King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Murder Of The Universe (Vomit Splatter Coloured Vinyl)

Murder of the Universe, released on 23 June 2017, is a sprawling concept album by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard that fuses psychedelic rock, prog, and narrative ambition. Recorded at Flightless HQ, the album is structured into three chapters—“The Tale of the Altered Beast,” “The Lord of Lightning vs. Balrog,” and “Han-Tyumi & the Murder of the Universe”—linked by spoken-word narration from Leah Senior and text-to-speech voices. The music navigates shifting tones: driving motorik rock, synth interludes, bluesy harmonica passages, and heavy prog motifs all intermingle. Stylistically, it builds on the band’s earlier experiments while leaning harder into theatricality, immersion, and narrative.

The album rewards repeated listening: while its concept is ambitious and occasionally audacious, the internal coherence of motifs, transitions, and dynamic contrasts holds it together. Standout sequences such as the climactic “Han-Tyumi” saga or the cosmic confrontation in “Lord of Lightning” imbue the record with dramatic heft. Over time, Murder of the Universe has come to be seen not just as one of King Gizzard’s most daring works but as a pivot toward more complex storytelling and compositional rigor in their discography.

"A  rampaging, feverish blast of sci-fi prog punctuated by whizzing synths and robotic voice-overs." – AllMusic

“They’ve managed to push themselves to new levels of raucousness and ridiculousness.” – Pitchfork

“A fun, texturally dense celebration of the possible, a showcase of real daring.” – The Quietus

“An ambitious effort that tells the tale of death and destruction and growth and rebirth.” – DIY Magazine