The 10 best King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard albums (2024)

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Music » Features

Aimee Ferrier

Wed 26 October 2022 12:00, UK

Australian rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard cannot be classified into one genre. Since their formation in 2010, the band have released 22 studio albums, 14 live albums and multiple compilations and EPs. Over these 12 years, the band have experimented with psychedelic rock, prog, thrash metal, garage rock, folk, jazz, surf rock, krautrock, and even rap.

Despite their prolific output, the band rarely falter in quality, and their five-album run in 2017, which saw them release some of their greatest works to date, proved this. King Gizzard never shy away from experimenting with innovative ideas, such as an infinitely looping album or three projects recorded entirely microtonally. According to the band, all the albums are connected in the ‘Gizzverse’.

10. Omnium Gatherum (2022)

As part of a second round of releasing five albums in a year, the band dropped Omnium Gatherum in April 2022, which is also their first double album. Whilst the band experimented with familiar genres such as prog, heavy metal, synth-pop, and psychedelia, they also made their first endeavour into hip-hop on ‘Sadie Sorceress’.

Opening with the breathtaking 18-minute-long ‘The Dripping Tap’, which is slightly reminiscent of their earlier extended jams such as ‘Head On/Pill’, Omnium Gatherum also explores lounge jazz with ‘Ambergris’ and acid rock with ‘Evilest Man’, which contains synth callbacks to ‘Cyboogie’ from Fishing For Fishies. Overall, the album is full of fantastic cuts and a great entry point for anyone unfamiliar with the band’s potential.

9. Paper Mache Dream Balloon (2015)

The band’s seventh studio album, Paper Mache Dream Balloon, is a stark contrast to the thrash metal and energetic microtonal releases that came just a few years later. However, the album is a beautifully mellow journey through largely acoustic instruments, such as flute, piano and clarinet.

Described as a “concept-less concept album”, the band experimented with upbeat, cheery sounds that conceal much darker lyrical themes. ‘N.G.R.I (Bloodstain)’ explores a mentally ill character that has committed a crime but is unaware of doing so, and ‘Bone’ ponders what potentially comes after death.

8. Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)

Float Along – Fill Your Lungs marked the band’s first foray into the signature psychedelic sound they cultivated in the earlier half of their career. Although the band don’t make music as strictly psychedelic anymore, the genre still massively influences their sound. King Gizzard blend fuzzy garage rock with instruments such as the sitar and synths, creating an album reminiscent of 1960s psychedelia whilst retaining an innovative and modern quality.

The album opens with the sixteen-minute-long epic ‘Head On/Pill’, which never tires despite its ambitious length. We also get some great tracks sung by other band members besides Stu Mackenzie, such as ‘Let Me Mend the Past’, which features Ambrose Kenny-Smith, and ‘Pop In My Step’, sung by Cook Craig.

7. L.W (2021)

Expanding on the band’s other experiments with microtonal tuning – Flying Microtonal Banana and K.G – L.W blends experimental psychedelia with funk, sludge metal, and “Eastern” sounds. The album opens with ‘If Not Now, Then When?’ which contains an inescapable groove, and cuts such as ‘Pleura’, ‘Static Electricity’ and ‘East West Link’ help to cultivate an atmospherically cohesive sound.

The end track ‘K.G.L.W’ stands out as one of the band’s greatest to date, creating a dark and moody soundscape fit for a horror film while retaining a distinctively psychedelic sound. Although the album’s counterpart, K.G, is also a great release, L.W takes the cake due to its determination and spellbinding ending.

6. Murder of the Universe (2017)

The second of five albums the band released in 2017, Murder of the Universe saw the group employ Leah Senior as narrator for a large chunk of the tracks. Divided into three chapters, ‘The Tale of the Altered Beast’, ‘The Lord of Lightning vs Balrog’, and ‘Han-Tyumi and the Murder of the Universe’, the band veer into metal territory, although the album has also been described as ‘psych-prog’, ‘hard rock’ and even ‘kraut punk’.

The third chapter uses a text-to-speech application to voice the cyborg Han-Tyumi, yet the album never feels gimmicky. Pummeling drums, groove-laden basslines, thrashing guitars, and flute sections make the album a sonic feast, even if Han-Tyumi spends a portion of the album describing, in detail, his desire to vomit, which results in the track ‘Vomit Coffin’.

5. Polygondwanaland (2017)

King Gizzard decided to treat fans to a free album during their initial five-album run, uploading Polygondwanaland online for free download in November 2017. The album can best be described as progressive and psychedelic rock, taking cues from previous releases such as Nonagon Infinity whilst also sounding utterly fresh.

Beginning with the ten-minute track ‘Crumbling Castle’ and ending with ‘The Fourth Colour’, both are indulgent psychedelic journeys that sandwich together krautrock-infused tracks laden with mystery and brooding. The atmosphere ofPolygondwanalandis carefully crafted and immersive, one that stands out amongst their impressive back catalogue.

4. I’m In Your Mind Fuzz (2014)

I’m In Your Mind Fuzz gets off to a blazing start with four tracks that all blend into each other to make one long song, which includes the single ‘Cellophane’. The psychedelic, harmonica-driven tracks are incredibly addictive, even interpolating the famous ‘The Streets of Cairo’ or ‘Arabian riff’ melody.

As the album progresses, we are introduced to some of the band’s most personal, emotive tracks, such as ‘Slow Jam 1’ and ‘Her and I (Slow Jam 2)’, the latter acting as a gorgeous love song. I’m In Your Mind Fuzz shows the band at their most meditative, which makes for such a compelling listen.

3. Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)

The band entered new territory when they released an entirely microtonal album in 2017. To accompany Flying Microtonal Banana, Mackenzie had a custom-built guitar made, fitted with additional microtonal frets. The rest of the band also modified their instruments to play in quarter-tone tuning, resulting in some of the band’s most transfixing songs.

Whilst the krautrock-influenced track ‘Rattlesnake’ is highly divisive due to its repetitive nature, the album demonstrated that the band aren’t afraid to take risks. Their experiments paid off, and cuts such as ‘Doom City’, ‘Nuclear Fusion’, ‘Sleep Drifter’, and ‘Open Water’ are simply unforgettable.

2. Infest the Rat’s Nest (2019)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard went full thrash metal on Infest the Rat’s Nest, surprising but also delighting fans (although it’s hard to say it came as much of a surprise when looking at the band’s past experiments). Although the album departs from the usual psychedelic and garage sounds of previous works, Infest the Rat’s Nest is an electrifying metal album that surely made actual metal bands sweat upon its release.

The album explores environmentalism, and the panic associated with a dying planet is conveyed perfectly through the high-octane rhythms and chaotic riffs. On ‘Planet B’, the band asserts that we must look after the Earth because it’s the only one we have, and ‘Mars for the Rich’ asserts that one day in the near future, only the elite will be able to escape the devastation of environmental disasters through space travel.

1. Nonagon Infinity (2016)

With Nonagon Infinity, the band designed the album so that every song would seamlessly blend into the next, and the last track would bleed straight back into the first. From ‘Robot Stop’ to ‘Road Train’, the album traverses uncharted territory, full of blinding drum solos, Mackenzie’s classic “Eyyyupp” and “Ohhh” sounds and high-voltage guitars, all created with mesmerising stamina.

Director Edgar Wright has labelledNonagon Infinityas one of his favourite albums of all time, saying: “You could be forgiven for thinking you were hearing one long extended track, but my God does it rock.” Standout tracks include ‘Gamma Knife’ into ‘People-Vultures’ and ‘Wah Wah’ into ‘Road Train’.Nonagon Infinityremains the band’s most impressive experiment, and even after countless listens, it never fails to excite.