King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Alien Metal

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard plug into a wall of modular synths on Alien Metal, a 2026 record that turns the restless Melbourne band into a full-blown rave act.

Few bands have changed shape as often as King Gizzard. They have already worked through thrash metal, microtonal psych, boogie rock and synth-pop, so a dance record was always a matter of when rather than if. Released on the band's own p(doom) label, Alien Metal draws on techno, hardcore, house and jungle, and treats the club with the same obsessive curiosity they once brought to garage rock.

Opener "Sapience" sets a science-fiction mood before the title track drops into pounding, otherworldly grooves. "Kill For The Steel" and "Level 5" push harder still, built from pulsing synth patterns and tightly wound rhythm, the sound of a band discovering just how much fun it is to make bodies move.

There is a story under the strobe lights too, a sci-fi arc that swings between ominous warnings and moments of cathartic release, which rewards playing it straight through.

Fans who have followed every twist will hear the same playful ambition at work, just pointed squarely at the dancefloor. It is a bold, slightly bonkers record, which is exactly what anyone who loves this band hopes for.