By Alec Stutson

With its offbeat drums and jazzy, middle eastern sounding arpeggios, King Gizzard begins its 10-minute progressive symphony with style and flair. What comes next is a sprawling, ambitious piece of neo-progressive rock that fuses psychedelia, funky bass and surprisingly beautiful vocals from the band’s Frontman Stu Mackenzie. Crumbling Castle eschews the usually-driving drums from King Gizzard’s other releases, and lets the guitars, bass, flute and synths drive the song forward. What emerges is a twisting, experimental trip that would feel right at home among Prog-Rock legends such as Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson. The band has been experimenting with their sound recently, dipping into microtonal music, as well as jazz, with varying levels of success. Crumbling Castle feels like a return to form for the band, while still incorporating the new sounds and skills they’ve learned after their recent albums.