Long-awaited, with a lot of excitement from everyone, and it’s finally out.
The latest Gojira release has been teased like no other. And like many other extreme metal fans around the world, I was expecting one more Gojira masterpiece to add to the globally decent discography they had so far. The single « Another World » came out last summer, it was a good effort, but a bit below the french megalodon’s standards, and it seemed like a patchwork of unused riffs from « Magma », so much that I wouldn’t have thought it would be included in their album.
The French quartet is confirming the change of direction that we should’ve seen coming, taking a turn towards a simpler more accessible style of metal, which pushes them far away from the usual punches in the face we were used to, punches which had become their trademark.
In this new release, Gojira prefers to commit to noble causes rather than to stick to their musical identity: we witness henceforth the incorporation of clean melodious singing, more catchy, more efficient to attract a wider public, but so far from the powerful emotional growls Joe Duplantier used to make, and the fiery behind Mario’s drumming now seems cold and calm.
The causes chosen by Gojira are a matter that every one of us should be aware of, and make efforts to help our planet. It’s saddening to see that Gojira has not chosen the powerful music they know how to make to support their claims: the riffs are poor, the lyrics are cheesy and generic, and even on the couple of heavier tracks they put on the album, Gojira recycled old riffs into new songs: at least they are true to the causes they’re defending, and adopting the reuse of their material. Gojira is ripping off Gojira and that’s the ironic takeout from this album.
The highlight from this release is that the production is bright, clean and clear, well suited for the music, the classic 5150 tones has been tweaked to make the Gojira sound a trademark, and an identity that can’t be replicated. The multi-talented Joe Duplantier is the one behind the production on this album, proving that Gojira has the matter in their own hands.
One more great band falls into the trap of the music industry, choosing to expand their base and attract neophytes rather than retaining the base which sent them to the top of the world, which is after all a legitimate decision when your name is Gojira and that you have nothing left to prove. One must salute Gojira’s decision to go out of their comfort zone, and remember that sticking to your identity and staying creative is a tough matter.
Gojira: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Roadrunner Records
Category: Album
Country: France
Reviewed by Oussama EL OUADIE
