If you liked the hippy happy-go-lucky Fishing for Fishies and were hoping to hear more of the same, you’re about to be brutally disappointed. One would be forgiven for thinking that Spotify actually made a mistake and mislabeled the album, which sounds more like Motorhead than the King Gizzard we heard on the album which was released just four months ago.

Musically, the throwback thrash sound of Infest The Rats Nest sits somewhere between Foo Fighters, Electric Wizard and Slayer. Metal is infamously not a genre to experiment with, but a way of life. And yet King Gizzard seamlessly slips into a heavier, angrier sound with double bass drums and shredding. Given that thrash metal and King Gizzard both have roots in blues and acid rock, perhaps the album should be treated not as an experiment, but as an inevitable phase. Perhaps the point the album makes is that metal doesn’t have to be a committed way of life, it’s a mood we all go through.

Lyrically, the album is a natural progression from Fishing For Fishies. While the April album is an environmental plea, Infest The Rats’ Nest is the story of the end. While the rich retire to Mars, the poor “stare sadly into my beer”, longing to escape. “Superbug” is the deadly contagious, inter-generational bug that never stops. You can take that as a metaphor for whatever you want.

Somewhere between “Venusian 1” and “Venusian 2”, the thrash metal surprise shifts from a jarring one to a welcome one. As a King Gizzard album, it’s impossible to know where it ranks as it simply doesn’t compare to anything he’s made before. As a metal album, however, it’s energized, impassioned and musically terrific.

4/5

The post King Gizzard’s “Infest The Rat’s Nest”: a Tantalizing Account of The End appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The upcoming record, however, will be nothing like the environmentalist summer anthem we received a few months ago. Instead, the album will take the band in an entirely new and much heavier direction.

The record will be called Infest The Rats’ Nest and will see the band throwing themselves headfirst into the metal genre.

Frontman Stu McKenzie said: “In year 4 there was an older kid who was into Rammstein. I made friends with him and we put together a performance at our school assembly where we headbanged to ‘Du Hast’.”

He continued: “I got whiplash, which I thought was pretty cool. That was my introduction to heavy metal, and soon Rammstein led to Metallica, Metallica led to Slayer, Slayer led to Kreator and Sodom. The German bands really kicked my ass and scared the hell out of me too. Later on, when I picked up a guitar I realized that s**t was too hard to play, so I got into rock ‘n’ roll and garage. That was liberating.”

The metal record is scheduled for release on August 16. You can expect a review from us when it comes out.

The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Announce Another Album For 2019 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

If you liked the hippy happy-go-lucky Fishing for Fishies and were hoping to hear more of the same, you’re about to be brutally disappointed. One would be forgiven for thinking that Spotify actually made a mistake and mislabeled the album, which sounds more like Motorhead than the King Gizzard we heard on the album which was released just four months ago.

Musically, the throwback thrash sound of Infest The Rats Nest sits somewhere between Foo Fighters, Electric Wizard and Slayer. Metal is infamously not a genre to experiment with, but a way of life. And yet King Gizzard seamlessly slips into a heavier, angrier sound with double bass drums and shredding. Given that thrash metal and King Gizzard both have roots in blues and acid rock, perhaps the album should be treated not as an experiment, but as an inevitable phase. Perhaps the point the album makes is that metal doesn’t have to be a committed way of life, it’s a mood we all go through.

Lyrically, the album is a natural progression from Fishing For Fishies. While the April album is an environmental plea, Infest The Rats’ Nest is the story of the end. While the rich retire to Mars, the poor “stare sadly into my beer”, longing to escape. “Superbug” is the deadly contagious, inter-generational bug that never stops. You can take that as a metaphor for whatever you want.

Somewhere between “Venusian 1” and “Venusian 2”, the thrash metal surprise shifts from a jarring one to a welcome one. As a King Gizzard album, it’s impossible to know where it ranks as it simply doesn’t compare to anything he’s made before. As a metal album, however, it’s energized, impassioned and musically terrific.

4/5

The post King Gizzard’s “Infest The Rat’s Nest”: a Tantalizing Account of The End appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The upcoming record, however, will be nothing like the environmentalist summer anthem we received a few months ago. Instead, the album will take the band in an entirely new and much heavier direction.

The record will be called Infest The Rats’ Nest and will see the band throwing themselves headfirst into the metal genre.

Frontman Stu McKenzie said: “In year 4 there was an older kid who was into Rammstein. I made friends with him and we put together a performance at our school assembly where we headbanged to ‘Du Hast’.”

He continued: “I got whiplash, which I thought was pretty cool. That was my introduction to heavy metal, and soon Rammstein led to Metallica, Metallica led to Slayer, Slayer led to Kreator and Sodom. The German bands really kicked my ass and scared the hell out of me too. Later on, when I picked up a guitar I realized that s**t was too hard to play, so I got into rock ‘n’ roll and garage. That was liberating.”

The metal record is scheduled for release on August 16. You can expect a review from us when it comes out.

The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Announce Another Album For 2019 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.