King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity

Heavy Metal | Psychedelic Rock

41%

This Australian band, as well as having one of the most bafflingly brilliant band names around, put out albums more frequently than just about anyone. Nonagon Infinity, their seventh album since their 2012, will therefore be forgotten quickly enough. The album’s manifesto is that it consists of nine tracks that are all linked together with the end of the album linking back to the beginning (hence the title). This seems to be the whole purpose of the album’s existence and it’s hardly an original concept. Bands like Pink Floyd and Dream Theater beat them to it many years prior and did a much better job.

If the album artwork is reminiscent of some forgotten 70s metal band that produced in-your-face rock with very little substance then I’m afraid there are no surprises ahead. Practically the whole album consists of some breakneck heavy riff that pounds away at your eardrums and never leads anywhere. Combine that with the infinity theme and you have a top notch torture method to deprive people of sleep. It’s like the musical equivalent of the film Speed; someone told the band that they would explode if they slowed down. Following their previous album, the more stripped back Paper Mache Dream Balloon, this feels like a huge leap in the wrong direction. Time to move on to the next album lads and learn from your mistakes.