It may not have been the Valentine’s Day that many had dreamed of but French Metal titans certainly had the hearts pumping with their monstrously brutal take on Progressive Death Metal.
Eschewing traditional lyrical themes of death and evil in favour of those from a more environmental viewpoint mark Gojira down as rather unique within the Metal genre and they sound all the better for it.
With the show rescheduled from last year due to continuing Covid issues, it came as something of a relief to see the band stride on stage to “Born For One Thing,” swiftly followed by a gut punching “The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe,” a rather apt title if there ever was one.
Led from the front by Joe Duplantier, spitting forth bitter venom during “Stranded” and “The Art of Dying” while laying down some earth-shaking riffs alongside fellow guitarist Christian Andreu, Gojira more than live up to their name, which translates to Godzilla, literally.
Gojira also bring in some twisted melodies too most notably on “Silvera” and “L’enfant Sauvage” which boasts a foundation of titanic riffs carrying the mysterious, dark tunes making quite a symphonic cacophony.
Mario Duplantier was a revelation on drums, a pure powerhouse of energy and intensity contained within a slight frame. During his brief solo he whipped up the crowd by holding aloft a sign that simply said “Howay” – talk about ingratiating yourself with the locals with one, single word.
Closing with a pair from their latest album, Fortitude, including the huge, heavy groove of the brilliant “Amazonia,” a Grammy nominated behemoth that really deserved to win, saw Gojira send the crowd home for a Valentine’s Day they won’t forget.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
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