On August 16, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released their 15th album, “Infest the Rats’ Nest”. The album is a very strong departure from their previous albums, as the Australian psychedelic rock band decided to create a very well-flowing thrash metal style album. Some San Luis Obispo High School student fans of the band eagerly awaited the album’s release.
“I was excited when I heard about it coming out, and I really liked it a lot. My favorite song on the album was Mars for the Rich,” said junior Quique Ajanel.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are no strangers to making very out-of-genre albums, such as their last effort, “Fishing for Fishes”, while still maintaining some classic psych-rock elements.
This album is a complete change from any sound they had produced in the past, and it is an enjoyable, welcome one. The very heavy shift will be polarizing to a lot of fans of the band, and for good reason. Heavy metal isn’t always the easiest genre to get into and digest. However, fans of the genre or any hardcore King Gizzard fans who appreciate the aesthetic shifts of the band and are willing to give this album a try will find themselves very pleased with the dark and hypnotic tone of Infest the Rats’ Nest.
The album still flows with the momentum of a well-written psych album, while still mainly being carried along by the heavy guitar riffs as seen in many classic thrash metal albums. “Infest the Rats’ Nest” doesn’t really lose itself at any point. However, some songs drag on a bit too long, but not nearly long enough for it to be a real complaint of any sort.
Some fan favorites from the release include “Self-Immolate”, “Perihelion”, and “Superbug”, which all contain heavy and very well-written riffs that really make you nod your head without you even realizing it.
If you’re looking for some more laid-back songs of the band’s previous discography, “Work This Time” is always a good introductory song to their earlier sound. “Infest the Rats’ Nest” is a must listen for any metal fan or any hardcore King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard fan that hasn’t already given it a shot.
