Album Review: Magma

Impressions/Thoughts:

I have heard of the band Gojira before in a few video interviews and on a couple music news web sites like Loudwire. My limited knowledge of this band was that they were a metal band from France and that their music was on the heavier side of the spectrum. I never really thought about reviewing this band because they are not well known in the U.S. and I never really heard of any good examples of their music.

Earlier this year around April or May, I was listening to music videos on YouTube while I was doing some homework. I stepped away to get a drink and when I came back the song “Stranded” was playing on my computer. I didn’t know this song or who performed it, but I remember sitting down putting my earphones in and hearing this really weird but cool sounding riff. I was intrigued by the song saying “What the hell is this?” So, I looked at the title of the video and to my surprise said “So this is what Gojira sounds like!” The next video played was “Silvera” and from then on I was hooked. I bought their album, Magma, because I was so impressed. This is my first Gojira album and certainly not the last that I will add to my collection.

The Music:

“The Shooting Star” sounds like we are being taken on a space adventure as we travel through the cosmos. This song has an epic rhythm and lyrical content that makes us feel as if we are going to go through a long and tough journey through strange and exotic new territory. Even though the vocals sound very monotone, that choice allows the instrumentals to tell the tale of the song. 

“Silvera” is a more emotional sounding song with the faster catchy riff and energetic vocals. The ending line from the chorus “When you change yourself, you change the world.” really sticks out on the song. This song demonstrates Gojira’s rhythmic instrumental abilities.

“The Cell” starts off with this very explosive percussive riff which eventually drops as heavy large guitar chords blend in. This song represents a frantic feeling of being trapped inside your own mind. Joe Duplantier’s vocals are almost shouting which adds to that franticness effect.

“Stranded” has this very cool screech like machine esque sound that ends the chord progression in the riff. This makes the overall riff much more dynamic in comparison to the previous three songs. “Stranded” seems to be about being locked away and left alone to rot. Because they’re French, they could be referring to the feelings of prisoners in the Bastille when that was still a prison. Near the end of the song, Joe Duplantier’s last scream gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. 

“Yellow Stone” most likely refences the dormant super volcano in United States. This song has a very heavy slow riff that interludes to the next track. The riff reminds me a little bit of the chord progression of the Black Sabbath song “Iron Man”.

“Magma” is another track that spotlights the instrumentals of the band. It starts off faster with a robotic and chaotic resonance to the song. Later the riff slows down and has a shrieking chord progression that is more melodic. The vocals go into that similar monotone sound, like in the first song “The Shooting Star”. About midway through the riff, it changes into this really heavy headbanging riff that really gets you moving.

Track number seven, “Pray”, starts off with this beat and noise that sounds like you’re listening to tribal music. When the drums kick in, it gives the effect of stomping your feet in cinque to the beat.  Joe Duplantier’s vocals sound very distant with the echo effect present on his voice, but when the chorus starts it gets more emotional which is also reflected in the riff. This is another very good song.

The track, “Only Pain”, has the similar kind of mechanical sounding screech in the riff just like as in the song “Stranded”. With the similar riff and tone, this song feels like a sequel to the song “Stranded”. Unlike that song, “Only Pain” has a faster riff. The vocals really don’t vary much in this song, but they still project strong emotion.

“Low Lands” is a slower song with clean vocals and a rhythmic riff that focuses on the drums and bass guitar. Around the 4 minute mark, the instrumentals become heavier and the vocals go to more of a growl as Joe Duplantier belts out the lyrics. The song stops and after a few moments it goes to acoustic guitar with a faint echoing scream that drifts off as the song ends. 

“Liberation” is an instrumental track that features an acoustic guitar and a drum beat. It closes out the album on a mellow tone.

Verdict:

Gojira’s music is very riff based, as the vocals seem only to accent the instrumentals. This album thematically is like Kyng’s album, Breathe in the Water, in that its very somber in its message, but the way that it portrays it is in a more abstract manner. Through the use of mechanical screech like sounds and distant sounding vocals, the band is able to articulate the sadness of the songs more deeply.

Joe Duplantier’s vocals accent encroaches on my ability to comprehend all the lyrics without them being right in front of me. Otherwise, this is a very dynamic album with different sounding songs. The songs range from very mellow, to very fast and heavy styles. Definitely check out their songs listed below because I feel that they just sound amazing.

Top 5 Songs:

1) “Stranded”

2) “Silvera”

3) “Magma”

4) “The Cell”

5) “Low Lands”

From left to right: Mario Duplantier, Christian Andreu, Joe Duplantier & Jean-Michel Labadie

You can follow Gojira on Facebook, Twitter and there official website.