King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released their 24th studio album. It is called Petrodragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. Cameron Gibbs shares his thoughts.
The experience of reading these two statements together is a good approximation of the dizzying experience of both knowing the Melbourne-based band and listening to their latest offering. For brevity’s sake, we will henceforth refer to it as Petrodragonic Apocalypse, a prog metal odyssey that adds another end-of-the-world story to King Gizzard’s bookshelf of end-of-the-world stories (alongside the odd Western tale).
Such themes have always been synonymous with the band’s heavier side. When 2016’s infinitely looping Nonagon Infinity closed, or possibly opened, with ‘Road Train,’ the chugging guitars and pounding drums steered the titular vehicle from hell as well as the course of this sound. Across 2017’s now legendary five-album run (which, it should be noted, was replicated last year), the band would tease this style further, especially on Murder of the Universe. While not strictly metal, the three despondent stories it told spewed forth cyborg monstrosities and mythical Balrogs in a putrefying sonic palette. Leah Senior, who narrated two of these three suites, returns on the vinyl exclusive track of Petrodragonic Apocalypse, which has yet to make its way to listeners. Continuity could be assumed between the two projects, but such speculation would lead me to discuss the minutiae of the Gizzverse, and I would prefer for my peers to still respect me.
Infest the Rats’ Nest was the first full metal album of thrashing hooks and high concepts, this time narrating failed endeavors to rehome the human race on a non-existent planet B while the rich survived on Mars. Fear not though, for the rich were soon destroyed by the armies of hell.
Since then, the band’s various heavy tracks have retained this sound while bridging the gap between apocalyptic sci-fi and fantasy, referencing mythological entities like Fenrir and Gaia. This is the foundation of Petrodragonic Apocalypse, which fully realises these eclectic ideas through a tale of witches, dragons, and supernatural forces operating a world of the evils of industrialisation.
To quickly summarise the plot: cults revel in oil and flame, as such bad weather threatens the planet, witches try and stop that threat, a big dragon is released, and destroys the earth (and the ISS). Tale as old as time.
While the influence of thrash remains, Petrodragonic Apocalypse sounds more like the cursed progeny of Voivod and Tool, destined to navigate a world of shifting time signatures and polyrhythms that the listener can easily be alienated by. The album certainly feels impenetrable on a first listen, especially as all the songs flow into each other in typical King Gizzard fashion, not leaving a moment to catch your breath and process anything. This is especially problematic as every riff trades between pummelling power chords and frantic melodic flourishes, all seemingly routed in a musical language that has been dormant for centuries. With that said, there are active efforts to keep you grounded in reality, to make sure you’re engaged with the music rather than simply witnessing its immensity.
One of these methods is lacing the album with some of the most fun vocal hooks and choruses in the band’s entire discography. On the lead single ‘Gila Monster,’ the chant of the titular monstrosity’s name is addictively assertive. At other times it sounds like the urgent spurring on of a galloping steed, as reflected in the song’s music video, which looks like a clip from an 80s knock-off D&D film. Additionally, the multi-phased monolithic ‘Dragon’ somehow makes effective mantras of two parts of the hefty album name, starting with “petrodragonic apocalypse.” When the track moves into another section, “dawn of the eternal night” turns into a refrain, accompanied by a machine gun of instrumentation that finishes each phrase with a high guitar and cymbal sting. It makes it feel playful rather than allusive, trying to engage the audience by assuring them that the band is somewhat self-aware, but more importantly, having a good time.
The trading of vocals across the album is generally delightful. The group vocals are most exciting beyond their employment in these chants, when they are unexpectedly thrown into verses. For example, on the album opener ‘Motor Spirit,’ the electric shout of “drink the fucking gas and killeth” could very well convert a listener into an acolyte of this Mad Max-style cult. Ambrose Kenny-Smith (backing vocals/harmonica/keys/saxophone sometimes I think?/etc.), who did not offer his voice to Infest the Rats’ Nest, also provides some incredible passages, especially the anxious rising and falling of the pre-chorus on ‘Converge’. Naturally, most of the verse sections are taken up by Stu Mackenzie’s (lead singer/guitarist/flautist/keys/etc.) satanic growl, which stampedes alongside the punishing riffs. Sometimes this can feel like it’s not its own separate music element, which is especially apparent when certain lyrics act as additional syllables to cover long passages rather than insightful additions to the story. However, these moments are few and far between, and Mackenzie’s occultic throat-singing embellishments, surprising inflexions, and the general appeal of his narrative make him an excellent central guide.
Returning to ‘Motor Spirit,’ the standout performance on Petrodragonic Apocalypse is Michael Cavanagh’s unrelenting drumming. From ‘Motor Spirit’ onwards, he is the driving force of the album, typically employing a barrage of double kick drum blasting. At other times, he is as considered and subversive as King Gizzard’s bass and guitar work, but, as communicated by the start of ‘Supercell,’ he can even transform a straightforward riff into something with a unique feel. Across the record, Cavanagh also offers a few moments of respite where the songs strip down to a groove on the bass and drums. The bass is only permitted to be there, though, to act as a consistent core while Cavanagh gives us a comprehensive tour of each one of his toms. If you tripped away all other instrumentation, the power and atmosphere of Petrodragonic Apocalypse remains, as Cavanagh has crafted the perfect percussive accompaniment to high fantasy devastation.
These drum breaks act as one of a few motifs that assist in the narrative of the album, a technique King Gizzard has perfected on previous records. Whether it’s lyrics from ‘Converge’ translating to the despairing cry in ‘Dragon’ “what hath God wrought?” to the teases of the angular riff of ‘Witchcraft’ in earlier tracks, the instances of repetition feel earned rather than formulaic. They add cohesion that the listener can grip onto, within which the key beats of the story can play out. A lot of these elements come together on the album closer ‘Flamethrower.’ The undulating drums, which generate images of ritual activity throughout the record, grow and shift through phases of instrumentation. First, the familiar fuzzy guitars, and then to an extended psychedelic synth passage. Synths are absent from the rest of the record, but their presence here doesn’t feel sonically jarring. Rather, it feels like the natural conclusion, as the inclusion of the ‘Motor Spirit’ chant symbolises the synthesis of the destructive power of the dragon and the industrial cult. Hopefully, this dark coiling synth work is expanded upon in future works, as it makes a dramatic conclusion to the story.
Petrodragonic Apocalypse is likely the most difficult way for a new listener to enter the world of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but it is a trial by fire worth undertaking. If nothing else, it communicates the main ingredient of the band’s success; the uncompromising awareness of who they are as a group and how they approach music. This may seem a hard characteristic to associate with people who are defined by their chameleonic nature, however, the distinction is that King Gizzard know they are not a metal band, but rather a band that has decided to make metal music. It’s not an act, it’s a genuine desire to musically and lyrically tell an insane story called Petrodragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. That’s the easiest way to explain why this intense project is so much fun.
Cameron Gibbs
ความคิดเห็น