Label: Roadrunner Records
Release date: April 30, 2021
Production: Joe Duplantier
Album length: 51:52 min
Over the past decade, France’s Gojira haven’t just become the country’s most recognizable metal band, they’ve also climbed to the very top of the current scene. Every album is more anticipated than the last, and this time the hype for the new record was even bigger than for Magma, which came out in 2016. That’s about five years since their last release. Fortitude was actually supposed to see the light of day last year, but everything got pushed back when the pandemic put the album’s post-production on hold.
With Magma, Gojira showed their more emotional side, a result of the death of the Duplantier brothers’ mother. The album was surprisingly well received, by fans and critics alike. Despite veering away from their original style, Gojira can still win people over with a slightly different approach. So it would make sense for the band to keep going in that direction. Since their debut Terra Incognita (2001), Gojira have gone through a serious stylistic transformation. The early days were undeniably tinted with death metal, but with every album they added more and more groove while keeping the technicality.
With each album Gojira try to weave in something new, which shows a kind of natural progression, and at the same time their music has become more accessible and friendlier to a wider audience. The songs have become more simply structured, and the choruses stand out even more. On the other hand, there’s still enough technicality to keep the whole thing that much more interesting. Gojira are clearly doing something very right with their inventive style: not long ago, Metal Hammer named them the most important metal band of the decade, no less. And after all, they’re also one of the most in-demand bands in Slovenia.
The long-awaited Fortitude opens with a decidedly promising track, Born For One Thing. Unlike on previous releases, Gojira kick off the album with something devastating and hard-hitting that peaks in a breakdown. The associations with From Mars to Sirius and The Way of All Flesh are totally justified here. But right after that they serve up Amazonia, which shifts down a gear. The tempo calms down a bit, and the song strongly recalls Sepultura’s Roots, except that Gojira have polished it all up and lifted it to a higher production level. With this song, Gojira also draw attention to the endangered Amazon rainforest, which shrinks every year because of human destruction. The band has been warning about ecological catastrophes for quite some time, and they won’t be running out of material on that front anytime soon.
Gojira unveiled Another World last year. Since it wasn’t exactly the most standout thing, reactions were pretty mixed. It’s a rather average track that really only comes alive with the chorus. And that’s where the picture gets clear enough: Gojira have stopped overcomplicating their structures and started emphasizing big choruses, which are of course a crowd magnet at larger shows. If Another World doesn’t quite convince you, they hit the nail on the head with Hold On. After a longer intro that begins with dreamy a capella vocals, Gojira build up gradually by adding percussion and guitars, then explode with their crushing style and a powerful chorus that even features “gang” vocals. They carry on in a similar vein, keeping their groove and technicality, with New Found. Above all, there’s a real consistency showing here.
Probably one of the more shocking tracks Gojira have to offer is The Chant, which serves as a continuation of the short instrumental title track. The song is carried by a chant of “aaaaaaah oooooooh” that brings to mind the likes of System of a Down and Mastodon. Joe Duplantier uses only melodic singing, and a guitar solo was thrown in as well, which is something new again. In its own way, The Chant also feels like a cheerier version of Shooting Star from the predecessor. It’s definitely a twist nobody saw coming, but in the end it turns out that exactly these kinds of detours give the album a lot of dynamics. Of course, not every fan of the band is going to approve of the song, as you’d expect.
As a counterweight to The Chant, Gojira follow up with the harder-hitting Sphinx, which boasts that unmistakable Gojira groove and punch, and which suits those who like a “heavier” Gojira much better. They keep the wild side going with Into The Storm, where drummer Mario Duplantier shines with inventive polyrhythms. The chorus tames the heaviness a little, but it doesn’t spoil the overall impression one bit.
With The Trails, Gojira calm down again. Duplantier once more uses melodic vocals, and the whole thing feels dreamy and atmospheric, which is a great breather before the closing track Grind, where Gojira show off their more aggressive, hard-hitting side.
So Gojira have once again tried out something new, which might not suit every listener, but as a whole the album wins you over with its variety and a few unexpected twists. The songs are written with care, and even though the structures are no longer as complex, they have real shape to them. It’s also likely that the album will get under a lot of people’s skin after a few spins, or once it’s put to the actual test of how the songs hold up live. Its predecessor Magma gained more respect precisely with time, after the impressions were initially more mixed.
The production deserves praise too. The performance is once again convincing. There’s nothing to complain about with the sound itself, because it’s more than good. In just under 52 minutes, Gojira show that they’re not short on creativity. They’re equally assured in execution. Joe Duplantier has started exploring his voice more and leaning even harder on melodic vocals, which has given the album a boost on the melodic side as well. The standout member remains drummer Mario Duplantier, who is nowadays one of the most acclaimed drummers in metal. His sense of rhythm still makes Gojira so special and gives the actually fairly simple guitars real purpose. But that’s not to overlook the other members: the instruments are all clearly audible, including the bass, which even gets a line or two of its own.
After five years, Gojira are back stronger than ever. Like its predecessors, Fortitude boasts very good production, variety, punch, a powerful rhythm section and, of course, technicality. With this album they keep their style intact while exploring new territory, which may also hint at a slightly different look for the future. But where Gojira will actually go next is hard to predict, because they can still surprise.
8.5/10
Tracklist:
1. Born for one Thing
2. Amazonia
3. Another World
4. Hold On!
5. New Found
6. Fortitude
7. The Chant
8. Sphinx
9. Into the Storm
10. The Trails
11. Grind
Lineup:
Joe Duplantier – vocals, guitar
Mario Duplantier – drums
Christian Andreu – guitar
Jean-Michel Labadie – bass
