KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - NONAGON INFINITY Vinyl LP

Australia has gifted the world many amazing things, such as kangaroos, AC/DC, and the TV show Danger 5. This year my favorite Australian imports are the heavy psych band King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard and their most recent album, Nonagon Infinity. The seven-man, two-drum kit lineup has a complex sound for sure, but on Nonagon Infinity they take their complexity to new heights with wicked crackling guitar riffs, trance-inducing...

Melbourne’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard make records that leave all the other psych-rock pretenders in the dust, employing both chunky riffs and jazzy acoustic fair, like proto-metal and British folk had a tie-dyed baby. Their latest takes the idea of a record that loops in on itself and stretches that into nine acid-fueled jams that make for a non-stop psych party. Opener “Robot Stop” plays like a Japanese punk band covering Sabbath over a heavy motorik beat. It leads right into “Big Fat Wasp,” with nasty harmonic riffs reminiscent of Led Zeppelin on “Four Sticks.” “Gamma Knife’s” ascendant melodies and howls continue into the fast-paced “People-Vultures.” The black opens up a bit for the playful melody and vintage organs of “Mr. Beat,” but those give way to “Evil Death Roll,” which is true to its name. Meanwhile, the jazzy grooves of “Invisible Face” and “Wah Wah” bring to mind weirdos like Mothers of Invention and prog-rockers, but by “Road Train,” the evil beat is back, and the road ends right where it started. It’s a brilliant, psychedelic trip worth taking.