Their EP and first two albums, Willoughby's Beach (2011), 12 Bar Bruise (2012) and Eyes Like the Sky (2013), primarily blended surf music and garage rock, and were released on the band's independent record label, Flightless, founded by Moore in 2012. Their third to eighth albums—Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013), Oddments, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014), Quarters!, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015) and Nonagon Infinity (2016)—expanded their sound, including elements of film music, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, folk, jazz, soul and heavy metal.
In 2017, the band fulfilled a promise to release five studio albums within the year: Flying Microtonal Banana in February; Murder of the Universe in June; Sketches of Brunswick East, a collaboration with Mild High Club, in August; Polygondwanaland, which was released into the public domain, in November; and Gumboot Soup in December. The band released its fourteenth album, Fishing for Fishies, on 26 April 2019, followed by a fifteenth album, Infest the Rats' Nest, released on 16 August that year.
On the 19th of April they released their first feature-length film, concert movie "Chunky Shrapnel". Named after a lyric from the band’s 2017 song Murder Of The Universe, The film combines concert footage from the band’s 2019 European tour with documentary style-filmmaking of King Gizzard behind the scenes. While Chunky Shrapnel does also document the band offstage, the film’s director, Josh Angus Stewart, said that it prioritizes music over personalities.
Chunky Shrapnel was originally set to premiere at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre, before the Australian government closed cinemas nationwide to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The film was eventually released and finally available for 24 hours only on vimeo.
In all, throughout 2020, the band released several live albums, a concert film, a double compilation of demos, K.G. , their 16th studio album and a compilation of early singles and all the tracks on the Anglesea EP called Teenage Gizzard . In August, Eric Moore (the band's second drummer and manager) left the band to focus on running his record label, Flightless. In February 2021, the band released L.W., their third microtonal album, which was followed by the synth-based dream pop album Butterfly 3000 in June. These albums were released independently rather than on Flightless. The band's twentieth studio album, Omnium Gatherum, was released on 22 April 2022.
On 24 January 2023, the band released the official live bootleg Live At Red Rocks '22. The 86-track, eight-hour release documents the band's three-night run at the titular Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Several independent labels have created physical releases of the bootleg, including a 12-vinyl boxset and a CD/cassette run.
On 4 March of the same year, the band debuted a new song "Gila Monster" during a live performance in Tilburg in the Netherlands. Following that, on 7 May, the band announced their upcoming 24th studio album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation via Instagram. According to bassist Lucas Harwood, PetroDragonic Apocalypse will be one of two upcoming albums that will have a "Yin and Yang" concept, stating that they are "going to be very different sounding to each other, but we're going to try to make them complement each other". The album's first single, "Gila Monster", was released alongside a music video an hour before the album pre-order opened on May 16 and the second single "Dragon" was released on June 6 with its music video. The band then went on tour throughout the United States to promote the album before its release by playing songs from the album other than the singles. One such performance on 3 June was at the Caverns in Tennessee where the band dressed in drag to celebrate Pride Night after a judge turned down a law that intended to ruled drag unlawful. Joey Walker told the crowd, "This ain't no protest, baby. This is a celebration!" PetroDragonic Apocalypse was released on 16 June.
The band members all grew up and went to school in the Deniliquin, Melbourne and Geelong areas. The band started off as a group of friends jamming together, before a mutual friend asked them to play at a show. The band's name was created "last minute". Mackenzie wanted to name the band "Gizzard Gizzard" while another band member wanted Jim Morrison's nickname "Lizard King". They eventually compromised with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The artist Jason Galea has created all of the band's album art, and a majority of their music videos.
Evil Death Roll
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You started killing things
You started severing limbs
Evil death roll
Now
You float and wait for me
Open your jaw for me
Evil death roll
Now
Evil death roll
Now
The night is young, full of sin
Time to slither away again
I can see our history hanging on a knife
So let's start dueling here
I have nothing to fear
I'm grinning ear to ear
Evil death roll
Now
Evil death roll
Now
The night is young, full of pain
Time to slither away again
I can see our history hanging on a knife
So let's start killing things
You distort the notion of the place
The universe's other face
The speed of light has slowed apace
The universe's other face
What it is
Impossible
Gravity
The universe
Has me
Invisible face
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Wait for the answer to open the door
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Wait for the answer to open the door
Nonagon infinity opens the door
One, two, three, four
The night is young, full of sin
Time to slither away again
You can see our history hanging on a knife
So let's start killing things
'Cos you started everything
And let's start severing limbs
Evil death roll
Now
Evil death roll
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's song Evil Death Roll is a haunting and intense track about confronting evil and facing off against a dark force. The song starts with the lyrics "You started everything, You started killing things, You started severing limbs" which suggest that the subject of the song is a malevolent being that has wreaked havoc and destruction. The chorus of the song, "Evil Death Roll, Now" further emphasizes the danger and maliciousness of this entity. The second verse contains the lyrics "The night is young, full of sin, Time to slither away again" which again highlights the darkness and evil present in this being. The final verse has the lyrics "You distort the notion of the place, The universe's other face, The speed of light has slowed apace, The universe's other face" which suggest that this creature is so powerful and malevolent that it can warp reality and bend the laws of physics to its own will.
Overall, Evil Death Roll is a bleak and powerful song about confronting pure evil and the terror that comes with it. The lyrics are evocative and vivid, creating a haunting atmosphere that is both beautiful and unsettling.
Line by Line Meaning
You started everything
You are the cause of all the chaos and destruction that has taken place
You started killing things
You began the act of taking lives
You started severing limbs
You began the act of cutting off body parts
Evil death roll
The dangerous attack style you use to overpower and consume prey
Now
In the present moment
You float and wait for me
You patiently wait for me to come closer within striking distance
Your scales are hard and green
Your skin is rigid and colored in a green shade
Open your jaw for me
Open your mouth to prepare yourself for attacking me
The night is young, full of sin
It's the beginning of nightfall, and the time when most criminal activities take place
Time to slither away again
It's time to slowly move away and retreat
I can see our history hanging on a knife
Our past connection is about to be severed permanently, it's on the edge of a knife
So let's start dueling here
Let's engage in a fight to defend our territory
I have nothing to fear
I am not afraid of you
I'm grinning ear to ear
I have a wide smile on my face, indicating I am pumped up for the fight
You distort the notion of the place
You manipulate the understanding of the surroundings that are familiar to us
The universe's other face
Another part of the universe we are not familiar with
The speed of light has slowed apace
The pace of the speed of light has decreased
Nonagon infinity opens the door
Perpetual cycles of infinity welcome me
Wait for the answer to open the door
Be patient until the solution arrives
One, two, three, four
A count used to start performing a task
Cos you started everything
You are the initiator of all the havoc we are currently facing
And let's start severing limbs
Let's retaliate by dismembering the limbs of the one who started this
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Stuart Douglas Mackenzie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind