Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Roadrunner, June 2012
10/10
Gojira is the rare
French band that’s made any kind of impact on the metal scene. In fact, the
only bands from France I can recall off the top of my head are Trust, Treponem
Pal, and Dream Child. There’s good reason why Gojira’s profile keeps rising
worldwide—they’re one of the most original and inventive bands to emerge within
the last few years. Any time a band steps up to a major label from the
independents there will always be a nagging dread that the corporate suits will
ruin a good thing, but Gojira has stuck to their guns and delivered an album
that keeps their trademark sound intact. Imagine dissonant chords, chugging
rhythms, and gruff, monotonous vocals all twisted into the musical equivalent
of a bulldozer that mows down everything in all directions. Admittedly, this
may not sound like a recipe for success, but Gojira manages to always keep it
interesting by introducing some fast elements (listen to “Planned
Obsolescence”), varying the vocal style a bit, and weaving through intriguing
lines, such as the short, bass-led instrumental “The Wild Healer”, the mellow
start of “Born In Winter”, and the surf-sounding guitar segment about
two-thirds into “Explosia”. Other high points are on the first half of the
album, including the title track, “The Axe”, and “Liquid Fire”. At about 50
minutes long, L’Enfant Sauvage is the
perfect length to keep the listener interested for the whole ride. For those
new to Gojira, the first listen may be a bit confusing, but with a couple more
spins you’ll come to appreciate and understand their bizarre, unique style. It
remains to be seen whether Gojira will be able to break into more mainstream
ranks, but with the right push all of the other pieces are in place. L’Enfant Sauvage firmly places Gojira atop
of the current crop of rising metal bands and should propel them to new heights
of success.
No comments:
Post a Comment