When I was a kid, there was nothing I loved more than a kaiju movie. Give me a giant monster flattening a city, and I was in heaven! Respectfully, most of the Toho and adjacent movies were pretty dumb, so the ones that veered into sci-fi felt like a bonus. You got all the destruction plus an added layer of absurdity that meant anything could happen. That’s what I kept thinking about while listening to Reptilian Galactic, the newest album by Moon Goons.
The title isn’t bluffing. From the jump, the sounds are beamed in from a distant solar system while staying slimy and scaly, like a lizard slithering along a lakeshore. Put those together, and the band’s music has glowed up to Gigan levels!
Thankfully, it’s not all cosmic prog rock.
“Night March” and “Destroyer” sound like what happens when Gwar meets Exodus, while “Sludge Planet” and “Emperor of All That’s Acidic” lean into doom and noise. Just when you think they’ve settled into a metal groove, something barrels in from left field. This includes the synth freakout on “Wrath Bath” and a bizarre vocal turn on “Head Mania.” Additionally, the band reveals an infectious level of self-awareness to this record, much like those kaiju movies. Even during its heaviest moments, Moon Goons know exactly when there’s fun to be had.
Reptilian Galactic uses each and every musical detour to get even weirder!
On 2024’s Lady of Many Faces, I praised Moon Goons for making a record that refused to be boring. With Reptilian Galactic, I’ve gotta hand it to them for making one that refuses to be normal. There’s enough prog here to keep fans of that genre happy, enough aggression for the metal crowd, and enough oddities for people who enjoy bands that take risks. Whatever your vice, I like to think a very large lizard monster is listening and being very happy.
Reptilian Galactic is available on vinyl from Romanus Records.