TL:DR – If this is the apocalypse, count me in.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s newest album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation, is a return to the band’s thrash metal roots. It’s a blistering, high-energy assault that features some of the band’s heaviest and most aggressive music to date.
The album opens with the title track, a furious thrash anthem that sets the tone perfectly: it’s hard, it’s violent, it’s loud and it’s thrilling. The track is awash in distorted guitars, pounding drums, and guttural vocals, and it features a blistering pace that never lets up.
The rest of the album follows suit, with each track delivering more of the same. “Gila Monster” is a blistering speed metal track, while “Dawn of Eternal Night” is a slower, more atmospheric track that builds to a crushing crescendo. “Merciless Damnation” is a short, sharp blast of thrash metal that leaves the listener breathless.
Make no mistake, PetroDragonic Apocalypse is a challenging album, but it’s also a rewarding one. It continues a winning streak that, goes all the way back to Butterfly 3000 in terms of the band’s inventiveness and sheer number of surprise noodling that they throw in along the way. Like the best of KGLW’s mammoth catalog, Petrodragonic Apocalypse is full of little touches that will have you smiling in admiration and scratching your head in sheer bewilderment. Importantly, for a band that is so prolific (24 albums in 11 years!) the album showcases King Gizzard’s continued evolution as a band. It’s a challenging listen, but it’s also a rewarding one. Fans of KGLW’s previous work will find much to love.
PetroDragonic Apocalypse is another winner from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and a welcome return to their thrash metal sweet spot.
