Initial fears that Gojira could venture towards a more widespread and mainstream path given the immeasurable success obtained by “From Mars to Sirius” and the high-profiled collaboration of guitarist and vocalist Joe Duplantier with the Cavalera brothers in The Cavalera Conspiracy project reveal to be unfounded upon listening to their newest work “The Way of All Flesh”. There are no attempts to leap over the Killswitch Engage bandwagon with the integration of clean vocal choruses or to ditch their intriguing and complex riffing in favour of a more immediate and straightforward approach ala Soulfly.“The Way of All Flesh” is basically a natural progression from “From Mars to Sirius”, though first impressions may suggest that it’s not quite as smacking as its predecessor was. Yet following several spins it’s clear the French group continue to reveal a masterful knack for intriguing dynamics, challenging riffs and hypnotic rhythms and the results are undeniably compelling. Their fourth full-length work sounds a like a well-oiled, highly focused and cruel machine capable of keeping the listener fully entangled in its labyrinthine structures.
The spiralling chord progressions of opener “Oroborus” is a great example of such ingenious song writing skills and a good introduction to the diversity displayed in “The Way of All Flesh”. Its mid-tempo pace and melodic groove contrasts nicely with the pummelling intensity of the following track “Toxic Garbage Island” coiling up in a similar fashion to Meshuggah. Meanwhile, third theme “A Sight To Behold” is a complete left turn from the previous two with the Frenchman stepping over a more Industrial territory with a synthesiser-based sound and robotic-type vocals.
“The Way of All Flesh” is a truly impressive and diverse album, full of different textures, moods and ambiences that will surely cement Gojira as one of the most interesting and stimulating Metal bands of today. (7.5/10)
Band info: www.gojira-music.com
Label info: www.listenable.net
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