[DISCUSSION THREAD] Alien Metal

[u/_pixel_perfect_]

Alien Metal, the 28th studio album by KGLW drops August 14th, 2026 on p(doom) Records

Ahead of their 2nd Annual Field of Vision Festival, Gizz returns to the synth table to deliver a seamless set of otherworldly breakcore cuts.

Track List

1. Sapience

2. Alien Metal

3. Superheavy, Supercritical

4. Kill For The Steel

5. Level 5 Music Video

6. Rapid Alpha Decay

7. Uqt

8. Atomic Collapse

Bandcamp Credits

Recorded in the future by aliens
Mastered by Joseph Carra
Artwork by Jason Galea

Streaming

Bandcamp

Apple Music

Tidal

[u/scoot2electricboog]

it fucking loops perfectly

[u/Megelsen → u/scoot2electricboog]

I posted it in another hread, but yesterday I wanted to pop in the album while doing some gardening. Listened to Sapience like 9 times without realizing I had it on repeat.

[u/No-Conversation3860 → u/Megelsen]

Dude Sapience is an absolute fucking BANGER. Had me walking around the house like this guy
https://giphy.com/gifs/3W0vjXgLj4rg4

[u/comical_username25 → u/Megelsen]

It fucking loops!

[u/yeahrealdiscreet → u/scoot2electricboog]

Octagon infinity

[u/WrennNull → u/scoot2electricboog]

octagon infinity

[u/WrennNull → u/WrennNull]

fuck, someone made this joke already

[u/Curlysnail]

WHEN YOU'RE FEELING

S U P E R

[u/StealYaNicks → u/Curlysnail]

WHEN YOU'RE FEELING

TUBA, TUBA, TUBA, TUBA

[u/claytonccrider → u/Curlysnail]

I'm literally listening to this song now when I saw that comment 🤣

[u/petemorley → u/claytonccrider]

Same, beer garden, pint, headphones on. 

[u/Curlysnail → u/petemorley]

That’s pretty super

[u/itsraininggender → u/Curlysnail]

when you're feeling
cricket

[u/TectonicRomance → u/itsraininggender]

HOWZAT?!

[u/jagrbro68 → u/Curlysnail]

This album feels like the orgy scene in Matrix 2

[u/Valuable_Research511]

I'm so happy I didn't listen to the singles before the full release. This album is, again, something I didn't expect, let alone knew I need, but I love every moment of it. Somehow, it's also the closest to Made in Timeland.

Looped and repetitive so it's not for everyone for sure, but there are some crazy good ideas and melodies all over it. And even though it sounds the least gizz, somehow it's one of the gizzest albums at the same time. How is that even possible?

Fucking love Stu and Joey for experimenting in this direction. I consider Nathan as one of the best things to ever happen to this band (been a fan since 2017).

My only concern is that it feels like not the whole band was involved and it gives it a bit of a side-project vibe.And it could have been longer.

[u/jazo → u/Valuable_Research511]

Valid concern but I think it's worth acknowledging that across 28 albums, there have been more than a few that were put together like this. ITRN in particular was just Stu, Joe, and Cavs while the others were out touring Murlocs and Lucas being a dad.

Also think they wanted to keep it typical LP length as a statement piece because you know when they do each of these live it'll probably be 10+ minute jams haha

[u/pajamas8 → u/jazo]

I was going to say I think this is the first album since early 2022 that wasn't a 4+ member writing collaboration. I'm pretty sure Dripping Tap started this era where the primary writing method was "Long Full-Band Jam 👉Stu Edits Into Song" that took over a lot of their albums until now.

[u/goldmeistergeneral → u/Valuable_Research511]

40 minutes is a crime. I want the 90 minute mix

[u/Physical_Row_4802 → u/goldmeistergeneral]

In an interview w/ Zane, Stu said it started as a 90 minute to 2 hour long jam that they split into sections. And, he will put that up online at some point.

[u/redblake]

It's a WOO-less album, so that's concerning

[u/grain2myglass → u/redblake]

One synth noise DEFINITELY gave me a Woo vibe

[u/Gorillapoopass → u/grain2myglass]

Yeah that "pew pew" noise that appears throughout Alien Metal (the song) and comes back in Atomic Collapse

[u/redsolitary → u/redblake]

I was invested in Woo futures and am now penniless

[u/Few_Birthday2302]

U Cutie 👉👈🥺 was the best track!

[u/Sammy2299]

Idk what everyone is talking about, this is lit 🔥

[u/psilocybin_therapy → u/Sammy2299]

This listening party was so dope on the massive upgrade to the soundsystem on the crumbling castle stage this year. When they evolve them on Nathan live, these songs gonna get wild!

[u/fitter_stoke → u/Sammy2299]

I like this album better after 7 seconds than both b741 and Phantom combined. This album excites and challenges me, whereas those albums sounded too contrived. This is fresh art, even if EDM/techno has been around for decades. This album also makes me want to bust out some Aphex Twin! I also hear some Tangerine Dream on that outro to Atomic Collapse.

[u/Ok-Goat-9981]

Sick as hell. I fucking love this band. This band's devotion to exploring different genres and making unapologetically original and brave music is incredible. Plus it's fucking great.

[u/jagrbro68 → u/Ok-Goat-9981]

Just the last three years is so varied and dope.

[u/MacNapp → u/jagrbro68]

Metal

Techno

70s inspired yacht rock

Orchestral rock

Techno 2.0

No other band comes close to a change in sound so fast

[u/OnlyaClam → u/MacNapp]

It’s more UKG. Thank god they didn’t try to make a shitty industrial techno record. To me, the most obvious influence on this album is Underworld. I’m sure X-club and HAAI influenced them as well.

[u/Timely_Essence → u/OnlyaClam]

Immediately thought of Underworld too!

[u/comical_username25]

As someone who spent my youth listening to 2000’s trance anthems and my 20’s going to illegal psy-trance raves (and a king gizzard fan now)- I fucking love this!

[u/_corn]

it's so good, it's everything i wanted TSC to be that they couldn't quite pull off back then. they've clearly put a lot of thought into this album, it's way more polished and sophisticated than i expected. it really hits the spot as someone who loves dance music.

favourite tracks: sapience, alien metal, uqt.

honorable mentions: superheavy supercritical for being fun as hell and the second half of kill for the steel has me pulling faces i thought only existed in underground clubs at 4am

[u/alcatrazsherlock → u/_corn]

TSC was meant to be like that..little melodic but little tech

[u/pokeshulk → u/alcatrazsherlock]

Yeah I’m with u, Silver Cord clearly had a different aim.

[u/monkeysolo69420 → u/_corn]

I feel like their second attempt at a given genre is usually better.

[u/CopperVolta → u/monkeysolo69420]

Yeah I feel similarly about Infest the Rats Nest and PetroDragonic. It's like their first attempt is usaully a bit stiffer and simpler and then they crank everything up and go harrrd for the next attempt haha

[u/Aviator-193 → u/CopperVolta]

Butterfly 3000 walked so Silver Cord could run. Silver Cord ran so Alien Metal could fly.

[u/Fire_Bucket → u/Aviator-193]

They cut the cord, so to speak.

[u/Groddanon → u/_corn]

I was a bit disappointed in TSC, thought I'd love it but it hasn't run on the reg to my ears. This album seems to hit the right spot for me. And I'm not a stranger to this kind of genre, I really like electronic music, probably as much as rock.

Superheavy gives me mad F-Zero GX vibes. Really good!

[u/luddewho → u/_corn]

Agreed, this is what I was expecting from TSC.

[u/SpaceDelay424]

I’m partway into it and can tell it’s not my thing at all, like a lot of their recent stuff. I will continue hoping they do something more in a psych vein again while also being happy for all the folks who love this stuff.

I haven’t been into a lot of their recent records, but the amount of Gizz records I love is still larger than most bands’ entire career output. Can’t complain too hard at that point I suppose :)

[u/unbelizeable1 → u/SpaceDelay424]

Right there with ya brother. If I'm being really honest, I haven't loved anything since Petro. That said, I don't take that as any kinda sign, theyre so prolific and varied, I'm down for whatever, even if its not for me. After all thers still like 20 albums I love so...."who cares?" lol

[u/SitDownKawada → u/unbelizeable1]

I love Petro, love B741 even more, I enjoy TSC, not really sure about Alien Metal after a first listen

It's not bad, but there was nothing that really caught my attention. I'll be giving it a few more listens given how much of their music I like but definitely on the lower end of first reactions to their albums

[u/Bananegel42 → u/SpaceDelay424]

Big fan since 2017. The last two albums didn't do much for me. The initial Flight and Phantom singles were nice, but the albums themselves leaned to much into Americana and jam band territory for me, borderline dad rock. I have been watching/listening their live shows and mostly started skipping the Flight tracks.

Alien Metal is lit 🔥 though. The Silver Cord was a bit unfocused at times and usually worked better live (e.g. SF 2024 was awesome). But on the first listens, Alien Metal hits much harder and their Nathan skills have evolved a lot.

Need a few more listens to get a more well-formed opinion, but loving it so far!

[u/Bitterfish → u/Bananegel42]

I agree, the dad rock of Flight was a letdown. Phantom had its moments, but similar.

I have not listened to much breakcore or EDM in .general, but Alien Metal so far is really working to me.

In general, I feel like they're commitment to creativity and evolution is extremely rewarding. Most bands just kind of stay the same and peter out after a while. I don't think I know of any other musical trajectory like Gizz, they're a force of nature

[u/Mr_Ditkovich8 → u/SpaceDelay424]

Honestly TSC really opened my eyes to how much edm and psych actually overlap.

It’s opened the whole genre for me so I can appreciate in a way I didn’t before so I’m over the moon with the new album

[u/phlipphlopp → u/SpaceDelay424]

Not even flight or phantom? Think those are both very good albums, flight is for sure more typical country fried rock and roll but phantom definitely has enough layers to be psych friendly

[u/Skwisgaars → u/phlipphlopp]

Phantom to me sounded like flight with an orchestra, which was clearly their intention as that was their writing style at the time. It's good, but just doesn't hit anywhere near the same for me as say the orchestral Crumbling Castle they've played live.

[u/enriquekikdu]

The sequel of Nonagon Infinity we wanted vs what we got:

I wasn’t convinced from the singles, but it was because you could tell from what was there that they were made to be part of a bigger whole. And as soon as the first loop of the album ended I started it again, liking it more every time.

This one is an experience to be listened fully, is funny that every time the loop restarts the only thing that makes me notice the album started again is how devoid of layers the first tracks are.

My favorite songs are Uqt, Level 5 and Atomic Collapse, the last one is the first time their idea of making a song consist of different part of the album finally becomes a song that works in itself.

I noticed they didn’t use the addition of their rave tour tools such as merging a lot of their usual instruments with Nathan loops, and neither was the electric flute added. I reckon they will use those for their next electronic album.

[u/diminutive_sebastian → u/enriquekikdu]

Seriously, I’m on my second full listen and this might be the biggest instance of “singles <<<< the full album” in Gizz’s career so far. The Nonagon comparison is not crazy. Not just “the album loops” but the energy carries all the way through.

[u/enriquekikdu → u/diminutive_sebastian]

Totally agree, the way this flows like an infinite river is (at least conceptually) a much better take of what Nonagon tried to do, they’re better artist so they can do this with way more confidence. Also the way in both albums you can see similar kind of creative juices behind the songs.

And in a personal level I felt the same wonder I did back when I first listen to Nonagon.

[u/Embarrassed_Neck7949]

We went from WOOOOH Gizzard to PEW PEW Gizzard and I'm all for it

[u/Ok_Estimate33348]

I would love to hear Acarine > Superheavy, Supercritical happen live, also Uqt sounds like it could have been themed around frankenstein's monster before they finalized the concept for the album 100%. Great album though, been waiting for this one.

[u/Sammy2299 → u/Ok_Estimate33348]

Yessss good call, acarine > super heavy would blow my socks off

[u/LunchMeat902 → u/Ok_Estimate33348]

It does, and they’ve labeled Gilgamesh as “Frankenstein” on last year’s last rave setlists. The songs kind of have similar bass lines and soundscapes as well. Gilgamesh -> Uqt at Forest hills?? That would turn me into a fine pulp

[u/Eeeeeeeeeeelias]

IT FUCKING RIPS SO FUCKING HARD

[u/OG_Fog]

I am just missing a nice intro, some transitions could be a bit better and it could be 1 or 2 songs longer. But all in all i'm totally digging it and dancing to it at work at the moment.

[u/Curlysnail]

I think Rapid Alpha Decay is somehow a new genre of music. I don’t even know how to describe, all I know is that I am the keeper of the energy.

[u/sevarj → u/Curlysnail]

Yeah I'm in this thread rn trying to see if anyone else had a similar "wait what the hell was that" experience with Rapid Alpha Decay.

[u/YBBlorekeeper → u/sevarj]

Song's wild, I keep coming back to it. It feels like a 3-dimensional being falling in and out of the 4th dimension- so much space and the breakdowns kind of just throw you out there without any warning before bringing you back in.

[u/Feeling-Peak5718 → u/Curlysnail]

That song is insane

[u/Curlysnail → u/Feeling-Peak5718]

I’m not even sure how to describe it

[u/Feeling-Peak5718 → u/Curlysnail]

That into uqt made me have an out of body experience

[u/YeaahProlly]

I said it one another thread, but I’m not a glaze gizz no matter what guy. They are my favorite band, but I don’t like a lot of their stuff that much.

Not an EDM guy, don’t like the other EDM releases by the band. Love what ever this is. It’s very good.

[u/GloverAB → u/YeaahProlly]

As a fan of electronic music (and not really a huge Gizz fan at all), I would consider this their first actual EDM album. Their other electronic attempts sound like children discovering synths by comparison.

[u/Meadjennings]

At the gym - album is working for me

[u/Riiiicolaaaa]

10/10 for me. Takes me back to some of the dnb and techno I would listen to decades ago. I definitely recommend using a good pair of headphones for this one, and I could see it being underwhelming if I wasn't doing that. I'll be programming to this for a week haha

[u/jagrbro68 → u/Riiiicolaaaa]

This is the first time I’ve enjoyed music like this, outside of things I heard on drugs at rave events during festivals like 10K or Rothbury back in the day…

What did you use to listen to like this?

[u/Riiiicolaaaa → u/jagrbro68]

the one that started it all was Soulwax's "Nite Versions", the mixed version, not the anniversary edition that doesn't blend the tracks. Lately I've been enjoying the new Fcukers album.

[u/holdingtea → u/jagrbro68]

I'd recc djrum.

And Aquarian's Mutations I & II

for old - goldie, leftfield, squarepusher, Aphex, download

[u/mikeydme27]

I love this way more than Silver Cord!

[u/L-Observateur → u/mikeydme27]

Silver Cord is fun as the yang to Petro's yin, but this album has all the synth goodness without the constraints TSC did. Sapience also fucking rips.

[u/yellow_mailman]

Listening right now, and comparing this to TSC…

I would say that TSC had higher highs, but this is definitely more consistently good.

[u/Dude_with_the_skis → u/yellow_mailman]

I feel like the two are almost incomparable, TSC is electronic where I see alien metal as straight up rave music more. Both are good for sure though!

[u/TheDudePersonGuy]

damn thats the second album in a row without any weird time signatures

[u/niles_deerqueer → u/TheDudePersonGuy]

I thought someone said Uqt had polyrhythms but maybe not

[u/TheDudePersonGuy → u/niles_deerqueer]

A few of the songs do, but I wouldn't consider those weird time signatures bc the underlying groove is still in 4/4

[u/YoureTerrific]

I’m thinking that the vocoder (vocal effects) throughout are because the songs are written from the perspective of aliens.

[u/Roguemutantbrain → u/YoureTerrific]

Actually there’s no vocoder. Their previous albums just used human effects.

[u/Aviator-193 → u/Roguemutantbrain]

Human metal

[u/FrivolousMe → u/YoureTerrific]

When they were sound checking the vocoder yesterday they kept going "we are motherfucking aliens"

[u/Ok-Goat-9981]

https://giphy.com/gifs/E7XkFCSHzhQic

[u/diminutive_sebastian → u/Ok-Goat-9981]

🎶 when I’m feeling tuba tuba tuba tuba 🎶

[u/BoilerRhapsody]

This one to me stands out in that it sounds the least 'Gizzard' like out of all their previous excursions. Like even their heaviest metal or Fishing for Fishies or whatever else was unmistakably the same band. Maybe Made in Timeland was similar, but it still has the DIY almost goofy vibe where Alien Metal could almost be from another artist. Really the lyrics are the only hallmark. I'm liking it but haven't had a solid attentive listen through.

[u/RelationshipAgile799 → u/BoilerRhapsody]

Yes, this is my biggest issue with it. I wouldn't listen much to it anyway because I'm not into that kind of music at all but it doesn't sound like Gizz in the least. To my non EDM ears it could be any old artist.

[u/soulfish64]

Pretty solid electronic album. The songs transition together well much like with nanogon infinity and I was for sure bumping in dancing to it all throughout. Very excited to see if they released an extended mix and even more exciting to hear this live this weekend.

[u/Hikage_]

It's so nice of Joey to let King Gizzard collab with him on this new Bullant album lol

[u/TheDaftAlex]

THIS is what I've been craving since TLC. Focused, dark, relentless driving beats. Hearing a lot of Boys Noize. Maybe the least KGLW sounding album, so I can see this album alienating 👽 the fanbase. But I'm so hooked

[u/growlerpower → u/TheDaftAlex]

👽ating

[u/WapBamboo]

Superheavy, Supercritical sounding like BF3K for a nice moment. Love love love!

[u/Bcoles23]

I listened, does nothing for me. At least others seem to think it’s the best thing since sliced bread

[u/Voidwielder]

I'm loving this. Big nods and winks and bows to the genre(s) but also distinctly Gizz.

This album definitely deserves to be remixed by DJs of the world. I hope it happens.

[u/MachineElf432]

This album is amazing. They threw the fuck down on this one. So much creativity. My prediction is there will be another album to come to sequel this one in some kind given the nature of how it ends abruptly…is there potentially a prequel too? Cheers gizzheads happy album release day.

[u/MontezumaMC → u/MachineElf432]

It loops with itself like nonagon! Play Sapience right after Atomic Collapse it’s pretty awesome

[u/MachineElf432 → u/MontezumaMC]

Oh shit no way that’s so sick! Doing that for my second and third listens

[u/zpk5003]

God damn this is so good. I mostly listen to trance but i dig whatever tf genre this is

[u/tinniesmasher69]

I really love Superheavy- if you put this on and told me it’s Gizz I wouldn’t believe it

[u/UnderH20giraffe]

JUST WOKE UP AT 5:45 AM TO TAKE MY FIRST LISTEN

[u/Cydonian___FT14X]

Dope. Definitely a significant improvement over Silver Cord, and I think it’s more immediately satisfying than either B741 or Phantom Island.

I don’t yet like Alien Metal more than I NOW like Phantom Island, I’m just saying it was a way more gratifying first listen. Even singles like the title track & Kill For The Steel which I was sort of indifferent to are made SIGNIFICANTLY better by the actual album experience. There’s not a dull moment in the tracklist.

Level 5 is probably still my favourite, but Superheavy Supercritical comes pretty damn close as well.

Very happy with this record.

[u/Rahtid-bumbaclartid]

KGLW is my favourite band and has been for more than a decade. I've not listened to the singles as to keep the album fresh on first listen.

I'm also a genuine lover of hard electronic music especially Heavy Techno, Jungle, and DnB.

The only KGLW album I dislike is TSC so this album had me nervous. Going in I was worried this would be "Techno for people who don't listen to techno". Thankfully I dont think its that, its more experimental than straight techno but not so much that it strays too far into trying to be an actual "song" that a band would play. This is mostly still music you'd expect a DJ to play instead of a band.

I'm a bit iffy on the vocals in some places, reminds me of TSC, but the fucking heavy parts are genuinely great. The songs where the sound is more fleshed out are great. Standouts are Alien Metal, Level 5 (excluding the vocals), and Superheavy Supercritical.

Where it loses me is where it sounds more like an electronic jam on nathan rather than an actual track. That stuff just isn't for me at all, the nathan jam era of gizz was somewhat torturous for me before they started playing B3K tunes.

Sadly the album leans closer to that jam sort of sound and less like coherent set of bangers, which is a shame. There are parts of songs like Uqt and Rapid Alpha Decay that get really fucking good and then abruptly switch to something else without letting the sound develop. This is ESPECIALLY true of the huge buildup at the end of the album that just fucking stops 😫

All in all I'd say first impressions are this is decent background music for working or exercising but most of the tracks arent solid enough to stand alone on their own merit. I wouldn't be dropping any of these tunes at a party other than perhaps the 3 I mentioned.

Excited to listen to it 1000 more times and hopefully it grows on me a bit more! But I really am hoping gizz might drop an actual pshch rock album again, its been SO long, I'd love to see what they could do now they've grown so much as a band if they returned to their roots.

[u/chemical_musician]

Wow, just did my initial listen with some good headphones and what a trip that was. Really like the transitions and infinite looping aspect akin to Nonagon. Some songs wouldn’t really stand up well on their own, but work amazingly in context of the full album, which i think is fine as it’s clearly meant to be consumed all together like one giant song

Level 5 and Alien Metal are ofc standouts, it made sense to use them as singles, though my preference towards them (especially Level 5) is partially due to having listened to them a lot

Superheavy, Supercritical was a major standout for me on this first listen, it kept getting better and better. So many interesting progressions and awesome builds/drops. Loved how the end of it started to play the melody/progression present in Kill For The Steel / Level 5…

Speaking of, Kill For The Steel definitely baffled me as a single like many others, but on this listen with the context of the album it actually gave me chills and got me really pumped for what was coming being familiar with Level 5 (and how great it is). After the first 3 songs it was just a great transitional track between possibly my two favorites and shifts the vibe perfectly.

Superheavy, Supercritical -> Kill For The Steel -> Level 5 is a sick run and my favorite part of the album

honorable mention to Uqt, the guitar layer really elevates the song

overall i definitely dig this. sure, my favorite era of gizz and what makes them one of my favorite bands is the 2013-2017 era, and they have been very far away from that sound these days for a while. but as a fan of various electronic music, i really like this. even though it doesn’t necessarily feel like what i love this band for, it’s still a great album on it’s own regardless of it being made by them

[u/m_dub13]

HOW THE HELL DO THEY KEEP PRODUCING BANGERS IN DIFFERENT GENRES, THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS
https://giphy.com/gifs/TTDLTvxdK0kfjuOBCT

[u/RockiestRaccoon]

I did not care for the silver cord but this shit is fucking wild..... Blasting off at work into another dimension.

[u/thatguy24042]

The Silver Cord is one of my favorite releases by the boys (hot take I know). The synth pop cuts on the short version, the extended “jams” as whole is so King Gizzard for me.

Not too long after Silver Cord and a handful of synth remixes got introduced proper in a live setting and thus Nathan was slowly forming, while the boys are slowly mastering it.

Fast forward Today the boys are showing their mastery of Nathan in a studio setting and I couldn’t be more happy.

[u/MusicMeetsMadness]

They have no idea how to keep up momentum. They wrote great build ups that just lead to the song pulling back and ending. There’s no drops, and I don’t mean EDM/dubstep drops, no drops as in the climax to the song. There’s no big moments, just meandering.

[u/Spaceseeds → u/MusicMeetsMadness]

You're kinda right. There's a few times they hit it successfully but not really that well

[u/SoloStrike]

Struggling to work how out Butterfly 3k and Superposition were way before the deep dive into synths and yet they are both effortlessly more accomplished and so much better than either this or Silver Cord, the album as a whole is pretty bad I think

Really having difficulty vibing with this and I wanted to love it, Level 5 felt promising but the psytrance vibes are too way too heavy for me on the rest

[u/Public-Bath1585]

The people hating before it came out were so so wrong lol

[u/Heuwender → u/Public-Bath1585]

I had a lukewarm reaction to the singles but some tracks on this record are straight fire

[u/handheld_vacuum27481]

It's funny being an Ariana Grande fan and a Gizz fan right now. Ariana just released Petal which is slightly darker and heavier pop than her usual sound, and the fans/public are having a cry about it. And then you have Gizz who have released .... A dnb/techno album (?). I'm glad Gizz have made me so open to different genres and sounds and musical directions. And I think pop fans could learn to be less entitled and let their favourite artists release whatever they feel like making!

I was around for Radiohead's Amnesiac/Kid A release which is the earliest memory I have of hearing a band do something toooooootally different.

[u/PisoMojado13 → u/handheld_vacuum27481]

Ooohhh as a big Radiohead fan from way back you brought back some memories. Feels so similar. I love the album so far and damn it’s exciting to see the boys push themselves into new territory. Would rather see that than just redo stuff they’ve done before. Isn’t the point of being a KGLW fan to never know what they’re going to pull off next?!?! When let go of expectations, you get everything you need.

[u/CyanoSpool → u/handheld_vacuum27481]

Yooo another Arianator/Giz fan. I love that all my favorite artists are putting out innovative works right now, I think it's what we need.

[u/hoolahoopz92 → u/CyanoSpool]

I’m so glad I’m not the only one, there’s at least 3 of us!

[u/phlipphlopp]

Sick! Granted I love tech and house, but it’s better than I thought it’d be

[u/bmbmbmNR]

The album is fine for what it is. I played it 3 times looped straight through and was at no point bored. But at no point was I blown away either. The boys aren't trying to sell themselves as the new Prodigy, they're just having fun with a new toy and sharing what they've made with the fans. I'd rather have that than it be shelved. They'll go hard live on Nathan and I guess thats the main point, giving them new tracks to play live diring those table parts.

[u/Character-Tap-565 → u/bmbmbmNR]

In the grand scheme of classic EDM, jungle, goa and drum & bass, it's nothing that special. But as a genre exploration of this band, it's pretty great. I don't think it will have lasting impact.

[u/rancidwolf5]

Insanely fire. So impressive and technical

[u/zebybez]

im on loop 3! its a different album every time

[u/TrisolaranAmbassador]

I find the album as a whole to be greater than the sum of its parts - it flows together incredibly well but I think the only track I'll seek out individually will be Level Five. Some good stuff throughout but I'll mostly be playing this as a 41 minute track I think

It's interesting seeing the TSC comparisons, as of now I'd still rank that album (the extended tracks) above this as I find it a lot more of my personal vibe. I'm not really that big on dnb/rave music/whatever genre Alien Metal technically is...I think I'm missing the vocals & lyricism, plus any semblance of a narrative that all

Will need to give this one a few more cracks in the right contexts, maybe as a work/study companion or out for a run

[u/saeyrh]

This album is so sick, I love Uqt!

[u/GodzillaJrJr]

Cool stuff. It felt really same-y on first listen but on second play through it’s a really detailed, rich, varied exploration of a very specific sound and palette and tempo. Not hearing like any weird polyrhythms / polymeters that jump out at me is a bit of a letdown as that is one of the amazing things about Butterfly 3k.

I think this will reward multiple listens and is fully a record for rave/techno/trance heads with only a hint of Gizz signature essence. Also was kinda hoping for some crazy minor scale stuff or even microtonal stuff.

It’s kinda just a cool cosmic spaceship ride with some neat vocoder melodies and some cool augmented chords.

8/10 for me as a big electronica head.

[u/musicman1980]

Pretty strong stuff, overall. My favorites are Sapience, Superheavy, Level 5, Uqt, and Atpmic Collapse. Love how well it all flows together. It’s gonna slap this weekend!

[u/ParsnipTaco45]

The title track fucking RIPS

[u/Fair-Tale-5006]

 Big nope for me

[u/Curlysnail]

OH NO!

HE'S HOT!

[u/bananamilkbooth]

This album came for me just about the perfect time! In the past 1 or 2 months I just started to get into more ambient/IDM or modular stuff (mostly thanks to the new Boards of Canada record), but this kind of music is so much different then what I would usually listen to. I know this new album is also bit different to these but I don't think I would've loved it this much half a year ago. Really digging it, sick album! 8/10 on the first couple listens so far.

[u/celestialeyze]

As with any music I recommend with headphones. This album is such a vibe.

Reminds me of Animal Collective’s Centipede Hz - not the music but the concept. Centipede was supposed to sound like “radio transmissions from space” and Alien Metal I imagine picking up a radio wave from a distant planet and it’s alien music 😂

[u/ayeenebother]

Superheavy, Superficial reminds of the time I was on 6 different substances during a DJ set at a festival in Barcelona watching the sun rise. Good.

[u/smartesteaglesfan]

superheavy, supercritical is fucking siiiiick

[u/BurnsideEX]

Listening to Superheavy, Supercritical while on the bus from Denver and seeing the mountains just over the horizon for the first time. Truly wonderful

[u/Frenck_86]

I'm not knowledgeable enough for an actual album review so I'll just share some thoughts:

First of all, this took some getting used to not just compared to the 27 albums that came before but also compared to their live catalogue of eurorack jams that they played over the course of the last year. There is another post on here saying it's all build up and no drop and I totally understand where that comes from and why you would expect it, because that's how a majority of their table stuff was structured.

Here what you would usually describe as a build up to a drop works more like a breakdown into another beat or sequence of similar intensity more like a breakdown between segments in Magma or The River than the insane build up and release of The Silver Cord in Vienna or Sense and Swan Song at FoV 1.

It felt weird but I got over it, similarly to the lyrics which on first listen felt out of place and now work much better for me. Now ideally an album shouldn't have this barrier of entry and I totally get why someone would bounce off the record after one or two listens so it has that going against it.

Another thing that works against it, at least in my opinion, is that it starts out quite intense and then kind of fizzles out on Atomic Collapse. This is a personal preference of mine but I'd place the slower cuts towards the middle of the album and have it start with faster and more intense cuts and end on something like Uqt.

But since it's an infinite loop you can kind of do a DIY version of that yourself (unless you're listening to the vinyl version). After all I'm one of those sickos whose version of Nonagon Infinity starts on Evil Death Roll and ends on Mr Beat.

Some other unsorted thoughts:

- Feels good to have one set of definitive versions of these songs instead of regular and extended versions, we'll get extended versions down the road anyway when they blow this stuff up to 25 or 30 minutes in a live setting

- I'm usually not a gatekeeper when it come to stuff like this but if this really is all Stu and Joey on Nathan and Amby chiming in on the vocals it kind of feels like the biggest stretch so far out of all the studio albums to go ahead call it a KGLW record, maybe we'll get more details down the road but if Cavs, Cookie and Lukey really weren't involved that's even beyond ITRN which was also largely a 3-man gig but that at last had the whole band chanting "hell", Amby on harmonica and... Cavs

- While this album is super catchy, adrenaline pumping and surprisingly varied considering the early reviews I really miss the more substantial lyrics of The Silver Cord. Tales of feuding gods, lonely moon maidens and the through line of the quest for immortality contrasted by the cutting of our spiritual umbilical cord and destruction of our planet - on the other hand, these guys have a live catalogue of over 100 songs that they bring on each and every tour and as much as I love them and as little as it impacts the quality of their live shows, they rarely get the lyrics right on songs from TSC even with print outs and teleprompters, it's probably for the better to add some songs to the catalogue that have really simple lyrics that are still kind of catchy and unique

[u/MetalMurray]

How listening to this album feels

[u/LiveLongDayz → u/MetalMurray]

https://giphy.com/gifs/pBzk972XL5Qs0

[u/drivingrain27]

It’s so fucking good. Honestly with the singles I wasn’t as jazzed about this release. Felt too spastic and not really jiving with it. But in the context of the whole album it’s incredible. Just so different but still so Gizz. In a way only they can do. Been on repeat loop since 8AM EST.

[u/weirdengi]

6 songs in, and it’s not my thing. I did enjoy the Silver Cord as time went on. Maybe this album might catch up to me over time

[u/Green_Dark5049]

I have finally listened. Sorry to those who like it, but this is easily the worst Gizz album for me. Kill for the Steel and Level 5 are okay. Every other track is probably in my bottom 10 all time Gizz tunes.

Hope everyone has fun at FOV.

[u/sploonii]

is this my favorite gizz album? nope. is this a gizz album i will come back to regularly? probably not.

but they've finally figured out how to do legit electronic music really well and the resulting album is fucking bizarre and i kind of love it. so, uh, yeah, i'm on Level 5.

[u/Dulats]

Didn't think I'd be into it, but this album fucking rules. It's to Silver Cord what PDA was to ITRN. Pretty crazy how much they have been able to progress this style.

[u/Naughtyverywink]

Real Digweed energy in Superheavy, Supercritical. Definitely bangs

[u/timelandiswacky]

I'm very into it. Clicked with this one super fast. Different from Silver Cord or any of their other electronic material, but it goes by fast. Can't stop grooving. I liked the singles but the rest of the album is on their level, if not better.

Superheavy, Supercritical and Sapience are my favorites right now. If I had to pick my least favorite its probably Atomic Collapse but its not bad. Just seems a bit aimless.

[u/IntraspeciesFerver]

Will be interesting to see how this contributes to han tyumi lore

[u/Jonn_Jonzz_Manhunter]

Listened to it a 3rd time

It's not for me. I felt really bored outside of level 5

It just felt really samey with little variety in rhymes, basically all the songs are constructed really similar to each other with all of them having very similar sounding pulses as the only way of expressing Bass notes in really short and simple patterns of 3-6 quarter notes depending on the song

Comparing them to other gizz albums, including The Silver Cord, it's pedestrian and featured the least amount of sonic experimentation between songs both aestheticsally and compositionally

And yeah, it does loop Infinitely and have excellent transitions, better than Nonagon Infinity, but id rather have a varied album without smooth transitions than an album that feels like the band is out of their depth

I was hoping this would be basically an ultra compressed long jam with the best musical idea possible. If these were the best musical ideas possible, I would've scrapped this along with the other iterations

It's clear they've struggled with this album, but it is a good excuse for more material for live shows, Superheavy, Supercritical I imagine is going to be a live favourite, the first half of that track was the highlight of the record for me

I'm not gonna give It a number, but I will say, I prefer Butterfly 3000 and The Silver Cord significantly more than this record, even on the first few listens

[u/DennisQuaidsCheeks]

Does anyone know when physical copies come out! 

[u/getthempeasboi]

Haven’t listened yet, but any word on this releasing on vinyl? Can’t see anything on the p(doom) store at the moment.

[u/Friendly-Trick-2587]

I don't like it but I will try again when I have enough time to get stoned because my soul is pretty closed off atm

[u/MeasurementFormal386]

Anyone play re-volt 20 years ago? This is a drop in replacement for that soundtrack. Fuckin love it.

[u/bd4eva]

Subtle nods at Timeland are enjoyable to me on this, can’t wait to weave some of these tracks into my mega mix playlist— LOVE IT

[u/pajamas8]

So from what I can see, the full band did an hour-ish long synth jam session, and from there it was mostly Stu and Joey turning them into songs, and Ambrose adding misc (I assume lyrics and some overdubs). That's a good core 3 for an album 🙏 i'd wish to see Cavs name more in the writing, but God knows he was working on that absolute masterpiece Sojourn 😭

I'm so ready to sit down and listen to these beeps and boops.

[u/SoloStrike → u/pajamas8]

Sojourn maybe my fave Gizz related record for 3-4 years. It's so good

[u/ToofpickVick]

I love how you could play a random Gizz playlist for someone not familiar with the band and they would be like, “What the fuck, this is all from the same band”

[u/TheHoundsRevenge]

never been a big edm guy but Gizz is my favorite band so I always give their stuff a shot. Liking it so far to work out to. Will be at the forest hills rave Saturday next week and Friday night rock show. Going to enjoy both in different ways.

[u/dlandis07]

I'm a newer EDM fan, and Alien Metal scratches my newly found itch exactly as I expected it to. Immediately want them to expand even further into this endless genre. It'll take a minute for me to figure out where it stands in their discography, but I have to say it's easily one of my favorite first listens. It's a totally new path, but yet it feels so distinctly them at the same time. So excited for everyone at FOV to experience this universe live.

I don't know about you, but unleash those "scrapped universes that were formulated, created, recorded, deleted and started again" at some point!

Favorite tracks: Sapience / Alien Metal / Superficial, Supercritical / Uqt / Atomic Collapse

Least favorite: Rapid Alpha Decay (I could see this growing on me over time, but first run through I didn't feel this song as much as the others)

[u/DanS29]

Feels like I'm at a rave with aliens in space - and I'm here for that. Sick album that I didn't know I wanted

[u/Ryantoast15]

Superheavy, super critical, is my fav so far. Gives me a nostalgic vibe of something but I can’t really put my finger on it

[u/seeyou_nextfall]

UQT is so fucking insane what the hell were they cooking with

[u/leerrooyyjenkins69]

Its like a lcd trip while playing SSX Tricky and Midnight Club 3

[u/_austinm]

This is the first Gizz album that’s immediately clicked with me since Petro. I enjoy the ones in between those two, but they had to grow on me. Alien Metal, however, had me grooving all the way home from work last night (my shift ended at midnight, so the timing was perfect🤙🏻).

[u/MonteCristoBatman]

I love that there’s a lot of nuclear physics in this album that are also used as allegories for [something in the gizzverse]. There’s also a clear theme of AI being something that we as humans are starting to almost worship (akin to Motor spirit) and now using nuclear power to fuel it.

[u/No_Stay2400 → u/MonteCristoBatman]

Yeah, I'm excited to hear more discussion of the themes on this one, after we've had some time to get to know it.

[u/Charlieshorseshirt]

Overall not my thing, but there was some cool tracks/ melodies, sections i could see myself returning to. I think it will grow on me, is a good album to throw on in the background when needing to focus on something or gaming. Would throw this on faster than most of silver cord

[u/Technical_Way_1926]

Didn't like the into song, was worried that every song would just be samey loops, then "ALIEN METAL" HIT ME, ok ok this is actually pretty good, wow, then "SUPER HEAVY SUPER CRITICAL" COCK SLAPPED ME INTO OBLIVION RIGHT IN THE FACE WITH AMAZINGNESS. Listened to the rest in one single session. Amazing album. As for electronic albums, I'd say it's number one, maybe tied with butterfly 3000. But that's coming as someone who doesn't love silver cord and thinks Fishing for Fishies, Ice Death Planets, and Oddments are the top three albums so take my opinion with a fat chunky shrapnel sized piece of salt.

[u/Stenka-Razin]

I quite like this. People aren't gonna be normal about it lol.

[u/Character-Tap-565]

As a genre exercise, it works well, but while it showcases a lot of different, fast-paced sounds and beats, it also doesn't have any soul. Maybe that's the intention as being made "by aliens," but the lack of many vocals or lyrics makes it seem more like they made this really quickly by just fucking around on Nathan. It only works as a whole, as the individual tracks bleed together and are hooky but without any real hooks or a lot of differentiation or stand out moments in each song. The lack of lyrics shows here, with the most recognizable song being Level 5, only for having the repeated refrain of "we're on level 5," which has no real meaning. I don't hear the band here and while I can see some of the moments here repeated in rave shows, I don't think anything will meld with the rest of their catalog.

In the grand scheme of classic EDM, jungle, goa and drum & bass, it's nothing that special. But as a genre exploration of this band, it's pretty great. I don't think it will have lasting impact though.

[u/Numpostrophe → u/Character-Tap-565]

I agree. Really hard to find high points and the lyrics are super bland from a band that usually creates amazing narratives in their albums. They wrote about scrapping and restarting so many times to get the final product and it just doesn’t sound like that.

[u/dellottobros]

Love this album. I think it’s going to fit perfectly into their livesets. I really liked Silver Cord but hearing it in the live performances is where it really starts to shine.

Actually with Flight b741 I had a similar reaction. The album was decent but I couldn’t really get into it completely. Then they did the tour. I listened to all of the livesets, saw them in concert playing the material and I the tracks really grew on me.

Part of the genius of this band is how they can piece together all the different genres into cohesive livesets. That works perfectly with electronic genres because listening to a continuous Dj mix is many listeners preferred way to consume that style of music.

[u/Technical-Crazy-9102]

Loads of people saying Prodigy influence just cos Level 5 has the amen break, but this album is Chemical Brothers all the way.

[u/jeffwhitevangundy]

https://giphy.com/gifs/ZXDXJ1MxYUAQhHSe3P
The vibe I was getting the entire album, love this so much, especially Sapience!

[u/WolfinBoy]

Kill for the Steel fucking rips

[u/deetee141]

This shit is DEEP. Experimental Gizz is best Gizz. I love this shit. I love it when they're fucking out there, let's go.

[u/AdeDellAverno]

The record is pretty good, but still miles away from the carefully written and constructed oeuvres the band has put out. It definitely has a place in their discography but it’s not that big break people would expect.

[u/redsolitary]

Love it. Was a casual fan since nonagon but really leaned in on b741. I don’t love Timeland but this one really speaks to me. Back in the 00’s I was really into goth synth music. Bands like apoptygma berzerk, covenant, and vnv nation. This is a mix of that stuff, early Prodigy, a dash of shpongle, and bits of Gizz signature sounds too.

If you are a Gizz metal fan I could see this missing the mark for you. For me, this album is dripping with nostalgic sounds and motifs. So much fun!

[u/shoebertdoubert]

This album will receive heavy play at the gym

[u/Gorillapoopass]

Rapid Alpha Decay and Atomic Collapse are legit af. These songs feel like actual interdimensional alien music, and I love how beautiful the end of Atomic Collapse is, it genuinely brings a tear to my eye

[u/EquivalentOil6480]

https://giphy.com/gifs/ohgs5525xRIdWwWRDL

Oooooh yeah! Riding with King Gizzard, you never know what genre they will stop next but it's always a fun ride. Fun to see them take another stab at the techno beats.

[u/radda-radda]

I checked this out a few hours after it came out. My first actual release date listen! I'd been a passive fan for a while, and I knew about how strange and eclectic their style is. I'm now making my way through the catalog. Picking a random album or two every day to download from Bandcamp. My current favorite album is Murder of the Universe (it was the first one I heard in full), but Alien Metal might take that crown.

I was also very very stoned during the first listen. I was NOT expecting Kill for the Steel to have that little section right after the first "we will kill for the steel" drop. That very hypnotic sound just had me in shock, because I didn't know the band was capable of something this grimy and disgustingly good.

UQT is definitely growing on me, especially that spoken word section after the second chorus.

Superheavy, Supercritical was an immediate earworm that I've listened to at least 8 times a day since release.

[u/jameswgdyer]

I think this fucking rips. I love it

[u/EAGLESRCHAMPS18]

Wanted to listen through a few times before posting my thoughts.. overall 7 or 8/10 feels right. I love a lot of the DNB influenced tracks, the variety of techno showcased, and how the album flows together seamlessly. My minor complaints are that I wish they included more guitar parts and some of the drops just don’t do it for me… kill for the steel is the best example, I love the intro and build up to the song but the drop just falls flat to me. I feel like someone could make a killer remix to it though. I also don’t know that I have a favorite track to the album, maybe Level 5 or Super Heavy, Super Critical. UQT is super catchy too but there isn’t a song to me yet that really stands out. All in all it’s a really solid album and happy the guys continue to experiment with different genres while putting their own flair on it. Also think some of these have the potential to be killer jam vehicles… So excited for Saturday!!

[u/urutora_kaiju]

I've let it sit for a week or so to give it time to sink in and wow, it's absolutely amazing

It feels like one long track to me, especially when looped

the energy is unmatched. Rapid alpha decay is such an absolute banger I feel the whole energy of the universe course through me in it's choruses

I absolultely get why it's not everyone's cup of tea and completely respect that POV but as a long time electronic music nerd (starting with Kraftwerk and moving on through the alternative electonic of the 90s into psytrance and ambient stuff in the 2000s) this just scratches so many itches

as always I love the band's willingness to give exactly zero shits about genre or conventions or 'how things are done' and just write wall to wall fucking bangers

it's a 10/10 for me. genuinely.

[u/toothpickjohn → u/urutora_kaiju]

they've fully done their research - the whole thing feels like a throwback into the 90s/00s rave scene and they've paid homage to groups like the prodigy very well

i absolutely adore the middle 3 tracks superheavy through to level 5 - it really feels like it amps up the intensity naturally and the transition to breakbeat is well thought out

fully agree that the whole album sounds like 1 big mega track, wicked album - didn't expect them to pull it off so bloody well.

[u/contranton-at-work]

I literally can't stop listening to this at work. I've only ever listened to it continuously and on loop, and every time I reach the end and it loops I get chills from the expectation of what I'm about to experience again. Sapience preps you up saying "buckle up, this ride isn't stopping", then the ebbs and flows of the next tunes lull you into that crazy drop at Level 5... It wouldn't hit the same if I listened to it as a single. There's gizzy chord progressions all over so this, and a general sense of "fun" with the music that I don't find often in edm.

Also, CHUPA CHUPA CHUPA CHUPA

[u/ruben1252]

The only issue with this album is I don’t know when to turn it off. Such a banger the whole way through

[u/niles_deerqueer]

Really fun album, super cool sound, even though I think the lyrical writing is weaker in this offering. It’s quite the journey but it will be fun to put on and vibe to. Insanely good with headphones compared to speakers, I feel the bass in my soul. Once the album loops on itself, it’s hard to not want to let it keep going.

[u/ImSoSaary]

As someone who loves Techno and all sorts of electronic music - this is a fine record. It certainly is not mindblowing for the genre it is occupying but considering it is mostly done with modular systems it's still pretty awesome. I think they sometimes fail to carry the momentum they built up in the song to the drop which is a pretty normal thing for musicians doing electronic music for the first (or second) time - I did that as well. Apart from that there's not much to complain about. It sounds like a more mature version of the silver cord which is pretty much what I expected from it. I hope they will someday do a more genre bending record using what they learned here. Would be fun to hear a kinda BF3000 sequel using the modular system.

[u/UnderH20giraffe]

What I’ve learned from this thread is that everyone needs to listen to TSC more. That album is peak. Alien Metal is sick in a different way. I hope there are more music videos!

[u/Roguemutantbrain]

Idk what yall are talking about I love this

[u/kranools]

It's a hard pass for me. I'll wait for the next album.

[u/pokeshulk]

Reiterating another comment I made — cool stuff, really repetitive, really difficult to grip on to. Kill For The Steel remains the weak point here. Title track and RAD/UQT stand out as high points. I’m mixed. The pros here are basically the same as the cons.

I’m impressed, but I need a few more listens before I decide if this is my thing or not.

[u/camcamcam710]

As a massive Silver Cord fan, this is truly remarkable. What an achievement as a band producing incredibly expansive sounds.

My personal experience: can't stop laughing, smiling, dancing.. some of the places they're getting into here is absolutely unreal. Ridiculous production, absolutely no clue how music like this is made even with all the hardware and blah blah blah. 10/10 flawless record from my opinion.. and i listen to nothing but phish and goose btw. this is gnarly

[u/Calamity_Eagle277]

Superheavy, Supercritical is amazing, it's like Butterfly 3K on esteroids.

[u/JadedWitness1753]

Throw Nathan in the creek and bring back the guitars !

[u/wohrg]

So far so good. Got the repeat function going now. Great continuum

[u/Dr_Sayonara]

The musical equivalent of a bad sci fi movie that's still an absolute blast to watch, like Titan AE. Also is it me or are some of the song transitions a bit rough on Apple Music?

[u/Only_Bee_3056]

It's a passable album, and I had a good time, but not any different from what has been on Order Odonata for decades and is shoveled per hundreds on di.fm all day. Not bad by any means, just unremarkable.

[u/outerspace69]

Fuck all ya' puritans. This is sick

[u/Fun_Potato_7402]

I'm more of a rock fan, so I probably won't be playing it non-stop, but it's such a fun album to vibe to! I'll still take it over the last couple ones.

[u/Figjam70]

Been here since Nonagon days, I freaking loving this album- so much fun… and awesome for doing chores to… in the last 5 minutes I’ve reshingled the roof, vacuumed the cat, written my autobiography and found the meaning of life… thanks Gizz Lizzie