KGLW Vinilo y CD

Review: It's hard to side with anyone that goes in hard on enigmatic epic metallers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. When a band releases 24 studio albums you know they're sure of themselves and cult followers are almost guaranteed to support every release. When those releases come with names like PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation you also know the band don't really care for people who take things too seriously. There's always been an interesting juxtaposition between the Gizzard's tongue in cheek persona - even the band name smacks of wry humour - and the music itself, though, and this outing is no different. Sprawling guitar-fuelled arrangements that owe as much to post punk as psychedelic and prog reign supreme, making for another powerhouse outing you can love or feel indifferent towards, but never legitimately hate.

Review: One of the greatest things to happen to the vinyl industry, the beloved Australian rock collective are a force to be reckoned with in terms of releases. For all their conceptual and experimental releases however, 'Omnium Gatherum' works exactly as prescribed - a latin phrase roughly translating to "just a bunch of stuff". The double LP is a collection of reworked unreleased material, as well as original music tacked on to boot - King Gizzard fans never have to worry about getting bang for their buck. Expect frenzied shredding, nu-metal cuts and the occasional synth-pop banger. The real highlight here is 'The Grim Reaper', a fusion of hip-hop and medieval instrumentation if you can believe it. Kenny-Smith's flow is no doubt influenced by the Beastie Boys era of hip-hop, a style being repopularised by the likes of Joey Valence & Brae. The album is a crazy patchwork of genres that feels not unlike watching your favourite movie in the form of a highlight reel.