Review Summary: Magma rising to surface around Yellowstone, super-eruptions to come. An introspective look into themselves, a calmer yet agressive record.
Gojira came to light in 2005 with their album From Mars to Sirus. Since then, they’ve only been gaining more and more attention from the Metal community, The Way Of All Flesh being one of their highest point in the US crowd. L’Enfant Sauvage in 2012 showed some evolution in the band, the sound being more accessible than their previous releases. With lyrics about environment, spirituality and personal reflection, Gojira had some kind of positive attitude, bringing hope through their lyrics (World To Come, Global Warming) and that is something not common in Metal. Needless to say, Magma has been properly hyped with the band announcing the release of their sixth album through Roadrunner a few month ago.
“No faith in your World / Create my own to thrive”
Following the trend of l’Enfant Sauvage to be more accessible, this record is even calmer than anything they’ve released so far. Using more guitar effects (Magma, Stranded, Only Pain), Gojira has shaped a very atmospheric album. The two opening songs The Shooting Star and Silvera are exactly the two extremes that can be found in this record. The Shooting Star is the atmospheric, new sound Gojira is trying to create, and Silvera is their signature aggressive metal yet improving the melodies. The band has said through many interviews that their album was deeply impacted by the death of Joe and Mario’s mother at some level. Well for one, the general atmosphere seems very dark in this record, which is uncommon for them. In fact, Joe’s lyrics on Silvera seem to release a deep anger against Humanity he’s been holding on previous records. Low Lands on the other hand sees Gojira talking directly to their mother and adding the first verses in French “Par-del* le ciel / Par-del* le soleil”.
“Quit moaning about fate and change / Stand up on your feet and rise”
This album is already the most divise release for their fan base. While some fans are here for the blast beats and Death Metal of their previous releases, some enjoy their new atmospheric sound. One of the down side of this album is that it is a little too short. Ending after a little over 40 mins, it leaves you wanting more. In fact, Liberation acts both as a perfect calm ending and as a great intro to another song. The former works very well yet the latter makes it feel like something has been taken away from you. The main new feature of this album is the clean vocals. Joe has finally accepted his clean voice and has worked a lot on the production to make it sound perfect, in fact the production is a high point on this record. Effects on the Title track Magma fit perfectly the sound and the mixing done by Joe and Johann Meyer makes for a very pleasant experience.
“You’re invisible, you’re in everything / Tell me what you see / When you’re everywhere / Tell me now”
Magma is lava in the liquid phase, before it is erupted. It is a reservoir of explosion and energy and is also a representation of the primitive Earth. All of those qualities can be applied to Gojira on this record. Explosions such as Silvera, Only Pain will leave you headbanging while some reminiscence of Terra Incognita, their primitive sound, can be heard throughout this record. This probably their most innovative release to date, yet they managed to go back to their roots. It feels like an introspection into what makes them individually and as a band after the passing of Patricia Rosa.
