Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
Prosthetic Records/Listenable – 6561910064-2 – 14 October 2008
By Jason Jordan
Gojira’s
The Way of All Flesh is one of the most anticipated albums of 2008, and rightfully so, considering its 2005 predecessor
From Mars to Sirius is excellent. While these Frenchmen haven’t drastically altered their sound—who wants them to?—there are enough differences to easily distinguish
TWoAF from earlier material. And, their latest is great in its own right, even if they’re still justifiably garnering comparisons to
Meshuggah and their ilk.
The most noticeable change is the production’s shift from razor-like to a more organic, natural sound except when it comes to Joe Duplantier’s vocals. As tight as ever,
Gojira’s
‘Oroborus’ is a welcome, if downtrodden, beginning but it’s the intricacies of
‘Toxic Garbage Island’ that pique interest until the thunderous riffs come in at 0:52. One danger of envirometal though, or any slant for that matter, is that occasionally the lyrics will be comically bad like those that make up the closing of
‘TGI’: “plastic bag in the sea / It’s a plastic bag in the sea.” Check out issue 025 of
Zero Tolerance for further reading on the envirometal subject.
Speaking again of Duplantier’s vocals, during
‘A Sight to Behold’ they’re too robotic for my tastes, but the cascading riffs and double bass patterns are easily worth the price of admission, atoning for all prior vocal missteps. The middle of
The Way of All Flesh arguably contains the most crushing tunes, namely
‘Yama’s Messengers’,
‘All the Tears’, and
‘Adoration for None’. Unfortunately, they aren’t that memorable. Additionally, several have voiced discontent with Randy Blythe’s (
Lamb of God) guest appearance on
‘Adoration for None’, but his average pipes neither make nor break the track. Ten-minute follower
‘The Art of Dying’ (
Death Angel, anybody?) works wonders with suspense, and parts the water for
‘Esoteric Surgery’, which can be effortlessly recalled due to its catchy, infectious rhythms.
Then there’s the trudging
‘Vacuity’. It’s been making the rounds as promotion for
The Way of All Flesh, but isn’t the finest representation of the album as a whole despite the fact that it boasts a killer latter half. Strong closers come in the form of
‘Wolf down the Earth’ and the devastating title track, propelling the length past the 75-minute mark while simultaneously ensuring that the listener receives the worth of their money. Every opus is a keeper, but some naturally outweigh others.
So, whether or not
Gojira’s latest trumps
From Mars to Sirius—I think they’re evenly matched, truthfully—
The Way of All Flesh is a masterful follow-up. I’m not convinced that there’s an earth shattering number like
‘Backbone’ here, but that’s forgivable in light of the overall execution. Either way, this is a must-buy for sure.
Official Gojira Website
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Official Listenable Records Website
