by Gianluigi Marsibilio (@GMarsibilio)
Free from compromise. A free zone in which it is possible to untie every sound and release a creative force that is pure experimentation. Live records are often boring, but this King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard collection finds new ground, and finds an interesting cue. The songs of the record are stylistic landscapes, aesthetic insights that touch a style that embraces from psychedelic rock albums like Gumboot Soup to the stoner metal of Infest the Rats’ Nest. A musical journey that embraces a period ranging from Grateful Dead to Slayer.
The interludes of this album are the bursting force that unites the sounds and intentions of this band, "Evil Star" is a manifesto of King Gizzard's intentions. The final track sums up one of the most interesting live records of the last few years which also leads us to make a reflection on the global situation, in ecological terms but also in a psychedelic key. The desire to bring the scent of full freedom on stage gives back a deep reflection, and if at their concerts there is never a moment of pause, on Chunky Shrapnel we live the interludes as moments of rest, detachment and reflection. The aesthetics of the intermezzo as a reflection, a sound pause in which you can find a dimension, a calm.
The fantastic universe of King Gizzard is populated by fantastic creatures, worthy of Tolkien, and is structured on a sound that makes the psychic garage rock a point of union with the jam band attitude. The Grateful Dead is the most fitting and apt example, but while the Australian band has a temperament that tends more to heavy rock, the essence and the style is the same.
The live collection reflects the world, a different point of view in the middle of a storm. Chunky Shrapnel is a creation by Wachowski, where world-views interface between utopia and dystopia. A painting by Salvador Dalí would be a perfect summa of this live record, where you never understand where the dream ends, and reality begins.