PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
Studio album by
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Released16 June 2023
Genre
Length48:41 (digital)
63:03 (vinyl)
LabelKGLW
ProducerStu Mackenzie
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard chronology
Live at Red Rocks '22
(2023)		 PetroDragonic Apocalypse
(2023)		 Live in Chicago '23
(2023)
Singles from PetroDragonic Apocalypse
  1. "Gila Monster"
    Released: 16 May 2023
  2. "Dragon"
    Released: 6 June 2023
  3. "Supercell"/"Converge"
    Released: 24 August 2023

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (often shortened to just PetroDragonic Apocalypse) is the 24th studio album by Australian rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, released on 16 June 2023.

Recorded based on jam sessions, the album sees the band incorporating a heavy metal style. Lead vocalist Stu Mackenzie stated that the album's concept is "about humankind, and it's about planet Earth, but it's also about witches and dragons, and shit."[3] Bassist Lucas Harwood has stated that the album is the first of two albums with a "Yin and Yang" concept, describing the two albums as "going to be very different sounding to each other, but we're going to try to make them complement each other."[4]

At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Group and Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album.[5]

Background

On March 4, 2023 the band debuted the song "Gila Monster" during their performance in Tilburg, Netherlands. Later that month, on March 12, 2023, they posted a video on their social media with the caption "New album locked and JOEDED," featuring a clip from what was presumed to be a new song.[6] On May 7, 2023, they announced the album and artwork, which was described by the band as "a vivid, fiery painting of a lizard-like monster in an industrial, apocalyptic landscape."[7] They called the music "heavy as fuck" and announced that pre-orders were starting on May 16.[8]

Alongside the pre-orders, on May 16, 2023, the band released the lead single "Gila Monster" with an accompanying music video[9] and announced that the release date for the album would be June 16, 2023.[1] Many critics noted the track was a return to the thrash metal of Infest the Rats' Nest, and despite that album being labeled as a "one-off experiment", the band "have heard the siren call of metal in the wind."[1]

On May 28, 2023, the band debuted the song "Converge" during the Boston Calling Music Festival. "Converge" was first released on the compilation Demos Vol. 3 + Vol. 4 under the title "Uncolonise".[10] "Converge," "Supercell," and "Witchcraft" were played live in full ahead of the album's release, and "Motor Spirit" was played partially ahead of the album's release. The second single, "Dragon," was released on June 6, 2023, alongside a music video directed by Jason Galea.[11]

On June 8, 2023, the band played the album in full as intermission music between their two sets at Red Rocks.

Recording

Many people have noted and even called it a follow up to the band's thrash metal album Infest the Rats' Nest. Stu Mackenzie has talked about this similarity, stating:

"When we made Rats' Nest, it felt experimental. Like, 'Here's this music that some of us grew up on but we'd never had the guts or confidence to really play before, so let's give it a go and see what happens.' And when we made that album, we were like, 'Fuck, why did it take us so long to do this?' It's just so much fun to play that music, and those songs work so well when we play them live. So we always had it in our minds to make another metal record."[12]

The recording was similarly done to the band's album, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, where the band wrote a song a day with "no riffs, no tunes, no ideas, and started from scratch."[12] Mackenzie explained how the band would put the songs together using the jams, which were all recorded. He also stated that for the lyrics and concept:

"I'd sketched out the story the songs would tell, and I'd portioned it out into seven song titles, with a short paragraph of what would happen in the song. I guess we kind of made the record backwards."[12]

Songs

The lead single (and first track performed live) "Gila Monster" has been described by critics as having "four-plus minutes of thrash-infused riffage and gang vocals" with the guitar solo in the last minute described as having "bleak, impossibly heavy shredding."[3] The music video was directed by SPOD, who "wanted to shoot Lord of the Rings 4 but also make a video game, so I mixed both mediums and came up with this majestic journey for truth and power in a cursed world. I mixed 3D animation, modeling & live footage in a 3D video game program to create this marvelous voyage of man & beast. Friend or foe?"[12]

"Dragon" was released as the album's second single.[11] It has been described as balancing their affinity for metal with their "gonzo psych weirdness."[13] According to Galea:

"Over the last two months, I dusted off my music video computer to slay the 10-minute "Dragon." I wanted to explore a harsh, distorted visual palette using my live visual setup mixed with PS1 cutscene-inspired animation and studio footage I filmed of the band. The animation was created using Cinema 4D and processed through After Effects and a Tachyons circuit-bent video unit."[14]

The album also contains a 14-minute bonus track, "Dawn of Eternal Night," featuring Leah Senior, available exclusively on vinyl.[12] The style of Senior's calm narration over background sounds performed by the band is reminiscent of the interludes featured in the group's earlier album, Murder of the Universe.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Classic Rock[17]
Exclaim!8/10[18]
Loud and Quiet7/10[19]
Pitchfork5.4/10[20]
Riff Magazine8/10[21]
Sputnikmusic[22]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, PetroDragonic Apocalypse received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[23] A four-out-of-five-star review in AllMusic commended the performances, compositions, and lyrical themes on the album, concluding: "The stricter members of the metal community might see King Gizzard as interlopers with no real metal cred, but after Rats Nest and now this thrillingly massive album, there's no reason the band shouldn't be considered one of the best practitioners of the genre around."[24]

Track listing

Vinyl releases have tracks 1–2 on side A, 3–5 on side B, 6–7 on side C, and 8 on side D. All lyrics are written by Stu Mackenzie, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Joey Walker, Cook Craig, and Lucas Harwood.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Motor Spirit"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith, Harwood8:33
2."Supercell"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith, Harwood5:06
3."Converge"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith, Harwood6:16
4."Witchcraft"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig5:04
5."Gila Monster"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith4:36
6."Dragon"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith9:45
7."Flamethrower"Mackenzie, Walker, Cavanagh, Craig, Kenny-Smith9:21
Total length:48:41
Vinyl-exclusive bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Dawn of Eternal Night" (featuring Leah Senior)Mackenzie14:22
Total length:63:03

Personnel

Musicians

  • Stu Mackenzie – guitars, bass, vocals, synthesizer on "Flamethrower" and "Dawn of Eternal Night"
  • Ambrose Kenny-Smith – vocals, synthesizer on "Flamethrower"
  • Joey Walker – guitars, bass, vocals, synthesizer on "Flamethrower"
  • Michael Cavanagh – drums, percussion, vocals, electronic drum kit on "Flamethrower"
  • Cook Craig – bass, vocals, synthesizer on "Flamethrower"
  • Lucas Harwood – synthesizer on "Flamethrower"

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Stu Mackenzie – production, recording engineer, mixing
  • Joey Walker – recording engineer, mixing
  • Jesse Williams – recording engineer
  • Nico Wilson – recording engineer
  • Joe Carra – mastering

Artwork

  • Jason Galea – artwork, layout, photography

Charts

Chart performance for PetroDragonic Apocalypse
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 195
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 78
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] 53
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[29] 36
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[30] 5
US Billboard 200[31] 85
US Independent Albums[32] 16
US Top Alternative Albums[33] 8
US Top Hard Rock Albums[34] 3
US Top Rock Albums[35] 13
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums[36] 18

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shanfeld, Ethan (16 May 2023). "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Returns to Thrash Metal With Ridiculously Titled New Album". Variety. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Ewing, Jerry (17 May 2023). "King Gizzard rock out on new album PetroDragonic Apocalypse". Prog. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  3. 1 2 Cohen, Jonathan (16 May 2023). "King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Unleashes 'Gila Monster' In Wild New Video". Spin. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (7 May 2023). "King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Announces New LP, PetroDragonic Apocalypse". Spin. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards". Music Feeds. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "kinggizzard on Instagram: "New album locked and JOEDED"". Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via Instagram.
  7. ↑ Pearis, Bill (8 May 2023). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announce new album with a very long title". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Kress, Bryan (7 May 2023). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Announce New Album PetroDragonic Apocalypse". Consequence. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  9. ↑ King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Gila Monster, retrieved 5 June 2023
  10. ↑ "King Gizzard Debut "Converge" At Boston Calling 2023: Watch". Stereogum. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Dragon". YouTube. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Anderson, Carys (16 May 2023). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard detail new album PetroDragonic Apocalypse, share "Gila Monster"". Consequence. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Hadusek, Jon (9 June 2023). "Heavy Song of the Week: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard go metal once again on "Dragon"". Consequence. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Share New Song "Dragon": Listen". Stereogum. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Jones, Damian (16 June 2023). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Petrodragonic Apocalypse album review". Classic Rock. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Glasgow, Isabel (13 June 2023). "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Deal in Black Magic and Black Comedy on 'PetroDragonic Apocalypse'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  19. ↑ "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  20. ↑ Arroyo, Steve (23 June 2023). "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  21. ↑ "Album Review: King Gizzard shred on PetroDragonic Apocalypse". Riff Magazine. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  22. ↑ YoYoMancuso (16 June 2023). "Review: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of..." Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  23. ↑ PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, retrieved 20 June 2023
  24. ↑ King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 20 June 2023
  25. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  30. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  31. ↑ "Billboard 200: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  32. ↑ "Independent Albums: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  33. ↑ "Top Alternative Albums: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  34. ↑ "Top Hard Rock Albums: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  35. ↑ "Top Rock Albums: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  36. ↑ "Top Rock & Alternative Albums: Week of July 22, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
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