Gojira's first two albums,Terra Incognita (2001) andThe Link (2003), and powerful live performances established its reputation as a leading French metal band.Maciste All'Inferno was a silentfilm score composed and performed for a one-night show inBordeaux. Its third album, the critically acclaimedFrom Mars to Sirius (2005) with "Backbone", "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe", and "Flying Whales", was covered in the British metal press. The band then signed withProsthetic Records, which gave it visibility in North America. The follow-up album,The Way of All Flesh (2008), charted on theBillboard 200, and Gojira later launched its first overseas headlining tour.
The band began recording theSea ShepherdEP in a collaborative framework involving several metal musicians. In 2011, Gojira signed withRoadrunner Records. The band releasedL'Enfant Sauvage (2012) andMagma (2016), which peaked at numbers 34 and 24, respectively, on theBillboard 200 and were certifiedgold in France. Gojira shelveddeath metal in favor of a more straightforward style onMagma, the band's breakthrough album. In 2020, it released its firstBillboard-charting single, "Another World". The chart-toppingFortitude (2021) was thebest-selling album in the US during its first week. In 2022, Gojira attainedarena headliner status in Europe, the UK, and South America. With aDIY approach, the band produces its albums at its own recording studios in France and New York City.
At the age of seventeen, while in high school, vocalist and guitaristJoe Duplantier formed his first band called Eclipse after discoveringheavy metal three years earlier. His brother,Mario, started a band at the age of twelve and had already demonstrated his capabilities as a drummer. Over time, the two brothers embarked onjam sessions after school.[4]
Joe and Mario Duplantier, aged nineteen and fourteen respectively in 1996, decided to start atechnical death metal band emphasizing melodies[5] and recruited nineteen-year-old guitaristChristian Andreu. According to Mario, Andreu was "a passionate [fan], like we, ofMetallica".[6] They began practicing with guitars and drums in the Duplantiers' garage (where the group had set up a studio) in their hometown ofOndres in southernLandes, on the outskirts ofBayonne.[7] The band soon recruited bassist Alexandre Cornillon, a friend of Andreu fromHossegor.[5][8] Joe Duplantier said, "We wanted to go fast and strong. We had no plan, no pressure ... We didn't even have a [band] name".[9]
In 1996, the band settled on the name Godzilla.[10] The idea sprang from the original 1954kaiju filmGodzilla and "the myth of the big furious atomic lizard ... It was, in our heads, a symbol of devastating power".[11] The band first performed in Bayonnebars[7] (four months after its formation), selling cassettes at shows and to their friends.[4] Playing straight-aheaddeath metal with elements ofthrash metal,[12] Godzilla self-released a pair of demo albums (Victim in 1996 andPossessed in 1997),[13] and touredsouthwest France.[14]
Gojira's logo first appeared in 2001 on the albumTerra Incognita
Cornillon left the band in 1998 and was replaced byJean-Michel Labadie,[15] a "young bass player very active on theBasque scene", according to author Marie-Hélène Soenen.[6] Godzilla won thetremplin Ultrasons (Ultrasound Springboard, a regional festival for emerging artists) in early 1999.[16] The band toured regularly, serving as the opening act forCannibal Corpse,Edge of Sanity, andImpaled Nazarene.[13] In September 1999, the band supportedImmortal during a ten-date tour in France that ended inLille.[17] While touring with Immortal, Godzilla received national exposure, developing a reputation on the French metal scene for their "incendiary riffs".[6] The band recordedSaturate, their third demo album, which was released in the Fall of 1999.[18][14]
The band releasedWisdom Comes, their fourth demo album, in 2000.[18][19] Godzilla then began writing what they intended as their first full-length album, a project planned since 1996. According to Joe Duplantier,Mike Oldfield inspired his songwriting.[20]
In 2001, Godzilla was legally compelled to change its name.[21][22] They became "Gojira"(ゴジラ), therōmaji spelling for the original Japanese name for Godzilla.[4] Inspired by the production quality of an album by Watcha, aParisian metal band, Gojira moved to the sameBrussels studio to record their debut album,Terra Incognita. Before entering the recording studio, they asked friends and family for donations. Although Joe Duplantier said that Gojira took a long time to write the album, it was recorded in ten days.[9]
Gojira performing inNiort, France, during the October 2002 Terra Incognita Tour
After finishing recording andmixing by Stephan Kraemer at Impuls Studios, Gojira had no label, record company, or management.[23] Joe Duplantier said that after the tour with Immortal, Gojira became "a real war machine". However, Soenen wrote that record labels called them "too ambitious" for their style of music. Labels advised them to abandon death metal and sing in French; "The door was clearly closed", said Joe Duplantier.[6] The band realized that their way out was to consider an independent infrastructure; they established Gabriel Editions (their own label) as alimited-liability company.[24] Andreu said that they could now "manage the band's activities, financing everything ourselves".[6]
Gojira released their debut studio album,Terra Incognita, on Gabriel Editions in March 2001.[23] The album "made significant waves", according to John D. Buchanan ofAllMusic.[3] Do-it-yourselfers,[6] the band had a shipment of 1,500 albums delivered to the Duplantiers' parents' kitchen and persuaded a small store in Bayonne to sell them.[9] Gojira then signed a contract with Sphere Management,[23] and Richard Gamba became their manager. The band went on a nationwide tour to promoteTerra Incognita, sharing the stage with French death–thrash metalcrossover acts such asScarve,[11] Hertz and Silence,[25] Nihil, and No Flag.[23] Gojira later signed with the independent Boycott Records–Next Music for national distribution.[11][24]
The band acquired what became Le Studio des Milans (Red Kites' Studio), a recording studio and rehearsal space in theLandes forest, in November 2002.[26][24] The studio was originally a derelict barn, which Gojira rebuilt[27] over a two-year period between tours and recording.[28] On their investment, Joe Duplantier said that "The budget is important for this [second] record, but for the next one, it will be minimal", and further noted that they could "henceforth produce" their music "from A to Z".[24]
WritingThe Link, Gojira's second studio album, took a year.[20] Mario Duplantier said about his approach to the album that "it was a period during which I wanted to play fast: I was starting to master thegrind parts and thedouble bass pedal properly".[29] Newly purchasedequipment had not been delivered to Le Studio des Milans, and the scheduled recording start date for the album had passed; it was hastily[29] self-produced and recorded with Laurentx Etchemendy, the band's live engineer.[20][14] The songs were conceived withoutdelay on the vocals orreverb; Joe Duplantier called it "all very raw and very honest".[20] In April 2003, Gojira releasedThe Link; 2,500 copies were shipped to French stores[29] with the same self-distribution asTerra Incognita.[30]The Link was well received.[31] In June, Gojira played at the Furyfest (an earlier version ofHellfest Summer Open Air) as part of a lineup ofhardcore bands.[32] Renowned for their live performances, Gojira was developing a fan base through a 40-concert nationwide tour.[33] The band also performed beyondmetropolitan France, including Belgium,Switzerland, andBilbao.[34]
In March 2004, the band played withLoudblast, No Return, Scarve,the Old Dead Tree and Garwall at La Locomotive inMontmartre.[35] A reviewer described this Gojira concert as "timed, with millimeter precision, of a phenomenal power ... With a gigantic sound! ... the Landais cataclysm has just struck at La Locomotive".[36] Gojira continued to promote the album and toured with the Swissgrindcore band Nostromo.[37] Joe Duplantier (alongside singers of Loudblast and Scarve) appeared on the 2004 April issue ofRock Hard, which marked Gojira's first-ever magazine cover.[38] The band releasedThe Link Alive, a concertDVD fromThe Link tour, in April 2004.[3] The DVD was filmed by a team of seventeen cameramen during a sold-out 2003 show for an audience of 800 inBordeaux.[39]The Link Alive, self-produced and self-distributed, was marketed without a major distributor[40] and was followed by a 500-copy album version.[3] In late May 2004, the organizers of the concert venue Le Florida inAgen invited Gojira andYat-Kha for a three-show one-night stand of metal andethno-rock music. Both bands played separately (Gojira toning down their performance) before playing together.[41] In July 2004,Terra Incognita andThe Link had sold 7,000 and 8,000 copies respectively.[42]The Link era ended after a successful tour of almost two years, with significant financial difficulties.[43] Gojira signed with the Mon Slip label (which gave them a higher financial advance),[31] followed by a contract with French-basedListenable Records in December 2004.[44]
Gojira inNantes during the October 2005 Sirius Tour
The band entered Le Studio des Milans to compose their third album,From Mars to Sirius, focusing on an "irreproachable sound".[31] "Gojira wants to control all stages of creation, from composition to mixing", said Labadie.[30] For the album's themes, Joe Duplantier was influenced by the possibility of other worlds anddimensions. He devoted his time to readingThe Celestine Prophecy and books byBaird T. Spalding and other spiritual seekers.[20] Writing the album took seven months,[31] reinforced by Labadie and Andreu.[29] The band performed "Backbone" and "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe" from their forthcoming album at the twenty-ninthPrintemps de Bourges in April 2005.[45][46] Gojira releasedFrom Mars to Sirius, their self-produced album, in September of that year; it received positive reviews from French music critics. Pascal Bagot ofRFI wrote that "the public and critical acclaim is phenomenal".[47] Fifteen thousand albums were shipped to French stores.[29] Entering theTop Albums chart in France at No. 44, it remained on the chart for three weeks.[48] After the album's release, Gojira toured France, Belgium, and theNetherlands.[30] That year, Listenable Records re-releasedThe Link.[44]
In 2006, the "surging wave Gojira" inspiredLondon journalist Lucy Williams ofKerrang! to write a laudatory article about the album.[6][38] The band played a February concert at theÉlysée Montmartre in Paris, where a number of journalists had gathered.[6] By the end of the month,The Link Alive DVD had sold over 5,000 copies andFrom Mars to Sirius had sold 12,000 to 13,000 copies. According to Labadie, they earned their living primarily by touring. At that time, they worked jointly with Listenable Records, intending to promote their music overseas; "Gojira wants to work with people whose approach is sincere", said Labadie.[30] In May, after 300 concerts in France and the surrounding region, the band signed a contract with American labelProsthetic Records (an "exclusive licensing agreement" with Listenable Records) to give them exposure inNorth America.[49] Gojira performed inBrighton (their firstUK show) on 19 May,[50] forging links with England's media community after a party organized byKerrang![6]
Mario(left) and Joe Duplantier during a 2007 Gojira concert at Denmark'sRoskilde Festival
After Williams' article inKerrang! and increased exposure in the British metal press, Gojira was asked to replaceMastodon at England's2006 Download Festival; according to Joe Duplantier, "It was a decisive concert".[6] In June, they performed on the main stage at the Hellfest Summer Open Air inClisson,[51] and a series of summer festivals inGermany,England and theScandinavian countries.[30] Prosthetic Records releasedFrom Mars to Sirius in the US on 22 August 2006,[49] which led to a sudden pre-order of 5,000 copies on the label's website,[52] followed by an upload of a cover version of Metallica's "Escape".[53] AllMusic writer Eduardo Rivadavia highlighted the album's songwriting, describing the "fluidity with which utmost heaviness and delicate melodies were made to coexist" in songs such as "Flying Whales", "World to Come", and "Where Dragons Dwell".[54] In September (a year after its release), the album had sold over 20,000 copies in France and as many abroad.[38] In early October, Gojira andHatesphere began a co-headlining tour of the UK.[52] In November, the band performed at the EuropeanUnholy Alliance Tour, headlined bySlayer at Paris'Accor Arena.[55] The band was included inChildren of Bodom's US tour in late 2006, joiningAmon Amarth andSanctity as opening acts.[56] Brandon Geist ofRevolver wrote that since the release ofFrom Mars to Sirius, "they have risen from virtual unknowns outside of their homeland to the single-most-buzzed-about metal band on the planet".[57]
In March 2007, Listenable Records (Prosthetic Records in the US), reissuedThe Link with remastered audio and new booklet artwork in North America. The following month, the label releasedThe Link Alive DVD in the US.[58] Gojira later supportedLamb of God on their American tour withTrivium andMachine Head.[59] The band made a cameo appearance in Machine Head's "Aesthetics of Hate" music video,[60] which was broadcast on 5 May onMTV2'sHeadbangers Ball.[61] The band supported Trivium on the UK dates of their European tour with Sanctity andAnnihilator,[62] and made a number of festival appearances.[3] In October, Listenable Records re-released Gojira's 1997 demo albumPossessed as a limited-editionCD.[63] Gojira participated in the late-2007 Radio Rebellion Tour, featuring co-headlinersBehemoth,Job for a Cowboy, andBeneath the Massacre.[64] Near the end of their over-220-concert tour to promoteFrom Mars to Sirius,[65] Gojira began working on their follow-up album.[64]
Returning to Le Studio des Milans to write their fourth studio album,The Way of All Flesh, Gojira had developed their desired sound by touring. Joe Duplantier said that the album would be "more intense, more brutal, and more melodic" than its predecessor.[66] The album took four months to write, with its songwriting finished in late March 2008.[67] The album was recorded from April to June,[65] and the drums were initially recorded byLogan Mader with Joe and Mario Duplantier inLos Angeles before they returned to Le Studio des Milans to continue working with Laurentx Etchemendy.[68] Mader mixed the album in Los Angeles over a two-week period.[66]Randy Blythe of the American band Lamb of God, an active supporter of Gojira in the US, co-wrote and appeared on "Adoration for None".[69] In August, two months before the album was released, Gojira performed "Vacuity" live for the first time at the Rock en France Festival inArras as the opening act for Metallica.[70]
Andreu(left) and Joe Duplantier in 2009
The Way of All Flesh was released on 13 October 2008 in Europe on Listenable Records and the following day in North America on Prosthetic Records.[68] The album debuted at No. 138 on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 4,200 copies in its first week of release.[71] It reached No. 28 on France's Top Albums chart, and No. 25 on theOfficial Finnish Albums Chart.[72] The album topped theBillboardHeatseekers Albums chart for one week, remaining on the chart for four weeks.[73] It reached No. 21 on theBillboardIndependent Albums chart.[74] Rivadavia wrote that the album provided "imaginative progressive headbangers ... that were rife with technical fireworks and songwriting variety" and "a few failed experiments".[75] Gojira supportedIn Flames's European tour in October,[76] touring North America in November and December.[77]The Way of All Flesh ranked fifth onMetal Hammer's list of the top 50 albums of 2008,[78] andLA Weekly listed it as one of the year's top 10 metal albums.[79]
In late January 2009, Gojira began a headlining tour of France, the UK, andIreland to promote the album.[80] On 17 March, the band's first North American headlining tour was announced; their opening bands werethe Chariot andCar Bomb.[81] In June, Gojira followedSoulfly on the main stage at the Hellfest Summer Open Air and performed to more than 20,000 people.[82] They appeared for the fourth time atBelgium's JulyDour Festival[83] andLes Eurockéennes de Belfort.[84]Terra Incognita was re-released with bonus tracks on 24 August in Europe and on 15 October in North America.[85] Gojira accompanied Metallica on their tour of the US and Canada from 14 September to 12 October, performing before Lamb of God.[86] Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe began to join Gojira on "Backbone" at concerts when the bands appeared together.[87] The tour included headline dates on off days, supported byBurst andZoroaster.[88] As their popularity spread to America's metal scene, aBlabbermouth.net poster said that the band "has become one of metal's most acclaimed and admired acts".[85] Gojira returned to France after the US tour for a few concerts and began a planned six-month hiatus; Joe Duplantier cited "just five days' break" since 2004.[89]
Andreu at theBergen Calling Festival inNorway, 2011
The band's break ended earlier than expected after Gojira was announced as the opening act of Metallica's European andRussian tour in April 2010.[90] In July of that year, they were included in the lineup of the rock-orientedVieilles Charrues Festival inBrittany.[91][nb 1] Playing for an audience largely unaccustomed to metal music, Gojira's "delicate mission" was to close Saturday evening on the Glenmor stage. Described in an article inLe Télégramme as "more powerful" thanMotörhead's concert in 2008 on the same stage, the show began with "Lizard Skin" to an estimated crowd of 40,000 to 50,000; twenty minutes later, between 4,000 and 5,000 people remained. According toLe Télégramme, "The show had a rare sonic power ... so brutal that the band lost 90 percent of its attendance along the way". Undaunted, they continued to perform "as if their lives depended on it" with a drum solo of "breathtaking mastery". Since the Gojira show, metal has been slowly excluded from the Vieilles Charrues Festival.[92] In August, they headlined the Rock Altitude Festival in Switzerland.[93] The band continued to promoteThe Way of All Flesh into 2010, including the EuropeanWacken Open Air,[94]Bloodstock Open Air,[95] andBrutal Assault festivals.[96]
Gojira had made substantial progress on their fifth album by March 2011, saying that they had written almost half of it; according to Joe Duplantier "These songs are original and a good reflection of what we are today".[97] The band was relatively quiet during the year, focusing on new material and playing a handful of concerts in June and July, including at theSonisphere Festival inGreece and France.[98][99] The band becamefree agents during the summer of 2011, after their contract with Prosthetic Records expired.[100] Admired byMonte Conner, Gojira was acquired byRoadrunner Records on 9 November 2011.[101][nb 2] With their new recording contract, the band entered Spin Studios inNew York City in November to record their next album.[103]
Gojira's fifth album,L'Enfant Sauvage, was co-produced by Josh Wilbur and Joe Duplantier.[20] The band juxtaposed their death-metal roots with more ambient and sophisticated elements on the album[104] to find "the ultimate sound" on which they had been working since their beginning.[20] In 2012, K2 Agency founder John Jackson agreed to produce Gojira concerts abroad.[105][106]
Mario Duplantier performing inBrittany, France, in 2012
In March 2012,Devin Townsend andMeshuggah'sFredrik Thordendal joined Gojira for the collaboration track "Of Blood And Salt" (intended to appear on the unreleased Sea Shepherd EP) at theSoundwave Festival inAustralia.[107] WithVolcom Entertainment, a limited-edition7" single containing "Bleeding" and "End Of Time"—originally on Godzilla's 1997Possessed demo—was released in12" vinyl packaging in North America and Europe.[108][nb 3] Following an Australian tour with Mastodon andKvelertak,[110] Gojira began a national tour supporting the album.[111] After many tours with Metallica, the band was invited to open a series of concerts on theEuropean Black Album Tour[112] (including theStade de France, the country's largest stadium, on 12 May 2012).[106] Gojira's performance was measured at 120decibels in the backstage corridors,[113] setting a stadium volume record.[106][nb 4] About Metallica's motive for taking Gojira on tour with them,James Hetfield told a reporter, "I discovered their music withFrom Mars to Sirius, an album that I loved. Humanly speaking, I liked them a lot. They have their feet on the ground, are intelligent, sensitive. I have immense respect for them. And then Mario is an incredible drummer."[10] Gojira performed at the European Sonisphere Festival during the summer.[115] The band shared two French dates with Slayer headlining: 27 May inToulouse and 29 May inClermont-Ferrand.[116]Mascot Records released a live DVD/Blu-ray,The Flesh Alive, on 4 June in Europe.[117]
Gojira releasedL'Enfant Sauvage in June 2012 on Roadrunner Records for worldwide distribution.[111] The album reached No. 34 on theBillboard 200,[118] selling 11,000 copies in the US in its first week.L'Enfant Sauvage charted 104 places higher in its first week thanThe Way of All Flesh did.[119] It peaked at No. 9 on theBillboardTastemaker Albums chart,[120] No. 13 on the USTop Rock Albums chart,[121] and No. 6 on theBillboardHard Rock Albums chart.[122] The album reached the top 40 in six European countries.[123] InFlanders andWallonia it charted for 10 and 14 weeks, respectively.[124]Terrorizer's Rob Sayce said that the album charted "without making a single concession to accessibility".[102] Dom Lawson ofThe Guardian gave the album the maximum rating of five stars,[125] and Stephen Hill ofMetal Hammer called the album "the bridge between Gojira's past and future".[104]
In June, Gojira participated in theNova Rock Festival.[126]The Flesh Alive DVD was released in the US on 31 July,[117] and the band then began the long L'Enfant Sauvage World Tour.[3] Gojira's setlist during the tour contained "Tron", a short interlude[127] where Mario Duplantier and his brother swapped instruments.[128] Gojira was scheduled to tour North America with Lamb of God andDethklok, but the tour was postponed due to theincarceration of Randy Blythe in theCzech Republic;[129] the tour was postponed until October.[130] However, despite instabilities, the band continued to tour North America[129] and was included at theSlipknot'sKnotfest atSomerset Amphitheater with Cannibal Corpse,Deftones, andSerj Tankian.[131] In August 2012, at theHeavy Montréal Festival, Labadie announced the European tour until the end of 2012 and a US and Canadian tour in 2013. By this time, Joe Duplantier had lived in New York for a year; his brother, Labadie, and Andreu remained in southwestern France. Labadie said, "We communicate differently, because of the time difference, and it is not really easy, but that is okay because he is truly happy to live in the States ... he is passionate about the United States; his mother is American".[132] On 15 December, Gojira headlined the Indian Metal Festival inBangalore; "the whole front row was crying", said Joe Duplantier.[133] Their musicianship and live performances had earned them the nickname "Gojiramazing" by fans in 2012.[134]
In January and February 2013, Gojira, theDevin Townsend Project andthe Atlas Moth toured North America.[135] In March, the band played a handful of UK concerts supportingGhost on theJägermeister Music Tour.[136] In the middle of the month, Gojira headlined Norway'sTrondheim Metal Fest.[137]L'Enfant Sauvage was nominated for Album Of The Year at theRevolver Golden Gods Awards atClub Nokia indowntown Los Angeles on 2 May 2013.[138] Gojira received theMetal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Live Band atThe O2 on 17 June 2013 in London.[139] The tour continued, and the band appeared at the Hellfest Summer Open Air,[140] the Wacken Open Air,[141] and the Bloodstock Open Air.[142] Gojira made its firstIsraeli appearance on 15 August 2013 at Reading 3 inTel Aviv, a "packed venue", according toTerrorizer's Avi Pitchon,[143] whose security barriers were bent by the crowd.[133] The band performed atAustin's NovemberFun Fun Fun Fest,[144] followed by a North American tour with 4Arm and Slayer.[145]
Gojira releasedLes Enfants Sauvages in March 2014, a live-CD/DVD and picture book documenting the band's more than 150 concerts on three continents in support ofL'Enfant Sauvage.[146] The DVD includes a March 2013Jägermeister Music Tour concert at London'sBrixton Academy[147] which was recorded by 14 cameras.[148] In an interview that month at Australia's Soundwave Festival, Mario Duplantier said that the band was working on a new album.[149] Gojira supported Mastodon and Kvelertak on a string of North American dates in April and May. The band continued successfully touring in support of the album, further consolidating their discography and launching them "into a new realm of success", wrote Graham Hartmann ofLoudwire.[150] The band played throughout the United States and Europe, includingRock on the Range,[151]Resurrection Fest,[152] Garorock Festival inMarmande (for the third time)[153] and theGraspop Metal Meeting.[154] Gojira continued on the festival circuit, headlining the Sylak Open Air Festival on 9 August 2014 in France[155] and theVagos Open Air Festival the following day inLisbon.[156] Mastodon, Gojira and Kvelertak reunited for another US tour in October and November 2014.[157] Joe Duplantier began work on a recording studio inRidgewood, Queens in November, and Mario moved to New York.[158]
Joe and Mario Duplantier finished building Silver Cord Studio, Joe's New York recording studio, in early April 2015.[158] It has become Gojira's recording studio and headquarters in America, joining Le Studio des Milans in Ondres.[159]Audio files were created sporadically since late 2013 "on the computer in the tour bus", said Mario Duplantier;[160] the new songs were a change in style for the band, as Joe experimented with clean vocals.[161] The brothers began recordingMagma, Gojira's sixth album, at Silver Cord Studio on 6 April.[162] Ten days into recording, however, recording was suspended when they learned that their mother was ill and flew back to France.[158]
The death of Mario and Joe Duplantier's mother greatly affected the recording ofMagma.
The band played a handful of dates in Europe for several festivals, endingL'Enfant Sauvage's tour cycle.[163] On 5 July 2015, Patricia Rosa Duplantier died of cancer;[50] Gojira concerts were canceled, and the recording ofMagma was greatly affected.[158] The band again toured worldwide, commencing atMusilac Music Festival inAix-les-Bains on 10 July,[164] and was billed beneathKorn at the Rock Off Festival inIstanbul on 1 August.[165] On 28 August, Mario Duplantier announced before Gojira's concert inDublin that recording had resumed and was almost completed.[160] The band played at Brazil'sRock in Rio festival, one of the world's largest music festivals, on 19 September and closed their set with "The Gift of Guilt".[166] From mid-September to mid-October, their tour visitedCanada,Mexico,Argentina, and the Santiago Gets Louder Festival inChile. Gojira went toJapan as the supporting act for Slayer inOsaka andTokyo in October 2015, followed by a performance at theLoud Park Festival atSaitama Super Arena before returning to Israel shortly afterwards.[167]
Rolling Stone included the band's forthcoming release in their list of "25 Most Anticipated Metal Albums of 2016".[168] In May 2016, Joe Duplantier announced the itinerary (in larger venues) in France,Italy,Poland, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK for the tour supporting the upcoming album.[50] In early June, a private concert for one hundred people was filmed in black and white by seven cameras at atelevision studio inPlaine Saint-Denis (nearParis). Director Paul Ouazan decided to film a performance video focused on the crowd: "I was immediately convinced that the band had a fifth member: its audience". The performance was broadcast onArte later that month.[169] The band was included in the live lineup of the 13 JuneMetal Hammer Golden Gods Awards at theEventim Apollo in London.[170] They made their first world television appearance as musical guests of the day onLe Petit Journal three days later, performing an excerpt from "Silvera" in prime time onCanal+ in France.[171]
Magma, Gojira's self-produced album,[158] was released on 17 June 2016 on Roadrunner Records. The album was available for streaming on the band's officialYouTube channel two days before its release.[161] It debuted at No. 24 on theBillboard 200 chart, selling 17,000 units in its first week of release in the US.[172] The album debuted and peaked at No. 4 on theBillboard Top Rock Albums chart and No. 6 on the Tastemaker Albums chart.[121][120] It topped theBillboard Hard Rock Albums chart, making Gojira the first French band to top that chart.[173] The album debuted (and peaked) at No. 17 on theBillboard'sCanadian Albums Chart,[174] and debuted at No. 11 on Australia'sAustralian Albums Chart.[175]Magma reached the top 40 in twelve European countries and the top 10 in Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Norway and France.[176] The album had a generally-favorable critical reception, scoring a 79 on Metacritic.[177] Gojira departed from itstech-death[161] and tried to emphasize itsprogressive–post-genres side, which divided some fans.[104] Remfry Dedman ofThe Independent called the band "pioneers of modern 21st-century progressive metal".[161]
Gojira began its three-to-four-year Magma world tour[178] in Europe and at a number of summer music festivals, followed by a 27-date headlining tour of North America withTesseract as the opening act from mid-July through October 2016.[179] By this time, Gojira had made seventeen US tours.[6][133] The band began their UK and European arena tour in November and December withAlter Bridge,Volbeat andLike a Storm.[180] A November 2016Metal Hammer article said that Gojira had "emerged as one of the most important metal outfits on the planet",[20] with a "loyal, passionate, fiercely evangelical fanbase".[50] In mid-November, the band appeared on a live broadcast of theBBC Radio 1 Rock Show at London'sMaida Vale Studios.[181]Kirk Hammett later calledMagma "an incredible piece of art".[182]
In January 2017, Gojira began a French tour with nine consecutive sold-out concerts.[159][nb 5] Two more sold-out concerts concluded the French leg of the tour at the ParisOlympia on 1 and 2 April.[185] Within eight months of its release,Magma had sold 400,000 copies worldwide.[186] On 12 February 2017, the band was nominated for two Grammy Awards;Magma was nominated forBest Rock Album and its second single, "Silvera", was nominated forBest Metal Performance at the59th Annual Grammy Awards at theStaples Center inLos Angeles.[187] At that time, Gojira was labeled a "French-American metal band" by theLos Angeles Times.[188] On 6 May 2017, the band performed along withOpeth, Mastodon,Eagles of Death Metal, the Devin Townsend Project, andRussian Circles atPhiladelphia'sElectric Factory.[189]Magma received the Best Album award at theMetal Hammer Golden Gods Awards on 12 June 2017.[190] Gojira began a short run of US co-headlining dates with Opeth,[191] and supportedMetallica's USWorldWired Tour that summer withAvenged Sevenfold andVolbeat.[192] They headlined the Main Stage 2 atDownload Festival, beforeLinkin Park on the Main Stage 1, in Paris on 9 June and Spain on 22 June.[193] On 15 July, Gojira had top billing at theDynamo Metal Fest inEindhoven.[194] The band played a US headlining tour during the fall;Converge,Code Orange,Pallbearer,Oni, andTorche supported them on selected dates with festival appearances.[195] In 2017, Mario Duplantier returned to France due tovisa-related technical reasons and to see his family, saying that Gojira "is a bit in Ondres, a little bit in Brooklyn, a bit in Bassussarry ... Between the Landes, the United States, and the Basque Country".[159]
Gojira at Wacken Open Air in Germany, August 2018
In 2018, the band achieved headlining status at heavy metal festivals. Gojira played a string of festival dates throughout the summer, including theTuska Open Air Metal Festival,Brutal Assault Open Air, andBloodstock Open Air.[196] In early August 2018, Gojira played to the largest crowd of their career atPol'and'Rock Festival inKostrzyn nad Odrą,Poland. More than 400,000 people attended the festival.[197] Nick John, who managed Gojira, Mastodon and Slayer, died of cancer on 8 September; John had managed Gojira since 2012.[198]
On 16 January 2019, Gojira released its Pol'and'Rock Festival 2018 set on YouTube.[199] That summer, they supported Slipknot on their US Knotfest Roadshow tour;Behemoth and Volbeat were also supporting acts.[200] Gojira headlined the first day of the Hellfest Summer Open Air, one of Europe's largest metal festivals, on 21 June.[201] On 2 November, they supported Deftones during their Dia De Los Deftones Festival withChvrches,Youth Code,JPEGMafia andBrutus atSan Diego'sPetco Park.[202]
In May 2020, Gojira streamedLive At Red Rocks on YouTube, their 2017 concert atRed Rocks Amphitheatre inMorrison, Colorado, to celebrate their thousandth performance.[203] The band released "Another World", their first single in four years, on 5 August;[204] it was their firstBillboard-charting single.[205] It peaked at No. 5 on theHard Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 12 on theHot Hard Rock Songs charts.[206][207] Their performance at Hellfest 2019 was made available for streaming on YouTube in November 2020.[208]
Gojira announced their seventh studio album,Fortitude, on 17 February 2021.[209] Production had begun in early 2018 at Silver Cord Studio, and its original June 2020 release date had been postponed to September of that year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[210]Fortitude was called "one of 2021's most heavily anticipated metal releases".[211] Gojira's 2021 single, "Amazonia", was released as part of a month-long fundraiser by the band for aBrazilianindigenous rights initiative.[212] It peaked at No. 17 on theBillboard Hot Hard Rock Songs charts, and the band also placed the single "Born for One Thing" at No. 18.[207]
Fortitude, produced and recorded by Joe Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio and mixed byAndy Wallace, was released on 30 April 2021 on Roadrunner Records.[213] Sonically, the album contained an array of genres, tempos, andsocially conscious songs, as they continued venturing into new territory while maintaining the band's trademark sound.[211]Fortitude topped the USiTunes all-genre sales chart[214] and debuted at No. 12 on theBillboard 200. It topped theBillboard Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts. The album topped theBillboardTop Album Sales andTop Current Albums Sales charts with 27,372album-equivalent units; 24,104 werealbum sales, making it the bestselling album in its opening week in the United States.Fortitude exceededMagma's chart positions and sales.[172][nb 6] The album topped theUK Rock & Metal Albums chart.[216] It reached No. 3 on the Australian Albums Chart and No. 8 on theGerman Albums Chart.[217] Upon release, the album received critical praise reviews from music critics ofThe Guardian,Rolling Stone,Kerrang!,Metal Hammer, andRevolver.[218] In mid-May 2021, "New Found" peaked at No. 24 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs charts;[207] Gojira was No. 12 on theBillboardArtist 100.[219]
Gojira headliningHellfest during the 2022 Fortitude Tour
Their headlining US tour commenced on 24 September.[220] On 1 November, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe made a guest appearance at Gojira's concert in his hometown ofRichmond, Virginia, which marked the first time they had performed "Adoration for None" live together.[221] Gojira announced a UK and European headline tour from mid-January to mid-March 2022, with performances at theTauron Arena Kraków,Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, andCardiff International Arena, among other locations.[222] The band also announced a three-date French arena tour, including theAccor Arena. It marked Gojira's first-ever headlinearena shows in Europe and the UK.[223] However, the tour was postponed to July 2022 and February 2023 due to Covid-19-related restrictions.[224] "Amazonia" received a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the2022 Grammy Awards.[225] Andreu left Gojira on the remaining eight dates of their 2022 North American tour with Deftones to be present with his newborn child. They recruited Aldrick Guadagnino from the French band Klone to replace him temporarily from 18 to 28 May.[226] On 19 June, Gojira headlined the third day of Hellfest Summer Open Air, performing to a crowd of 60,000.[227] The band then went on a 4-date South America tour, including performances at theMovistar Arena and theLuna Park arena.[228][nb 7]
On 26 July 2024, Gojira performed at the2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony inParis;[230][231][232] their exhibition, held at theConciergerie,[231][232] consisted in a live rendition of French classicrevolutionary song "Ça Ira", arranged in collaboration with Victor Le Masne, and performed withopera singer Marina Viotti.[230][231] In the process, the band became the firsthard rock or metal act to ever perform in an opening ceremony at theOlympic Games.[230] On 30 August, Gojira released a studio version of their rendition, named "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)", as a single on streaming services.[233][234] In November, "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)" was unveiled as a nominee for the Best Metal Performance at the2025 Grammy Awards,[235] their third nomination in the category, which they ultimately won.[236]
Metal is a music of passionate musicians. Its baseline isrock [music]. We come fromLed Zeppelin, and push the limits of this music. When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by the technical and fast side of metal and I became addicted. It's an ambiguous style, which can have a disturbing image while being subtle and positive.
Gojira plays a technical, rhythmic style of heavy metal withpolyrhythmic patterns, afast double bass drum,[243]blast beats, precision drumming,jazzy fills,[244] andsyncopated guitarriffs.[245] Mario Duplantier's style onFrom Mars to Sirius andThe Way of All Flesh was called a "paradise for drumophiles", and he has been considered Gojira's "anchor" since the group's inception.[243] Their songs have "atypical"time signatures and uncommonsong structures[246] and display "technical precision" with a sonic characteristic described as "sheer heaviness".[242] The band's sound is characterized by apick-scrape technique that occurred spontaneously for the first time while playing "Embrace the World" during their 2003The Link tour. Subsequently, the Gojira pick-scrape has become "a calling card" of the band. Joe Duplantier's first electric guitar, aGibson Flying V, was used for guitar solos on albums. Andreu and Joe Duplantier's guitar playing includestappingsolo techniques, and onMagma, they introduced a new sonority with the use of thewhammy pedal. Gojira createstextures andambiences throughout their albums.[247] They also usepalm-muted guitar riffs andpinch harmonics.[248]Minimalist, almostavant-garde guitar riffs occasionally appear, contrasting with intricate drum patterns.[242][241] Their albums have been punctuated by instrumental interludes, which also feature non-musical sounds mingled with the band's music.[249] Vocal styles vary, from thescreaming technique often used inextreme metal to death metal'sdeath growl,pitch screaming andclean vocals.[250] Screams and clean vocals are sometimes combined to create an aggressive, melodic effect.[251] Joe Duplantier's vocals feature a post-punk singing style in some of Gojira's songs.[252]
Gojira was influenced by the early albums ofDeath,Metallica,Sepultura,Tool,[253] andMorbid Angel,[254] and have also citedLed Zeppelin[42] andRage Against the Machine'sdebut album as influences. Mario Duplantier called Death "an obligatory path; they are at the origin of death metal", and Andreu agreed: "It's our culture, we come from Death." One of Labadie's earliest influences was Metallica'sRide the Lightning, the first metal album he listened to at age eleven. Joe Duplantier said that "Ride the Lightning saved my life when I faced difficult times in high school"[253] and has also cited Machine Head's 1994 album,Burn My Eyes, as an influence. He described Morbid Angel's 1993 album,Covenant, as "beautiful, and it's full of magic and epic brutality" and praised their 1995 albumDomination.[254] Other musical influences, to a lesser degree, includeSlayer,Pantera, andMeshuggah.[253] Gojira's music has been compared to that ofNeurosis.[47] In 2003, Joe Duplantier expressed admiration forSade.[255] By 2016, the band had admitted their interest in the music ofthe Beatles.[256] Gojira also namedPink Floyd[159] andMike Oldfield as influences.[257] OnFortitude, they focused on the lingering influence that the "classic" rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s had on them.[258] The British sound continued to inspire the band's writing, citingRadiohead andtrip hop actPortishead. In 2021, Joe Duplantier said thattraditional rock,blues, andAmericana had been childhood influences "reawakened" by long conversations with Mastodon guitaristBrent Hinds: "The older the other guys and I get, the more we appreciate it".[210]
In recollecting the band's early history, Joe Duplantier explained how they were "nourished by the rock energy of the Basque Country, fairly unique in France," but, by contrast, compared it to the broader context of their lifestyle, secluded in a forest with their American musical influences while being detached from the local scene. He said: "Thus, we created our own language, our own musical codes. The Gojira sound comes from there."[6] Andreu and Joe and Mario Duplantier describedclassical music as a particular inspiration;[256] Andreu said, "I listen to 70 percent classical music".[259] About Gojira's songs, which rely onsyncopation andcontretemps (on- and off-beats), Mario Duplantier said: "Joe and I were introduced to classical very early on. There was a love and an understanding of this music in the family. There is a strong link between metal and classical music through [their] solemn side and attention paid to existential subjects: life and death. Pop [music] is more focused on romantic feelings."[256] The Duplantier brothers said that their upbringing in a Landes house "lost in the forest, with no neighbors," was reflected in Gojira's music and lyrics. Their father, Dominique Duplantier, was a Frencharchitectural drafter and painter; their mother, Patricia, was an American withAzorean roots. Mario Duplantier described his mother as
... a very free spirit, who has always encouraged our creativity. On the one hand, we had this extroverted mother who drew, sculpted, and made magnificent paintings out of driftwood; on the other hand [we had] a silent, 'workaholic' father who could spend whole days on gigantic drawings in Chinese ink with an almost-worrying rigor. These two aspects of our upbringing are found in Gojira, a mixture of discipline and something more extroverted, wacky, and chaotic.[260]
Spirituality, philosophy, and human domination over his environment are among the themes addressed in Gojira's songs
Gojira's lyrics address spirituality,[261] life, death, rebirth, and nature.[262] The band realized from the start that it could combine metal's "darkness" with Joe Duplantier's lyrics, which were inspired by the "mystery of nature", the environment,human nature andpsychology. When Joe proposed a song entitled "Love", his fellow musicians were uncertain but the audience reaction was positive. Duplantier then wrote about his beliefs inreincarnation and the "existence of thesoul".[256] The band's lyrics revolve around thehuman condition and humanity's place in the world.[111] Andreu said that to "speak and commit ourselves in the fields of ecology and spirituality is essential to the band."[47]
From Mars to Sirius was aconcept album aboutenvironmental issues, the death of Earth, and its "resurrection".[263][18] Mario Duplantier said that the album's lyrics and title are "an allegory of [Joe's] desire to see humanity go from a destructive and masculine energy (symbolized by the warriorMars) to an energy based on emotion and femininity". Gojira's lyrics have been described asphilosophical "reflections on life". Mario Duplantier said about his brother's lyrics, "each album is a situational analysis of his life. I can see his convictions and his emotions of the moment by listening to our music again".[183]The Way of All Flesh addressed the question of life after death. Joe Duplantier said, "That's the theme it's about death itself ... It's also about the immortality of the soul. That's the main subject for us."[264] The title ofL'Enfant Sauvage (The Wild Child), according to Joe Duplantier, could not be adequately conveyed in English: "Sauvage is something that is not educated or something that is like free and completely free in nature ... The idea withL'Enfant Sauvage is like with a human that would grow up in nature, raised by wolves, for example, without the influence from others and the influence from institutions or society in general."[265] The album's title made an indirect reference toFrançois Truffaut's film,The Wild Child, but Mario Duplantier said that "it is first and foremost about poetry".[111]
Sea Shepherd namedMV Gojira after the band in recognition of their support of the charity.
Gojira was involved in action against injustices and social inequalities. For example, on 2 March 2004, a demonstration calledAvis de KO Social (Social Knockout Notice) was organized byvoluntary associations,labor unions, andNGOs to discuss, exchange views and protest at thePlace de la Republique in central Paris against repressive policies undermining fundamental human rights and accentuating inequalities between the rich and the poor.[271] Joe Duplantier advocated a moderate and constructive discourse, describing himself as "less refractory" than the other artists. A concert at theZénith followed, and Gojira was the only metal band in the multi-genre lineup. All proceeds were donated to associations and organizations; Joe Duplantier cited specifically the Fight AgainstHIV/AIDS andGreenpeace.[272]
The band has frequently supported environmental causes.[273][263] Joe Duplantier has said if he was not a musician, he would be anenvironmental activist with Greenpeace or theSea Shepherd Conservation Society.[274] The band cooperates with Sea Shepherd to raise money for the organization's work to protect marine life, especially dolphins, whales, and sharks.[275][276] Sea Shepherd named a $4 million interceptor vessel the MVGojira before they were forced to rename it theMVBrigitte Bardot byToho the owners of the Godzilla/Gojira name.[277][nb 8] Members of both organizations may have a merchandise and literature booth at Gojira concerts.[281][282]
Gojira participated in Le Cabaret Vert, a 2010 environmentally-friendly, multi-genre music festival inCharleville-Mézières, which aims to reduce its environmental impact.[283][nb 9] Joe Duplantier expressed the band's support for Sea Shepherd and its founder,Paul Watson, when he appeared onstage between two Gojira songs at the June 2012Rock am Ring Festival in Germany.[284] Gojira was invited to perform at the 2015Emmaüs Lescar-Pau festival in France, organized by the international movement to fight poverty and homelessness. The theme of the festival was: "the climate, an emergency, a commitment."[285]
In 2017 and 2018, Mario Duplantier collaborated with the Los Angeles art team SceneFour to create a collection ofcanvases entitledVers le Cosmos (Towards theCosmos) from videos of him drumming withLED-litdrumsticks.[286] Proceeds from the sale of one work were donated toThe Ocean Cleanup, an organization which aims to rid the oceans ofplastic waste.[287]
Gojira released "Amazonia", their second single fromFortitude, on 26 March 2021. The song and its music video address the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest;[212] the video depicts the2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires, native Brazilians performing a ritual dance, and protests against the deforestation of the Amazon which have increased sinceJair Bolsonaro became president in 2019.[288][289] The band established a month-long fundraiser for theBrazilianindigenous rights charity Articulation of Indigenous People of Brazil (APIB), dedicated to those impacted by harassment, violence,forced labour, and loss of their native lands due to the deforestation of the Amazon region.[290] The indigenously ownedNGO APIB represents three hundred Brazilian indigenous groups.[291] The campaign quadrupled its initial goal of $75,000 on 30 April 2021, raising more than $300,000 by selling autographed instruments and memorabilia from bands such as Metallica,Slash, Slayer, Tool, and Lamb of God.[292][nb 10] Items in the auction included one of Slash's signature top hats, a signedGibson "Appetite" Les Paul, and an autographedFender Precision Bass used by Labadie during the recording ofFrom Mars to Sirius.[295] A guitar owned by Joe Dupantier was sold for $27,000.[293]
The band's 2021 music video for "The Chant", filmed inWest Bengal, was inspired byTenzin Tsundue and depicts the refugee children ofTibet during itsinvasion by China in 1949 fleeing their country in the hope of preservingtheir culture. The music video was written and conceived by Joe Duplantier and directed by Russell Brownley.[296] Discussing "The Chant", Joe Duplantier said that he felt a kinship with all indigenous traditions.[297]
In 2021, Paris'Rock & Folk included Gojira in their global list of the "Top 10 Artists Committed to the Animal Cause".[298]
The Duplantier brothers formedEmpalot, anavant-garde metal–jazz fusion–funk rock band, in 1998[299] with Joe's friends from his high-school thrash metal band. Empalot had nine members, including two bass players, a guitarist, a saxophonist, anelectronic keyboard player, a percussionist and a drummer.[300][nb 11] Considered by the band the antithesis of Gojira because of its musical style[299] and festive side, Empalot emphasizedburlesque andself-deprecating humor. Mario Duplantier said, "It's funny, it's crazy. We had a blast doing it. Above all, it's a bunch of guys who share the same convictions, the same sense of humor and common values". For Joe Duplantier, Empalot evoked happiness and laughter.[19]
Empalot releasedBrout, a 1999 demo album.[19] The following year, they won the regionaltremplin Ultrasons highlighting local bands.[16] Empalot's first album,Tous aux Cèpes, was released in 2002.[19][16] The band went on a regionalunderground tour from 1999 to 2004. An Empalot concert would attract an audience of 1,000 in their hometown,[300] and the band performed in disguise and under fictitious names.[16][nb 12]Empalot en Concert, a live album, was released in 2004 before the band went on hiatus.[19]
Gojira composed the music for Xabi Molia'sshort film,Avec vautours (With Vultures), in early 2003.[303][255] It was filmed in the mountains of the French Basque country.[304]
In 2000, Alain Marty conceptualized thePrintemps des Cinéconcerts (CineConcerts' Springtime), a series of film concerts inBordeaux where regional artists of various musical genres and styles were invited to integrate their music with pre-selected films for two-week shows.[305] In 2003, Gojira received a request from Marty to compose the instrumental music forMaciste in Hell, a 1925 Italian black-and-white silent film directed byGuido Brignone, and to perform it at the Rock School Barbey, a former Bordeaux theater.[306][39]
That year, the band performed their music in two sold-out performances[306] in front of the film screened at the theater.[39] Gojira's fifty-minute one-night show of avant-garde metal was recorded and released later in 2003 as an album entitledMaciste All'Inferno.[307] In a 2008 interview, Mario Duplantier expressed his hope to release a second version as a fully-fledged Gojira album.[67]
Max andIgor Cavalera, the founding brothers of the Brazilian band Sepultura, wanted to recruit a bass player for Cavalera Conspiracy (their new band) in 2007.[308] Labadie was chosen through Roadrunner Records, but could not accept the offer for family reasons.[309] Joe Duplantier called Gloria Cavalera, and he was invited to play bass.[308] He met Logan Mader, recording engineer onThe Way of All Flesh in 2008, while recording with Cavalera Conspiracy in Los Angeles.[27] Joe performed with the band on 31 August 2007 at the 11th annual D-Low Memorial Show at theMarquee Theatre inTempe, Arizona,[308] a concert for Dana "D-Low" Wells (Max Cavalera's stepson, who was killed in a 1996 car crash).[310]
The albumInflikted was released in March 2008,[311] and a tour followed several months later.[312] Touring with Cavalera Conspiracy became problematic for Joe Duplantier, who preferred to concentrate on recordingThe Way of All Flesh and its promotion: "I put everything in Gojira, my whole life."[27]
In early November 2010, Gojira entered a Los Angeles studio with producer Logan Mader to begin recording a four-songextended play whose proceeds would benefit the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, ananti-whaling organization. The EP would feature guest appearances from the international metal scene; sales were expected on the Gojira website "without going through traditional ways", said Joe Duplantier.[313]
As a preview of the Sea Shepherd EP, Gojira released "Of Blood And Salt" in May 2011 and appeared on aMetal Hammer UKsampler album with guest vocalist Devin Townsend and a guest guitar solo by Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal. The other tracks featured Brent Hinds,[101] Randy Blythe,Anders Fridén, and Max Cavalera. The EP was originally intended for release in August and September 2011;[314] it was never released, however, because the hard drive which contained the recordings crashed.[315]
Gojira played at the2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, France, on July 26, 2024, becoming the first metal band to ever play at the opening ceremony. Their performance from theConciergerie, on the bank of theSeine, included depictions of a decapitatedMarie Antoinette,[316] and the band played a heavy metal rendition of "Ah! Ça Ira!", a revolutionary song that was popular during the French Revolution.[317] Aside from metal news websites and magazines, Gojira's performance made headlines in many news outlets as the first metal band ever to play in an Olympic opening ceremony, delivering an epic rendition of an old song.[318][319][320]
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the band, together with Franco-Swiss opera singer Marina Viotti and French composer Victor Le Masne, won the Grammy Award for the best metal performance with their performance of "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)" at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.[236]
Gojira was ranked sixth on Paris magazineL'Express' 2009 list of the top 10 best-selling French music artists in the US.[321] In 2012, Gojira was top-ranked in the French metal category by theCultural Services of the French Embassy in the US.[322] By August 2016, the band was one of France's biggest rock exports to the US.[133] French national newspaperLe Monde said in 2016 that Gojira was the country's first metal band to reach international status[256] without support from theInstitut Français, which promotes French culture abroad.[323][nb 13]
Gojira has influenced bands and musicians such asthe Agonist,[325]Alien Weaponry,[326]Avatar,[327]Betraying the Martyrs,[328]Black Crown Initiate,[329]the Contortionist,[330]Erra,[331]Fit for an Autopsy,[332]Hypno5e,[333]Jinjer,[334]Tallah drummer Max Portnoy,[335]Miss May I,[336]Rolo Tomassi,[337] andThy Art Is Murder.[338] While the band garnered international attention through the release ofFrom Mars to Sirius, vocalist Will Garner of therock bandBlack Peaks said that Gojira changed his "perception of music".[339] Vocalist and guitarist Josh Middleton ofSylosis said that his vocal approach was inspired by Gojira: "whenFrom Mars to Sirius came out, this album was huge for most people who love heavy music ... There are a lot of very melodic screams on this album, it seems like there is always a height in [Joe Duplantier's] singing, and that influenced me enormously".[340]Tesseract lead guitarist Acle Kahney said that touring with Gojira influenced the "darker tone" of his band'sfourth studio album.[341]Myles Kennedy explained his inspiration in composingAlter Bridge's song, "Native Son": "When I wrote that riff, I had certainly been listening to a lot of Gojira".[342] Norwegian singerAurora said that she was inspired by the band's lyrics,[343] and "Gojira is my favorite band of all time".[344] Jinjer's Tatiana Shmayluk and Aurora have said that they would like to collaborate with the band.[345]Spiritbox andTrivium have incorporated the "Gojira-esque pick scrape technique" into their music, according toGuitar World andBillboard.[346] Niklas Karlsson ofOrbit Culture said that their sound and music was "A mixture of Metallica and Gojira", whom he described as having a considerable influence on the band, saying, "Without either band, Orbit Culture simply would not exist."[347]Born of Osiris guitarist Lee McKinney citedThe Way of All Flesh as his inspiration and one of his five favorite progressive metal albums. He praised the album for its technical compositions and described the musical structure complexity of "The Art of Dying" as "Absolutely astonishing."[348]
Writing forMetal Hammer, Luke Morton noticed how Gojira gradually rose to prominence over the decades at a constant pace. After their headlining show at Bloodstock Open Air in 2018, he credited the band as having "cemented themselves as one of the best metal bands in the world".[349] In 2019, Kennedy called Gojira "the most important metal band out there right now";[350] he also said, "They're very important to the evolution of where things are going with hard rock and metal".[351] In December 2019, "Stranded" was ranked No. 8 onGuitar World's list of the decade's 20 best guitar riffs.[352] In January 2020,Alternative Press included "Toxic Garbage Island" in the list of the "Top 50 metal songs from the past 20 years" and deemed it "one of the best metal songs of all time".[353]Kerrang! listed Joe Duplantier's tapping in "Silvera" among "The 20 Best Guitar Solos Of The 2010s".[354] In 2020,Stereogum called Gojira "one of this century's most important underground metal institutions": "The band figured out a way to weld the grimy, mathy complications of technical death metal to the grand, mathy complications ofprog-rock, and they quickly became the kind of band that other bands mythologize."[355] In April 2021, they were called "the band of the decade" byMetal Hammer.[356] In June 2021, Brad Angle ofGuitar World called Gojira "titans of groove metal: progressive, heavy-hitting riff giants", adding that they continue "in the lineage of Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera, Lamb of God and others".[247]The Guardian ranked "Amazonia" at No. 8 on its list of "The greatest songs about the climate crisis".[357] "L'Enfant Sauvage" was listed inRevolver's "15 Greatest Title Tracks in Metal History".[358]From Mars to Sirius was ranked at No. 10 andL'Enfant Sauvage at No. 44 on theLoudwire "100 Best Rock + Metal Albums of the 21st Century" list.[359]Will Hodgkinson ofThe Times dubbed Gojira the "French metal masters" after attending a 2023 show.[242]
ThreeJurassic-erabrittle star fossils,Ophiogojira labadiei,Ophiogojira andreui, andOphioduplantiera noctiluca, were named after band members by scientists Ben Thuy and Lea Numberger from theNational Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg, and Tania Pineda-Enríquez from theFlorida Museum of Natural History. They wrote that the genusOphiogojira was named in honor of Gojira "for producing songs of an unfathomable intensity, beautifully dark and heavy, and exploring the abyss of life and death, of human strength and error, and of thriving and yet threatened oceans."[360][361]
^Grindcore band Nostromo, with whom Gojira shared the stage on theTerra Incognita tour, was chosen as the opener for the tour.[183][184]
^DJ Khaled'sKhaled Khaled took the No. 1 spot on theBillboard 200 with 94,000album-equivalent units, but 15,000 were pure sales. Gojira sold more traditional copies (24,104), outperforming DJ Khaled's new album. DJ Khaled's album-equivalent units included more streaming equivalent albums than Gojira, which helped him gain the highest chart position.[215]
^A riot broke out at the entrance to theCaupolicán Theatre inChile on 30 August 2022 when 80 fans attempted to enter the venue during the concert, which had sold out in less than 24 hours. This required the intervention ofnational police officers, and two security guards were injured.[229]
^The band described itself asmilitant without pretending to call themselves ecologists and pointed out: "we take planes, cars, like everyone else. But we try to be eco-responsible".[91]
^ Bands that participated in Gojira's auction campaign also included Sepultura,Bring Me the Horizon,[212]Korn, Mastodon, Rage Against the Machine,[293] Slipknot, and Deftones.[294]
^With live engineer Laurentx Etchemendy (saxophone) and lighting engineer Stéphane Chateauneuf (vocals); Chateauneuf appears inThe Link Alive DVD's short show "Tchang & Tanguy" and the "Love" and "To Sirius" music videos.
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^"Gojira, 20 ans de metal..." [Gojira, 20 years of metal...].La Dépêche du Midi. 11 February 2017.Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved18 August 2021. [We began playing pretty intense thrash and death metal ...]
^abcBally, Oli (November 2012)."Biographie: Godzilla" [Biography: Godzilla].W-Fenec (in French).Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved19 December 2020.Note: Oli Bally is a teacher who created W-Fenec in 1998
^"Les 10 ans du VS Fest 1" [The 10 years of VS Fest 1].Metal Impact (in French). 29 March 2004.Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved20 December 2020.
^Bally, Oli (April 2004)."Interview de Nostromo (avril 2004)" [Interview with Nostromo (April 2004)].W-Fenec (in French).Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved19 November 2021.
^Pierre–Antoine (4 April 2004)."Gojira: Entretien avec Joe Duplantier" [Gojira: Interview with Joe Duplantier].Noiseweb (in French). La Locomotive (concert venue).Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved23 February 2021. [You are going to release a DVD soon but that you will distribute yourself...]
^abLecaudey, Martine (16 July 2004)."Rock tellurique avec les Landais de Gojira" [Telluric rock with the Landais of Gojira].La Dépêche du Midi (in French).Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved3 March 2021.
^abPaufert, Geoffrey (October 2008)."Gojira: The Way of All Flesh (Interview with Mario Duplantier)".Metal Obs' Magazine (in French). No. 23.Niort: H.I.M. Media.Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved1 January 2021 – via Noiseweb. ["We locked ourselves in our rehearsal room for 4 months, from November 20th to March 20th roughly, with small cuts when Joe worked withCavalera Conspiracy".]
^Meurot, Julien (August 2009)."Hellfest Open Air"(PDF).Metal Obs' Magazine (in French). No. 32.Niort: H.I.M. Media. p. 12. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 1 November 2021. Retrieved1 November 2021.
^abcBureau, Eric; Guillo, Jean-Nicholas (27 April 2020) [First published 12 February 2017]."Le métal de Gojira fait trembler l'Amérique" [Gojira's metal shakes America].Le Parisien (in French).Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved9 January 2022.
^Bureau, Eric (12 May 2012)."Metallica embrase le Stade de France" [Metallica sets the Stade de France ablaze].Le Parisien (in French).Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved3 November 2021.
"Metallica..." [Metallica at the Sonisphere Festival in Yverdon (Switzerland)].L'Est Républicain (in French). 16 February 2012.Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved3 November 2021.
^Blanc, Amaury (9 February 2012)."Les deux dates réunissant Slayer et Gojira" [The two dates bringing together Slayer and Gojira in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand].Radio Metal (in French).Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved3 November 2021 – viaNous Productions (Warner Music France).
^"Live 'N Loud Meets Gojira". Interview.Live 'N Loud magazine. 3 September 2012.Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved4 November 2021.
^"Ils ont fait Garorock: ..." [They made Garorock: the history of the festival in 20 photos].Sud Ouest (in French). 26 June 2014.Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
^Rodrigues, José Miguel (28 May 2018)."Vagos Open Air 2014: Gojira".Loud Magazine (in Portuguese).Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved5 November 2021.
^abcdeMarraud, Sébastien (22 January 2017)."Le plus international..." [The most international of French rock bands].Sud Ouest (in French).Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved5 November 2021. ["We have both a QG in Ondres and another in Brooklyn." "QG" >Quartier Général (Headquarters).]
^Kielty, Martin Kielty (6 April 2021)."Gojira tease studio return".Metal Hammer.Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved5 November 2021.
^Dodon, Julien (24 May 2015)."Tu aimes le métal? Gojira est là pour toi" [Do you like metal? Gojïra is there for you]. Interview (with Christian Andreu).La Montagne (in French).Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved5 November 2021.
^Michel, Magali (13 April 2017)."Ils Oeuvrent Dans L'ombre: ..." [They Work In The Shadow: Spotlight on Nicolas Riot, lighting designer, co-founder of Chirac Design]. Interview.Headline Magazine (in French).Birmingham.Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved6 November 2021. ["Almost six weeks of touring then a month break before resuming for five or six weeks. The pace of these wanderings around the world is immutable and will stretch over three or four years".]
^2016 European and North American tour with Tesseract:
^Michel, Magali (30 January 2017)."Nantes ovationne Gojira" [Nantes acclaims Gojira].Headline Magazine (in French).Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved7 November 2021.
^d'Avout, Caroline (12 February 2017)."Grammy Awards: ..." [Grammy Awards: Gojira very close to the stars].Les Echos. Paris.Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved7 November 2021.
Cosson, Nolwenn (9 June 2017)."Gojira, ..." [Gojira, Blink 182 or even Linkin Park. The first big headliners of the rock and metal festival will perform this Friday].Le Parisien (in French).Brétigny-sur-Orge Air Base.Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved7 November 2021.
^Lemaire, Clara (1 July 2021)."Gojira: 3 concerts..." [Gojira: 3 concerts in France in 2022 including a date at the Accor Arena in Paris].Rock & Folk (in French).Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved24 December 2021. [A major first, but also a consecration for the group, which held the Olympia for two dates during its last visit to Paris in 2017.]
Colombani, Franck (29 June 2022)."Hellfest: ..." [Hellfest: Metallica closes a Dantesque festival in style].Le Monde (in French).Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved16 July 2022.
Bureau, Eric; Valentin, Michel (20 June 2022)."Journal de bord du Hellfest, ..." [Hellfest logbook, day 3: And the monster Gojira atomized us].Le Parisien (in French).Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved17 July 2022.
^Lamet, Christian (1 September 2022)."Gojira".Hard Force Magazine (in French). Paris.OCLC32640105.Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved23 October 2022.
Olivier, Bobby (29 October 2021)."The 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now".Spin.Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved18 January 2022.the searing technical death metal that fueled the band
Renaud, Philippe (16 July 2016)."Gojira: le calme après la tempête" [Gojira: calm after the storm].Le Devoir (in French).Quebec.Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved20 March 2021. ["Technical death metal. Groove metal with a thrash tendency. Progressive metal. All of this at the same time".]
^Blast beats, precision drumming, and jazz drum fills:
Renaud, Philippe (16 July 2016)."Gojira: le calme après la tempête" [Gojira: calm after the storm].Le Devoir (in French).Quebec.Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved20 March 2021. ["powerful blast beats distributor".]
^Soenen, Marie-Hélène (8 July 2016)."Gojira, une affaire de famille" [Gojira, a family affair].Télérama (in French). Paris.Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved20 November 2021.
^Humbert, Paul (3 February 2019)."De la scène à l'Etna ..." [From the stage to the Etna with Jean-Michel Labadie (Gojira) and Jérôme Clementz]. Interview.Vogo Magazine (in French).Savoy.Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved21 November 2021. [Labadie: "...the whole band having grown up in the South-West of France. I grew up in the Basque Country."]
^Lewin, Frédéric (16 February 2011)."Victoire du capitaine..." [Captain Watson's victory: Japan suspends whaling].Le Point (in French).Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved8 August 2021.
^Soares, Gustavo (26 March 2021)."Banda francesa Gojira..." [French band Gojira releases music about wildfires in the Amazon].Portal UAI (in Portuguese).Estado de Minas.Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved17 July 2021.
^Collet-Lejuif, Sylvie (18 May 2009)."Printemps des CinéConcerts 2009" [CineConcerts' Springtime 2009]. Interview (with the president of the association Center Jean Vigo Events).Aquitaine Online (in French).Saint-Médard-en-Jalles.Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved20 November 2021.
^abGwardeath, Guillaume (June 2019). Évidence Éditions (ed.)."A Guide to Gojira"(PDF).Junkpage (in French) (68). Bordeaux: 23.ISSN2268-6126.Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved15 October 2022.
^Richard, Olivier (24 February 2017)."L'institut français sous le signe du concert" [The French Institute under the sign of concert].Libération (in French). Paris.Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved6 February 2021. [...see Gojira's worldwide success]
^"Erra..." [Erra tells us about her new colossal metal album, inspired by Tool and Gojira].MetalZone (in French). 11 March 2021.Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved30 October 2021.
^Aunai, Simon (18 October 2020)."Hypno5e..."Tourtoisie Music (Concerts organizer) (in French).Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved27 June 2021.
^Gricourt, Nicolas (21 February 2020)."Sylosis prend un nouveau départ" [Sylosis gets a fresh start]. Interview (by phone).Radio Metal (in French). Transcripted by Emilie Bardalou.Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved2 March 2021.
^Lacroix, Jérémie (7 November 2016)."Aurora..." [Aurora, the young Norwegian prodigy sets out to conquer the world].Têtu (in French).ISSN1265-3578.Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved2 March 2021.
Steph (14 November 2018)."Rencontre avec la chanteuse Aurora..." [Meeting with singer Aurora on the occasion of the release of her new EP]. Interview.La Parisienne Life (in French).Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved26 December 2021. [I would love to collaborate with the French metal band Gojira. I've been a fan since I was 12.]
^Gojira's pick scrape technique in Spiritbox and Trivium music:
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