NEW FLESH 8/9: Releases From King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Dark Funeral, and More

NEW FLESH 8/9: Releases From King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Dark Funeral, and More

- By Ramon Gonzales

This week's shortlist veers a bit left of center pooling a broad range of tunes spanning from hardcore-tinged pop punk, mathcore-influenced beatdown, to the poignant swan song of a legendary composer.

Photo by Maclay Heriot

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - FLIGHT b741 (p(doom) Records)

Few bands can lay claim to be as versatile or as prolific as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Unleashing their 26th full length effort, the album follows expansive concept records that have spanned thrash metal destruction to Krautrock quirk Leaning into the 70's rock sheen of greats like early Steve Miller, and the earnest songwriting of The Band, the latest from King Gizzard is a remarkable feat in that it has no real concept. A feel good record with timeless rock infectiousness that spans from singer-songwriter to early glam in the vein of T. Rex - album number 26 finds the Aussie luminaries reinventing themselves once again. 

 

 

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - OPUS (Milan Records)

Musical luminary and renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto tragically passed away from cancer early last year. Prior to his departure, his son Neo Sora captured his final performance in 2022, a gripping, career-spanning 20-song presentation that featured solely Sakamoto and Yamaha Grand Piano. From his pop-centric era in Yellow Magic Orchestra to his celebrated scores of The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Revenant to his final album,12, Opus attempts to frame the greatness of Sakamoto, with no addition context needed. Now, the album serves as another final gift to the world. 

 

 DARK FUNERAL - 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Century Media Records)

A compelling tribute to the rebellious kinship of Swedish black metal pillars Lord Ahriman and Blackmoon, the 30th anniversary edition of the debut from Dark Funeral is a potent show of primal artistry and fierce musical extremity. Remixed and re-mastered in a way that bolsters the sound while retaining the original nuance of the songs, the update underscores just how ahead of their time Dark Funeral was some three decades ago. A collision of classic and contemporary, Dark Funeral remains an essential entry in the breadth of black metal. 

 

 FOUR YEAR STRONG - analysis paralysis (Pure Noise Records)

On the band's sixth full length effort and the follow-up to 2020's Brain Pain, the Massachusetts veterans wisely leaned into their pedigree in what translates as a return to form. Combined with the oversight of celebrated produced Will Putney, the Mass rock heavy veterans embrace their pop-punk sensibility with their hardcore DNA to compile a 12-track effort that is equally catchy as it is explosive. Bog hooks, infectious bounce and instances unhindered wallop, Four Year Strong are back in a big way. 

 

 DUHKHA - A PLACE YOU CAN'T COME BACK FROM (Good Fight Music)

Comprised of veteran players from outfits like  Eighteen Visions, Seizures, Teeth, and Dangers, the debut from Duhkha aligns with the fringe of hardcore's landscape, in the vein of Coalesce, Botch and Converge. Caustic, confrontational and deliberately chaotic, the band's introduction goes for the jugular and rarely relents over 12 assaultive tracks. 
KKING 
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