics frequently reference an absurdly complex mythos which provides the framework for their vast discography.

Flight B741 marks another change for them musically; its sound varies more bluesily while still including elements of funk, fuzzy psychedelia and fuzztone psych. I had the privilege of seeing them perform soon after its release and was impressed by how seamlessly they transitioned from this new sound into their signature energy with minimal change; they even surprised their audiences by including half an hour of electronic tunes and improvisation (something for which their fans were very grateful). Overall this performance showcased both their musical versatility and bond developed over years spent together by both musicians