The band's first-ever double album will be available to preorder on March 22 and will arrive via their own record label, KGLW, later this year
(Image credit: Martin Philbey via Getty)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have announced their first-ever double album, Omnium Gatherum, and have previewed the upcoming effort by sharing its lead single, The Dripping Tap.
It’s no ordinary single, though: it’s 18-minutes long – yes, 18 – and paves the way for what the Aussie rock band promises will be their “boldest, most ambitious and most far-reaching release yet”.
Owing to its length, there’s a load of electric guitar goodness littered throughout The Dripping Tap, from the charging opening riff and high-octane lead lines that set the scene in the opening minutes, all the way to the frantic reprise that closes the track out in a destructive flurry of notes.
At its core, the track is a spellbinding jam, boasting a three-and-a-half-minute fretboard throwdown at the halfway mark, which throws together muddy fuzz-laden licks, wailing wah-drenched musings and punchy harmonized motifs.
You can check out The Dripping Tap in the video below.
As for the Omnium Gatherum itself, it will be King Gizzard’s first album since the release of both LW and Butterfly 3000 last year and, most notably, marks the first time the group were able to record together in the studio since the start of the pandemic. It will also be the 20th addition to their prolific discography.
The occasion, according to the band, called for a thematic shift. While their previous efforts pursued a single style, Omnium Gatherum was seen as an opportunity to explore new ideas “without committing to deliver an entire album in that vein”.
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After all, Omnium Gatherum is “literally Latin for a 'collection of miscellaneous people or things'”, explains vocalist Stu Mackenzie, with the album itself ushering a new period of jam-based music for the group.
It was originally conceived as a collection of unreleased King Gizzard songs never saw the light of day, but snowballed into a more expansive LP, exploring elements of “gonzoid prog jams, dizzying pop nuggets, rubber-legend hip-hop odysseys and pure thrash metal”.
(Image credit: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard)
“This recording session felt significant,” Mackenzie continued. “Significant because it was the first time all six Gizzards had gotten together after an extraordinarily long time in lockdown.
“Significant because it produced the longest studio recording we’ve ever released. Significant because (I think) it’s going to change the way we write and record music – at least for a while. A turning point. A touchstone. I think we’re entering into our ‘jammy period’. It feels good.”
King Gizzard have also announced that tickets for their global tour have now gone on sale. The sprawling stint around the globe will see the band start proceedings on March 19 at Buenos Aires, Argentina, and conclude at Oklahoma City’s The Criterion on October 31.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
