by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Released November 17, 2017 via Flightless Records
Reviewed December 9, 2022
Top tracks (based on community voting)
Crumbling Castle (75%), The Fourth Colour (53%), Loyalty (32%)
Five years before they introduced us to Timeland, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard journeyed to the futuristic and post-apocalyptic world of Polygondwanaland. Bolstered by uncommon time signatures and a hodgepodge of influences, the ever-eclectic King Gizz create a fantasy world of their own.
Marked by a nearly 11-minute long epic that kicks things off, “Crumbling Castle” sets the foundation as a sea of vomit wipes out all it comes across. It calls back to narratives of Murder of The Universe (2017) and Nonagon Infinity (2016) as ominous metaphors connect the real world—often related to environmental destruction—to the fictional Polygondwanaland. It’s a key component to the weird, complicated “Gizzverse” that is filled with the weird, mystical, creatures and characters that the band bring to life. And as our travelers wander in search of Polygondawanaland, we’re introduced to post-apocalyptic conditions, spiritual forces, wizards, and other quirky tidbits through the band’s storytelling.
The music is equally—if not more—complex, with polyrhythms being a central force. Riffs don’t quite drive the record, but rather, phenomenal interplay between guitars and synthesizers create a dense, spacey sound. It’s not anything too out of the ordinary for the group—combining psych-rock with krautrock influences—but it does kick things up a knock with how densely layered it all sounds.
Polygondwanaland is the penultimate record in their (first) five-album run, and it is also the proggiest of the bunch. And it’s just about neck and neck with Flying Microtonal Banana for the best of their 2017 output. – Dominick (8.5/10)
Dominick: 9/10 | DeVán: 8.5/10 | Jared: 8.5/10 | Cam: 7/10
Community Reviews:
An album full of teasing guitar work, driving rhythms and mind-boggling structures. “Crumbling Castle” and “The Fourth Colour” have always been classics, but simpler-structured tracks like “Loyalty” have grown on me in the past five years. All-in-all, each track has a charm that can evoke the inner-nerd in everyone. – @maxrosk (9/10)
King Gizzard’s Polygondwanaland, their fourth album of 2017, is their much loved pure prog rock album. And it’s a stellar one at that. From the jams to the lyrics, PGWL is a delightful and loaded voyage through a pre-historic Gizzverse. Polygondwanaland is a wonder to behold. It’s distinctly Gizzard, but almost nothing like anything they’ve made before or since. Whether you love it thanks to its intricate storytelling, its genius take on prog, or just for the way it released, you’ve just gotta love it. – @thegoodgoodrecordreview (9/10)
I really love this album. The instrumentation is lush and clean, King Gizzard’s songwriting really shines, and the transitions are sick! – @_turquoise_hexagon_sun (8/10)
