Infest the Rats’ Nest is a thrash/heavy metal concept album by Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (KGLW). The main story of the album is told via several miserable people stranded on a dystopian Earth trying to survive (and later flee) after the rich have left for colonies on Mars following a catastrophic climate collapse. The album cover shows a gold-plated rat skull positioned on top of some stairs, evoking a vulgar throne, or even a pair of hellish headphones.
Music is a storytelling medium that has lasted through the ages, due to its memorability, conciseness, and its incredible ability to compel emotion. Additionally, the advent of streaming platforms has led to albums being instantly shareable for free. The A-side of Infest The Rats’ Nest focuses on current, and near-future problems such as ecological disasters and climate change. Each song brings with it a new topic of despair, including the spread of infectious diseases (Superbug), factory farming (Organ Farmer), and class struggle (Mars For The Rich). The B-side delves deeper into the dystopian future as a group of rebels crash-lands on Venus after escaping Earth. The rebels end up dying but turn into demons that head for the Mars colony inhabited by the rich (whose actions caused the climate collapse on Earth). This ties the album into the tradition of “eat the rich” and is the reason for the album title, as the demons “infest the rats’ nest”.