King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Detail Surprise Album ‘Alien Metal’ Ahead of Field of Vision

The timing of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s new record is as intentional as the music itself. The Australian band plans to surprise-drop its 28th album, *Alien Metal*, at midnight Friday, aligning the release with the opening of its second annual Field of Vision festival in Buena Vista, Colorado. The record, the follow-up to 2023’s synth-heavy *The Silver Cord*, was constructed almost entirely on “Nathan,” the group’s sprawling modular synthesizer rig, with every track growing out of a single hour-long improvisation in the key of F#.

The specificity of that process translates into a distinctly varied collection. Multi-instrumentalist Joey Walker describes the project as retaining the band’s core identity while pushing into sharper electronic terrain. “‘Sapience’ is this pulsating techno neo-rave thing,” Walker explains. “The other tracks go to such weird, interesting places. ‘Level 5’ is early Prodigy and early hardcore jungle, and ‘Superheavy’ is heading towards house, while ‘Kill for the Steel’ feels like weird IDM, with some heavy Miami Bass in there.”

*Alien Metal* arrives via the band’s (p)doom records imprint. Beyond the music, the coordination underscores G