Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 10.16.2008

French quintet Gojira has returned to spread their message on The Way Of All Flesh. This time, death is the main course, but can the band handle this lofty subject?

The Band

Joe Duplantier − Vocals, Guitar
Christian Andreu − Guitar
Jean-Michel Labadie − Bass
Mario Duplantier − Drums


The Track Listing

1. Oroborus-5:21
2. Toxic Garbage Island-4:06
3. A Sight To Behold-5:09
4. Yama’s Messengers-4:04
5. The Silver Cord-2:32
6. All The Tears-3:41
7. Adoration For None-6:19
8. The Art Of Dying-9:53
9. Esoteric Surgery-5:44
10. Vacuity-4:51
11. Wolf Down The Earth-6:25
12. The Way Of All Flesh-17:02





The Review

French metal band Gojira wants to let you all in on a little secret. The environment is good. The ocean is awesome. We should be doing all we can to protect both of them. The quintet is using the power of death metal music to get their message out; a powerful message that will resonates, not only in the lyrics, but in the relentless onslaught of pummeling guitars.

The band’s third album, 2005’s From Mars To Sirius, was a huge success and the jumpstart to Gojira’s career. The United States finally saw the eco-friendly potential of Gojira and embraced it with green arms. For their fourth album, The Way Of All Flesh, the band continues in the musical direction of their previous album, with 75 minutes of the most vicious music of the year.

One of Gojira’s strengths is their endless aggression. Unlike most bands these days, there are no clean vocal choruses or attempts to sacrifice their sound for a wider audience. Gojira keeps The Way Of All Flesh at a brisk pace, once that may seem overwhelming at first because of the length of the album. Over time, the album grows on you, and while the catchy riffs are few and far in-between, Gojira has found a niche and is working with it.

That means that as far as The Way Of All Flesh goes compared to previous releases, you won’t get anything revolutionary. Gojira hasn’t turned into AC/DC yet, thankfully, so there is enough variety on the album to keep you from going “here we go again.” While the band mainly sticks to death metal ala Morbid Angel fused with Mesuggah-like progression, there are traces of industrial, thrash, and even some worldly percussion in the epic “The Art Of Dying.” Trying to stick Gojira into one genre is difficult, but that’s what makes Gojira one of the unique bands in metal today.

While the last album dealt with global warming, this one dives into the only topic that could outdo global warming: death. The Way Of All Flesh is not a concept album outright, but the entire album revolves around this faint idea of “the end” and its aftermath. The lyrics, which I would recommend reading alongside the music, are great as usual, with some vivid imagery throughout, especially in “Wolf Down The Earth.”

The music matches the lyrical theme perfectly, with an ever-present feeling of uneasiness prevalent on The Way Of All Flesh. Single “Vacuity” is a little simple for Gojira, but works because of the conviction in Duplantier’s voice. “Yama’s Messengers” grinds and grooves in the opening before the blast beats come into play, tearing up the soundscape and leaving nothing in their path. “All The Tears” has a Pantera feel to it and “Adoration For None” is a slab of modern metal with great vocals from guest singer Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God fame.

Gojira experiments with clean vocals in the title track and clean electric guitar in the soothing instrumental “The Silver Cord.” The biggest risk the French metal band takes is in “The Art Of Dying.” Starting with some African-sounding percussion, the song goes all over the place, with an emphasis on the instrumental work. The outro is a little long, but that’s the only noticeable complaint.

The band is tight and steady, with the drum work being the highlight. Mario Duplantier is an underrated drummer in metal and his performance on The Way Of All Flesh should open up the eyes of listeners to the talent of Duplantier. There isn’t any soloing, but the atmosphere and overall mood set by the duo of Duplantier and Andreu would have been ruined by needless lead work.

The Way Of All Flesh isn’t a metal album for everyone. Some will find it to be boring and over-blown, with too much thrown at the listener. For those with an open ear, and don’t mind repeated listens, The Way Of All Flesh will be a breath of fresh air. Not a lot of bands are doing what Gojira is doing, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your viewpoint. The Way Of All Flesh is a worthwhile listen to those with an open mind.

The 411: The Way Of All Flesh will find its audience, who will proclaim to be a potential album of the year. I wouldn't go that far, but Gojira has released another good album, one that provides a unique listening experience. The album is very long, some may say too long, but the material is strong enough to get a listener through the whole thing relatively unscathed. It might take a few listens, as it did for me, but with patience, The Way Of All Flesh will provide satisfaction to the commom metal head.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]