King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Detail ‘Alien Metal’ LP / Share “Level 5” Single + Video

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are nothing if not adventurous. Known for their versatility and prolific output, the Australian group released 5 studio albums in a single calendar year, not once, but twice. In fact, they dropped three different LPs in October of 2022 alone. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, each new release was markedly different from the last. Last year saw King Gizzard launching their multi-day music festival, Field Of Vision, in Buena Vista, Colorado, to great success, as well as promoting the album Phantom Planet with select shows backed by an orchestra. With the 2nd year of the festival sold out and quickly approaching, we finally get our first taste of what the guys have been up to since the last release.

Today, Gizz offers “Level 5,” the lead single from their upcoming album, Alien Metal. Set to be released later this summer through their label, (p)doom Records, this latest effort will mark the 28th LP in the Aussie 6-piece‘s ever-expanding catalog. Alien Metal is a return to the electronic music explored on The Silver Cord (2023) and a continuance of the experimentation they’ve exhibited on stage in recent years, especially through their dedicated “rave shows.”

KGATLW have ventured so far beyond their garage psych roots that it’s hard to limit them to any single musical or artistic categorization. Whether it’s spaghetti western, blues rock, prog, or thrash, they remain uniquely themselves at the core. I remember hearing them discuss their decision to venture into metal, saying it’s music they listen to, so they eventually asked themselves why they couldn’t make it themselves. They are driven by exploration and incorporate anything that interests them into their growing repertoire. Their latest work is the result of a detour they’ve taken headfirst into the world of electronic music.

A few years back, they began including segments in their live shows where members stood around an expansive modular synth setup to tweak knobs, warp sound, and bug out. Alien Metal was born from last year’s rave shows and written and recorded on the modular synthesizer setup they took out on the road and refer to as “Nathan.” Upon the suggestion of bandmate Joey Walker, who records as the solo electronic project Bullant, Gizz frontman Stu Mackenzie began discovering the possibilities of the Eurorack synthesizer format and became obsessed. “It completely rewired my brain,” he says. “I was like, ‘I’m going to forget everything I know about music and relearn it all from scratch’.“

Alien Metal took shape over several years and involved the group abandoning countless hours of recordings and directions in the process of finding the project’s identity.”We’ve never scrapped so much material as we have for this album,” states Mackenzie. “Entire albums, entire universes that were formulated, created, recorded, deleted and started again.“

According to the press releases, “The breakthrough finally arrived during a late-night improvisation session that stretched for more than an hour. That spontaneous jam became the foundation for the entire record, with every track on Alien Metal evolving from the same source performance.” The result is said to venture through techno, hardcore, house, and jungle influences through the Melbourne outfit’s trademark “psychedelic lens.” It’s an album that Stu claims “sounds so crunchy, but also beautiful.” “Alien Metal goes really hard, but it also goes to really interesting places,” adds Joey. “And it feels unique – it feels like us, still.“

You can check out the video for “Level 5” below. The latest in a long line of visual masterpieces for the group, the video is directed by Hayden Somerville.

The SOLD OUT KGATLW Field Of Vision Festival takes place from August 14 – 16 in Buena Vista, Colorado, followed by the following NY shows:

08/20/26 – New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium (with Die Spitz, DJ Crenshaw)
08/21/26 – New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium (with Die Spitz, DJ Crenshaw)
08/22/26 – New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium (Rave Show)
08/23/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Under The K Bridge Park (Rave Show with .VRIL)