Honestly, I don't even know where to start with these guys. There's only so much fucking awesomeness that I can wrap my head around in one sitting. This quick review is meant to focus on Gojira's latest release, The Way of All Flesh, but I can't resist talking about their back catalog. Somehow I completely missed this French act for the last decade and I'm kicking myself for it now. Thanks to a good friend, I was set straight a couple of months back and now I can bring to you my totally biased opinion of this new cd and how it will change your life... or your co-workers. You will be completely addicted and everyone will hate you for it, Gojira crushes like no other.

Since their first full length cd, Terra Incognita, released and re-released in 2001, this band has pushed the boundaries of death metal. It's evident right from their earliest recordings that they weren't going to be just another generic act in a totally bloated scene. Gojira has a unique talent for mixing some of the heaviest and most crushing death metal riffs with a very atmospheric and esoteric progressive melody. I read on a few different forums that it is difficult to classify their original sound, but the closest it comes to is probably progressive death metal. There are many melodic moments, but somehow calling Gojira melodic death metal ruins the aura of brutal heaviness they bring to the table.

Their second release in 2003, The Link, really starts to show case what these guys are capable of and brings some better production to the table. It's obvious by now that there are heavy influences from technical metal bands, such as Meshuggah, but they are tempered by a grove that most death metal bands never quite have. I'm going to say it: Gojira is a fucking groovy death metal band. If there is such a thing, they pull it off. I find myself rocking out to the catchy riffs and humming along to the melodies quite often. But don't get hung up on that too much. They have this way of building super creepy atmospheres that just kick serious ass... and if that wasn't enough they don't even sing about the usual pointless death metal lyrics. All of their cd's seem to focus around central themes of life and spirituality, but avoid being cheesy.

Next up, Gojira's 2005 third release, From Mars to Sirius, is a personal favorite of some and definitely holds a special place in my cd collection. It's here that they really mature and all of their progressive and melodic influences start to shine. Just like it's predecessors, this album holds some of the most crushing riffs they've yet to put down, but it also holds some amazingly beautiful experimental tracks. It's almost as if they've decided that they can rip your head open, shit in it, and then leave you with a beautiful after thought. So many of the tracks are brutal and then bust into death melodies that I don't know even know how to properly describe. They mix harmony with death vox and then break into blast beats all before winding into a five minute quiet melody. The cd is a beautifully done piece of work and really shames so much of the generic shit out there these days. Oh, did I mention it clocks in at 66 minutes?!... and not a boring moment in it. Interludes with whale sounds and clean guitars just fucking rule. I'd be interested to see what Devin Townsend thinks of this album. It just seems like something he'd envision.

So, here we are. It's 2008 and we have The Way of All Flesh, an attempt to follow up what was already an impressive cd. Does it make my asshole pucker? Words escape me... I want to have sex with the cd its so good. It isn't just a follow up, it's an orgasm. From start to finish it is sex in your ears. First off, the production is amazing. They managed to capture their classic raw sound while refining the overall presentation. The drums are extremely tight, the guitars brutal, the bass heavy, and the vox just kick you in the face at times. The managed to take some of the rougher elements of From Mars to Sirius and actually improve upon them while evolving their sound with the use of some keys now and then. Don't get me wrong, FMTS isn't "worse" by any means, it's just different. This cd tends to focus on a more catchy and traditional sound while still having all of the classic Gojira elements. As a friend put it, "Only Gojira can sing about a plastic bag floating in the ocean and make it sound cool." The Way of All Flesh is just an amazing album and really reminded me of what metal is missing in so many mainstream releases.

Which reminds me... I keep reading posts on various forums how The Way of All Flesh is Gojira selling out and going soft. First off, anyone who can call this selling out must listen to some seriously horrible shit. Sure, it's not Morbid Angel, but it's leagues from the sellout poster boy Soilwork. Well written songs and good production do not immediately equal garbage no matter how die hard you think you are. Second, why is it that when an album has some quiet melodic tunes and catchy riffs that it's suddenly "boring" and "a snoozefest"? Do I want to hear the same pounding and repetitive three minute death vox over and over again? No. Fuck that. Melodic interludes and atmosphere give an album mood and depth. So many metal bands loose their appeal over time because it's the same ten tracks of shit over and over with no variation. Gojira has an amazing ability to evolve and progress, yet stay true to form. Go ahead and drive around with "Vacuity" cranked and tell me that isn't one awesome song.

I guess I should shut up now. It's late and although it might look like it, I'm not actually receiving kickbacks from Gojira's record label for this. I write about three things on this website: Shit that I like immensely, shit that pisses me off, and shit that I think might just be useful to a lost soul. Gojira falls in the ass kissing category simply because they've fucking earned it where so many haven't. Go buy a cd.