Overall, Murder of the Universe is an audacious, wild masterwork by a band who can never rest.
An intense, ingenious and utterly insane listen, 'Murder Of The Universe' is another brilliant addition to King Gizzard's already stellar and ever-expanding discography.
‘Murder of the Universe’ stands out because it perfects what makes the band special, rather than moving anything forward. Those tired of the joke might not be interested, but for the kind of person that religiously rewatches Black Dynamite, it’s glorious.
In true madcap Gizzard fashion, the band’s proggiest album turns out to also be their most visceral and vital. Murder of the Universe may be built from the band’s now-familiar krautpunk battle plan, but their ability to execute outsized architectural complexity at manic, warp-speed velocity is no less astonishing.
Murder is hellishly dark, terminally weird and subsequently very funny. Though the Gizz do not immediately seem to be thematically concerned with the dull trappings of earthly reality, the fear and doom-laden intensity characterising the record certainly seem to neatly reflect our troubled times.
A creepy conceptual effort that manages to incorporate despair, angst and the apocalypse into one not-so-neat-and-tidy package, it boasts a title that perfectly sums up those sentiments to a tee.
Murder… is a sci-fi concept album in three parts, narrated throughout by fellow Australian Leah Senior, and whether you enjoy it or not rather depends on your tolerance levels for sci-fi concept albums featuring characters called Balrog.
It's mostly fun, but Murder of the Universe isn't for everyone. That's for sure.
Murder of the Universe might be King Gizzard's most musically and conceptually ambitious project to date, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
I can’t help but feel like the narrator is holding my hand through these tales instead of letting me absorb them for myself. It’s a difficult combination of rock and storytelling, and it’s possible that the album is the wrong medium for the expression.
#24 | / | Rough Trade |
#27 | / | Louder Than War |
#90 | / | The Quietus |