Gojira are one of the most promising bands to come out since the turn of the century. Like Mastodon, Gojira keeps getting better and better. They are one of the few bands to continually evolve without losing sight of who they are. Which brings me to this album rank. As you’ll hear you can really tell how good Gojira has become as the albums go on.
6) The Link:
5) Terra Incognita:
4) The Way Of All Flesh:
3) Magma:
2) L’enfant Sauvage:
1) From Mars To Sirius:
There truly is something beautiful about heavy music in a live setting. The excitement, chaos, and dedication really comes through in a way that I don’t think any other genre of music can compare to. Last night at the Wiltern, Gojira decimated the audience with a set of forceful magnitude that left me in total awe and sore as all hell from headbanging and moshing.
The opener for the evening was Tesseract. This 5 piece U.K. based band, wasn’t really what I had in mind for the warm up band. Their set was pretty drab and boring. As musicians these guys can play with the best of them, but after a while it all just started to sound the same. At one point I looked over to my friend and he was saying that parts of their songs, especially the vocals, sounded a bit like Incubus. And naturally the more I thought about it, the songs did have that vibe. I don’t remember the song but, if you were to sing the Incubus song “Pardon Me,” over the music, it fit perfectly. Needless to say, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Before Gojira even took the stage, the loud chants of their name permeated through the venue, and when they appeared the roar of the crowd was near deafening. Their new album Magma is a tremendous piece of music and the songs live were like a volcano exploding. Their set consisted of songs from all their albums, with a focus on playing songs off Magma. Singer/guitarist Joe Duplantier, his brother drummer Mario Duplantier, guitarist Christian Andreu, and bassist Jean-Michael Labadie, play with so much fury. The lyrics of Joe Duplantier are heavy and poetic. Throughout the night I kept thinking the set list was great. Songs like “Stranded,” “Silvera,” “The Cell,” “Only Pain,” “Flying Whales,” “Explosia,” “Oroborus,” “Vacuity,” sounded amazing. Mario Duplatier’s drum solo was something spectacular and intense. By the end of their set, it was very clear that Gojira are a force to be reckoned with and not just in the heavy music circles.
What a great night. I don’t even mind the horrible neck pain I have. When a show like this is that good, it’s all worth every ounce of pain. This was my third time seeing Gojira and each time they keep bringing it more and more. If you haven’t seen them or heard them, I strongly recommend you do!
Review and Photo By: Brian Lacy
I remember when I first heard Gojira. I thought this is great and I need to see this band. Sadly I missed them the first couple times they came through Los Angeles. Then a couple years ago I finally caught them with Mastodon, and they were everything I wanted them to be. From that point I’ve been craving a new Gojira album. The last album L’ Enfant Sauvage is one hell of an album. With the release of their new song “Stranded” from their upcoming album MAGMA, Gojira are well on their way to being one of the best metal bands in the world.
Gojira- Stranded:
AUDIOECLECTICA 