The art of Gojira may be described as many things: heavy, complex, environmentally friendly... But this week at Maniacs, we’re giving France’s four-piece the badge of Epic-ness to wear, in celebration of the band’s newest track ‘Amazonia’. With Gojira’s latest album only weeks away, let’s warm up with counting down 8 of the band's most Epic tracks to date!
8. The Haviest Matter of The Universe
Does this one really need an introduction? The title says it all.
7. The Art of Dying
Gojira really turned the gain up to 11 on The Way of All Flesh, so we think it’s appropriate to give a couple of tracks off this album a shout out.
If you’ve managed to stick around for the one-minute-ten-second-long intro (and successfully tapped along with its ridiculous timing), you know very well why ‘The Art of Dying’ has found its way onto our list.
Claiming any Gojira track as the heaviest of all tracks would be a dangerous move, but by god, 'The Art of Dying’ is up there. Driven by Mario Duplantier’s phenomenal drum work, the band’s eruption into this earthquake of a song beckons listeners to bump up the volume by a few dB or ten.
6. Clone
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, all the way back to Terra Incognita. Way back before Gojira developed their KILLER guitar tone and Joe Duplantier’s distinguishable vocals.
This tune foreshadows a ton of Gojira qualities that we all know and love today, which is why Clone will always have a special place in our hearts... That, and it’s just down-right heavy, riffy, and dirty!
5. Vacuity
We think this one needs a health warning before listening. Be careful of your necks before taking part in headbanging!
Honestly though, Mario Duplantier is the real MVP in this absolute cracker of a track, spending most his time catching crash cymbals, and emitting some mega ‘Standard’ vibes.
4. Flying Whales
How can we talk about Gojira and leave whales out of the conversation?
Seriously, name one other track which fuses metal, psych, and whale song into an absolute tune!
‘Flying Whales’ is one of those tracks which always catches you off guard – once you’ve been calmed by its soothing intro, you’re thrown straight into the waters of chaos. If you’ve seen this live, you know exactly what we're talking about!
3. Amazonia
One thing which really tickles our eardrums is the use of obscure and non-traditional instruments in Heavy Metal, as does a solid political statement.
Gojira’s most recent single ‘Amazonia’ not only features traditional folk instruments of the Amazon people, but presents strong political undercurrents in relation to the environmental and social issues which these people face.
The track’s accompanying music video, directed by Charles De Meyer, provides confronting images of these issues, and adds depth to the bands ability to compose impactful music.
Check out ‘Amazonia’ below!
2. Silvera
We found it hard to pick an epic track off Magma (they’re all pretty fricken good), but in the end, Silvera was the winner with its damn fine guitar riffs.
Joe and Christian’s guitar work throughout this tune really makes an impression on a first listen, and the song overall is a perfect example of Gojira’s superior songwriting skills.
1. L'Enfant Sauvage
There is absolutely no chance that we were going to leave this one out.
Topping our list, would have to be the most powerful, energetic, and (yes, you guessed it) EPIC Gojira track yet.
The combination of rhythm and lead guitar riffs throughout the verses, and drums providing a solid foundation for all elements to sit on, creates a harsh contrast when the band decide to unleash the beast and show us how it’s done. Heck, even Joe Duplantier’s vocals provide heavy segues into chaos: ‘Forgot to create your own life. Anger, lies, denial.’ Yes. You know the bit.
Gojira’s seventh studio album, Fortitude, will be released April 30th, and features singles ‘Amazonia’, ‘Another World’, and ‘Born For One Thing’. Pre-orders of the album will support the Plant-A-Tree Program, so jump over to the Maniacs Store and pre-order Fortitude!
Gojira - 'Fortitude' Tracklisting:
01 - “Born For One Thing”
02 - “Amazonia”
03 - “Another World”
04 - “Hold On”
05 - “New Found”
06 - “Fortitude”
07 - “The Chant”
08 - “Sphinx”
09 - “Into The Storm”
10 - “The Trails”
11 - “Grind”
BUY OFFICIAL GOJIRA MERCH & LIMITED EDITION VINYL HERE!
Listen to Gojira now.
