The cancellation of the Dethklok/Lamb Of God tour was great news for Gojira fans. Instead of having to see them play a short 30 minute set in a large-ish venue to a partially indifferent audience, they got to commune at the French death-groove band’s triumphant headlining shows in smaller spaces like the 700 capacity Bottom Lounge in Chicago. Truly the ideal setting, it’s the difference between being so far back you can only see properly on video screens, where you might as well be watching it on TV, and feeling the compressed energy literally vibrate you all the way to the backs of your eyesockets.
A friend and I saw them at Logan Square Auditorium four years ago, and while it was a great show, the energy wasn’t the same. The Bottom Lounge was the perfect venue to experience the show viscerally. Like an atom bomb in a garbage can. See some highlights below:
A new acquaintance conducted a video interview before the show (finally available, see below), and was taking suggestions for questions. Gojira’s influences have been pretty well covered in past interviews, where they cited Florida band Death as a major early inspiration. Interestingly, while they namecheck a lot of French bands to help them out, they said lately they don’t listen to much metal at all. They only listen to heavy music on tour, “…but it really has to be special, really well done to catch our attention.” So why not evolve into something else rather than continue to play metal? We’ll see what their response is soon.
Personally I don’t listen to as much extreme metal either, but Gojira’s particular style of death-groove prog metal is definitely special. Mario Duplantier is possibly THE best drummer in metal today, and is mesmerizing to hear and watch in action. His brother Joe is an excellent lyricist, who can convey righteous outrage over mankind’s endless environmental crimes while also deftly exploring intellectual and spiritual themes without coming off as pretentious. My friend noted that “Planned Obsolescence” and “Mouth of Kala,” from their latest masterpiece L’Enfant Sauvage, seem to continue the conceptual thread dealing with the juxtaposition of time and death, initiated on “Yama’s Messengers” from The Way Of All Flesh (2008). There’s probably plenty more connections that can be found from digging deep into the lyrics. Thought provoking, thunderous, tight, and even melodic at times, Gojira may be too intense to become a multi-platinum selling mainstream force, but have certainly measured up to their name as a giant of the genre.
