Random Album Review: Gojira, "Magma" (2016)

Band: Gojira (France, vocals in English)

Genre: Prog, bordering on Sludge

Sounds A Lot Like: Gojira, really ... vocals can sound like Korn, oddly enough

Relisten?: Oh hell yeah

You'll Like If ... You wanted Gojira to be heavier, slower and ethereal (?)

You'll Hate If ... You miss psychotic time signatures

Can You Have Sex To It?: That weird, sexy Starbucks barista will totally fuck you to this

***

I went to my daughter's 'curriculum night' at her school the other night. She goes to a private Catholic school, just like I did (#1 resource for metalheads?) despite the fact that a) I can't afford it (thanks scholarships and mom/dad) and b) it involves religion.

Look, you do you man. I'm not going to tell you who/what to worship. But the Contrarian in me couldn't help but think, sitting in church, watching a priest make jokes about collection baskets and talking about pursuing a strong education, how the school can teach about zombie ghosts while also showing how evolution works. It just struck me as ... interesting? Ironic? I dunno.

I show up to many events (breakfasts on Sundays thrown by the dad's club, volunteer at the Carnival, attend the important church services that involve my daughter reading scripture or accepting some rite of passage, practice the prayers she has to learn, etc.) so, I'm not a dick. I keep my opinions to myself and let my daughter find her own path. But, just like growing up liking things most people didn't like in junior high and high school, I always feel like an imposter in the presence of the school/church.

It probably doesn't always help that I'm wearing a Slayer shirt to a church gathering (Reign in Blood artwork no less).

That aside, I'm thrown into a world that economically, philosophically and morally I can't identify with. And while I won't go with the cliche of 'metal is my religion', these moments are why people like me get into metal in the first place. Metal is, in the end, about being on the outside looking in. As much as I can join the Dads for a round of corn hole and a beer at a school sanctioned event, I won't ever be one of them. I dress, earn, and think differently.

Listening to a band like Gojira is kind of a good example of that. You do find people who like it, at least online. I know one dude in 'real' life who thinks Gojira is amazing.

Now, don't get me wrong: I like Gojira a lot. I might even love them. But they're not a top five band for me or anything. I've enjoyed dipping my toes in their discography but I can't write thesis papers on the meaning of their albums (or really name too many deep cuts).

But just by listening to Gojira itself, a band most norms have never heard of, kind of puts you in the outsider world. Luckily, Gojira's most recent release, Magma, is fucking epic and probably the easiest record to introduce to the 'insiders'. Yeah, it is heavy but it's also catchy. Gojira manages to take the unique characteristics of former records and streamline them, keeping the heaviness and intensity but allowing more accessible aspects (cleaner vocals, atmospheric effects, less, shall we say, high concept lyrical ideas (no toxic garbage islands to worry about or whales floating between burgeoning planets).

From a technical aspect, Gojira can be summed up in one phrase: perfection. Backed by exemplary production value, every aspect of Magma reaches the apex of sonic nirvana. Mario Duplantier (drums) and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass) are constantly in sync and otherworldly; Duplantier in particular offers robot-efficient fills and add-ons where typical drummers would simply keep the beat going.

Lead singer/lead guitarist Joe Duplantier offers a wider range of vocal styles on Magma and that can aid in opening up the sound to people outside the genre. Like in the title track "The Shooting Star", the main chorus of "Silvera" and throughout the title track "Magma", Duplantier comes across as a dark angel, singing in the background of some other realm, adding an ethereal feel to the proceedings.

At others, like the opening verses of "Silvera", he offers a guttural yell that is quite different from his harsher vocals on previous records; even when providing a hard edge, it seems Duplantier and Gojira are aiming for a more open sound in which the lyrics can be understood.

Like a lot of Gojira records, the whole event kind of wears on you after a bit. Though Gojira isn't a djent band, they are excessively repetitive. Magma's more atmospheric feel aids the songs in not feeling like an industrial grind of blast beats and impossibly strange time signatures like on previous records but the before mentioned ethereal nature of the vocals, mixed with the repetitive and often less pulsating tunes can lead to badass background noise, but not exactly engaging listening.

Unlike other bands that try new ideas and sounds, no one seems to be claiming Gojira has sold out. And this is a good thing. Magma showed up on virtually every Best Of list from media groups worth their salt and it even garnered a few Grammy nominations. Gojira managed to make their sound more accessible without sacrificing the crunch and power or, oddly, their signature sound which, despite the multiple production changes and wizardry, can be found in the mix. A Gojira guitar sound will always be a Gojira guitar sound regardless of post-production effects.

I see this album as the band's Black Album ... still remarkably heavy, still showcasing the band's prowess and technicality while also appealing to larger audiences and streamlining everything from the message of the music to how it is played.

But despite all this, much like my efforts to perhaps try to fit in with the school crowd, Gojira can provide a masterpiece for the masses to see but perhaps not hear; the equivalent of being a dude in a Slayer shirt standing in a church looking for friends.

Please support Gojira and other bands just like them!