King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Announce New Album ‘Infest The Rats’ Nest’

Australian rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will issue a new album entitled Infest The Rats’ Nest via ATO/Flightless Records on August 16. The LP is the band’s 15th since 2012 and second of 2019.

The septet previously released “Self-Immolate” and “Planet B” from Infest The Rats’ Nest, which each feature a distinct metal influence. “In fourth grade there was an older kid who was into Rammstein,” said vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Stu Mackenzie of discovering metal. “I made friends with him and we put together a performance at our school assembly where we headbanged to ‘Du Hast’. I got whiplash, which I thought was pretty cool. That was my introduction to heavy metal, and soon Rammstein led to Metallica, Metallica led to Slayer, Slayer led to Kreator and Sodom. The German bands really kicked my ass and scared the hell out of me too. Later on, when I picked up a guitar I realized that shit was too hard to play, so I got into rock ‘n’ roll and garage. That was liberating.”

“The A-side of the album is set in the near future and is about real shit going on right now – especially ecological disaster,” stated Mackenzie about the themes found on Infest The Rats’ Nest. “We’ve got a lot of things to fear. The B-side tells the story of a group of rebels who are forced to leave Planet Earth and try to settle on Venus. I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of humanity and the future of Planet Earth. Naturally these thoughts seep into the lyrics.”

The album will be available for pre-order on July 9. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard kick off an extensive tour of North America in Los Angeles on August 13.