Magma

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Gojira
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release: year_month
Runtime: 43:56
Rating: 4/5

In recent years Gojira have become not just the most recognizable French band but also one of the most acclaimed acts on the metal scene right now. Their popularity shot up even higher when they dropped »L’Enfant Sauvage« four years ago. It was mostly well received, and above all the band picked up a whole lot more fans, so their shows started drawing bigger crowds. It probably goes without saying that in the meantime they’ve also become one of the most wanted bands in Slovenia.

So it’s been four years since the famous »L’Enfant Sauvage«. Expectations were definitely high. The writing and recording of the album dragged on after the Duplantier brothers lost their mother to cancer. Because of that tragedy, the brothers announced a pretty emotional and different album, while still promising a record that would live up to the band’s name. So »L’Enfant Sauvage« was supposed to get a worthy successor, even though it was little more than a recap of the previous four albums, recycling old ideas with a few good moments, but a far cry from what the band had shown before.

As a first taste, the band served up »Stranded«, probably their most commercially minded track yet, catchy, groovy and emotional. Reactions were mixed. Some were disappointed, others stoked that the band had come up with a slightly different track that mainly puts the emotional side front and center. But then the band made up for it with »Silvera«, which is in a more typical style, where alongside the heavy riffs it’s Mario Duplantier’s drumming that dominates, something that’s been a Gojira trademark from the start. So hope isn’t dead. Yet.

The skepticism comes right back as the album opens with the dreamy, atmospheric Shooting Star, which signals a pretty different record. Above all it shows the band pushing complexity aside and putting simpler music soaked in emotion up front. Clean vocals have popped up in Gojira’s music before, but this time they play a really important role, present through almost the whole record. Gojira quickly redeem themselves with the aforementioned »Silvera« and »The Cell«, which give the album more hope and confirm that the band hasn’t gone overboard with the experimenting. After the commercial »Stranded«, things calm down with »Yellow Stone«, a short instrumental interlude.

Next up, the band delivers the title track, which could be seen as the centerpiece of the album. Still, with its dreaminess, hypnotic »melodies«, clean vocals and stretched-out feel, it doesn’t quite satisfy every listener. Judging by the lyrics, though, it’s safe to say it’s the band’s most emotional track so far. It also has a touch of the epic, which makes the whole album unpredictable again.  After that Gojira of course hit back with Pray and Only Pain, which show the band mighty and aggressive, just like they proved themselves on past releases. Low Lands then more or less wraps up a rather short album; once again the dreaminess and emotion return, with a little aggression thrown in. Then Gojira tack on a closing acoustic track, Liberation, which is meant to underline the atmosphere of the record once more, but unfortunately it’s nothing more than filler .

Overall, you could say Gojira have stayed true to their style to a degree, even if there are quite a few detours, shown in more dreaminess, emotion and clean vocals. But that’s exactly what makes Magma so much more charming. It has more diversity than its predecessor and it’s not as predictable. Different associations pop up too, although the aggressive tracks are pretty typical stuff, stressing groove and a bit of complexity. There are more doom metal elements and embellishments in the style of later Mastodon. Of course, the shortness and structure of the songs confirm that the band made an album for a bigger crowd that likes simple songs. Now there’s some debate about whether Gojira will keep getting simpler or whether this is just the one record where they step a bit away from their core. Sound-wise the band remains powerful, and the production deserves praise too, since the band handled it themselves, with no outside people tweaking the album afterwards to suit the label.

After four years, Gojira managed to return with a new, different album that gave fans plenty to chew on. With its emotionality and dreaminess, Magma can be a thorn in some people’s side, but it’s a varied record and proof that the band doesn’t just want to recycle old ideas but try something new too. Magma may not be a creative peak, but it still gives hope and maybe even new directions for the future.

Line-up

Joe Duplantier – vocals, guitar

Mario Duplantier – drums

Jean-Michel Labadie – bass

Christian Andreu – guitar

Production

Joe Duplantier

Track list